Alex sat at her desk, reviewing the client portfolio for the meeting Yujiro had assigned her to attend with him. She adjusted her notes, making sure every figure, every projection, and every detail was precise. She had learned long ago that preparation wasn't just about competence—it was armor against mistakes, and in her case, a shield against judgment.
Her phone buzzed with a message from Asha, reminding her that Yuto would be fine for the day. Alex smiled softly, replying quickly before taking a deep breath and heading toward the conference room where Yujiro was already waiting.
He didn't greet her. Not yet. He merely gestured for her to follow as she stepped into the sleek, glass-paneled room. His presence was quiet, controlled, almost predatory, but Alex forced herself to stay professional.
"Here's the client," Yujiro said, his voice calm and steady, as a team of executives entered the room. "Alex will be assisting me today."
The client immediately began negotiations, demanding an 80/20 share split that would have left Yujiro's company at a disadvantage. Everyone in the room froze, expecting him to respond with force—or perhaps to accept.
But Alex leaned forward slightly, her voice calm and deliberate.
"We're proposing a 50/50 structure," she said. "It's equitable, sustainable, and ensures mutual growth. Anything less would compromise the integrity of the project."
The room went silent. All eyes turned to her, jaws slightly ajar. Even Yujiro's sharp gaze softened—not in surprise at her competence, but in approval. He didn't intervene. He simply watched, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
The client hesitated, glanced at their team, and then nodded reluctantly. "Agreed. 50/50 it is."
Alex exhaled quietly, her heart still racing, as she caught Yujiro's subtle nod of acknowledgment. His approval wasn't loud or demonstrative—it was a small, precise shift of his sharp gaze, but it carried weight.
As they left the conference room, Yujiro finally spoke, his voice low but controlled:
"You handled that well. I expect all your work to maintain this level of precision."
Alex nodded. "Thank you, sir. I will."
He studied her briefly, expression unreadable. And though he said nothing more, the gears in his mind were already turning, observing, calculating… and perhaps, for the first time in years, questioning how much he actually knew about this woman standing before him.
Because there was something in her—the way she carried herself, the fire beneath her calm—that was familiar in ways he couldn't yet name.
And somewhere deep down, an unacknowledged part of him wondered if she had a life beyond these office walls.
He didn't know yet that she did.
Her son, Yuto, was waiting at home.
A small, vibrant life that would soon intertwine with his own in ways neither of them could have predicted.
For now, though, the room was professional, precise, and silent—except for the subtle tension that danced between them, a tension neither dared to name.
And yet, fate had already started its quiet work, drawing them together in ways that would be impossible to ignore.