Alicia took a cold bath after dealing with the day's management reviews of Alicia Kara Enterprises. The stress of running her multinational empire in Aethel City always left her mentally exhausted, but the physical routine of her cold shower brought her back to the razor's edge she needed. She didn't even have time to eat the cookies Kristen had given her.
She sat down heavily on the couch with her prepared orange juice. She was alone now, truly alone in her secure penthouse. One thing she didn't like when she was without the squad was either staring at the TV or her phone. And tonight, she wasn't ready for any of the digital distractions the civilian world craved.
That kind of passive entertainment was something she was not familiar with. She found the leisure of normal people—the endless scrolling, the social media dependency—to be a waste of vital seconds.
She observed the world today as people only blabbed about the phone being the ultimate source of all knowledge and distraction. That nobody could go a day without his or her phone, a weakness she was trained to avoid.
Munching on a single cookie—Kristen's cookies were hard to resist—she heard her phone ring. It was an unknown number. She stared at it, her jaw clenching, and then placed the phone down to take a slow sip of juice. Every unscheduled interruption was a potential threat.
She got up to go for the TV remotes, deciding she had no choice but to watch something, anything, to distract herself from the lingering tension of the gym.
Then it rang again. It was the same unknown number. Who could it be?
She knew apart from her master and secretary, only Lucy and Kristen had her private number. And if somebody wanted to talk to her for business, her secretary would be the first to vet the call.
Alicia tossed the phone back onto the long couch, a spike of annoyance replacing caution, and continued with her cookies and juice. She forgot to switch on the TV as anger surged through her, violating the careful calm she required.
The phone rang the third time. Three rings. It might be an emergency protocol being violated. She decided to answer it after a series of calculated thoughts, her thumb hovering over the accept button.
"Hello once again." The voice was deep, confident, and unfamiliar, yet instantly recognisable. Then Alicia remembered the encounter today at the gym. It wasn't just a guy; it was her celebrity crush, Jay Jennings, the CEO of Blackwatch Security.
"Jay...." She choked on the juice she was drinking, the sudden adrenaline surge making her throat tighten.
"How....How did you get this number?" The question burst out, fueled by professional outrage.
"Sorry to disturb you. I know this number is private," Jason's voice was smooth, betraying nothing.
'Yeah, so how did you, the CEO of the most competent security firm in the world, get my number?'
Although she was angry, a powerful, giddy part of her was very happy. The guy actually went to extreme lengths to get her number. She wondered who betrayed her.
"Actually. I asked Chris, and he also asked Lucy. Please don't be mad," Jason confessed quickly, minimising the operation.
Jason knew the internal struggle he had endured just to persuade Chris, his business partner, to use his leverage to get the number from Lucy. It was hectic. Lucy wasn't ready to give it up at all; she had fought him, protecting Alicia's privacy with fierce loyalty.
"Lucy?" Alicia questioned, her tone low and dangerous.
Jason heard the shift in her voice from the other line. "Actually, she didn't want to. She gave me your secretary's general line, which was useless. Yeah, but, Chris had to use his own way to get it from her," he admitted, knowing the truth—or some version of it—was better.
Chris likely traded some future favour or secret for it.
The lines became silent for a long, agonising moment. Jason cleared his throat.
"Alicia," he said, using her name deliberately.
She liked the way her name sounded from his lips—serious, yet gentle.
"Yeah, it's fine."
"Promise me you ain't going to be mad at her," he pressed. Jason, the powerful Aethel City magnate, was asking her to promise him she wouldn't punish her best friend.
Alicia was pissed off at the sheer audacity of his request. She sure was angry, but she was intrigued.
"I will. But tell me this," she countered, recovering her control.
"Why do you need my number?" It was a strategic question now, not a dumb one.
Jason seized the opening.
"I learned you have just seven days more to return to the barracks. I thought I could use this opportunity to get to know you," he stated, his voice now firm, cutting through the small talk and going straight to the core tension.
Alicia stood up abruptly, the air knocked out of her. He knew. The secret was out. Her friends were right. His directness was working, shattering her defences.
"Yeah." She answered speedily, giving him no space to retract the offer. Jason smiled on the other line.
"Can we at least give it a try?" He sounded like a teenager asking a girl out, losing all his typical CEO authority. And that was definitely not the Jay Jennings the world knew.
He never begged his exes; they were always the ones fighting for space at his feet.
But this one, she was different. She represented a challenge, a time constraint, and a depth he hadn't encountered before.
"I'll try." She answered slyly, a genuine, rare amusement entering her voice.
"I appreciate you asking. Now, you need to promise me you won't be mad at Lucy again." Jason pleaded again.
"Yes, I won't be mad. How about tomorrow? My place, my treat," she offered, taking the initiative. It had to be on her terms, in her safe territory.
She smiled after that, a genuine warmth spreading across her face.
"I was going to ask, but since you did, yeah, thanks. I look forward to your threat," he said, his voice now confident again, and hung up.
.
.
.
"He pleaded on your behalf, so I'm not mad," Alicia stated, cutting off the Jason line and immediately connecting Lucy's private line.
Alicia heard a nervous chuckle from the other line. Lucy was clearly waiting by her phone.
"Do you know what Chris did to me only for your number? It was an Apex-level negotiation!"
"Well, I have no idea and that's between you two," Alicia replied coolly, despite the smile that wouldn't leave her face.
"Alicia!!!" Lucy shouted from the other line, exasperated. Alicia moved the phone from her ear instantly.
"You're gonna damage my eardrum," Alicia muttered. Another chuckle.
"How did it go?" Alicia heard Kristen, who had clearly hijacked the call, ask from the other end.
"He was gentle. And yeah, he wants us to give it a try," Alicia reported.
"I knew it!" Kristen shouted, ecstatic.
"Guys, I'm grateful," Alicia admitted, a rare show of emotion.
"No need sis. Just remember to be yourself. He likes the real Alicia," Lucy advised, her voice softening.
"Okay, got to go. I will update you on everything from tomorrow," Alicia promised.
"Wow! They even agreed to start tomorrow. Day One of the seven-day challenge!" Alicia heard Kristen humming a victory tune.
She hung up.
Alicia placed the phone on her chest. She felt something budge inside her, a warm, foreign feeling she couldn't categorise. Something she had never experienced before. It was as though somebody had poured warm water on the cold surface of her soul.
The clock was ticking: seven days left.