Just After the Presentation
The glass doors slid shut behind them.
The conference room fell away.
And only then did Nadia finally breathe.
Her knees nearly gave out.
She pressed a hand to her chest, laughter and panic colliding in her throat.
"I… I nearly blew it, Jordan. I nearly did."
Her voice trembled.
Jordan didn't answer with words.
He simply stepped forward and pulled her into a brief, grounding hug.
Steady. Warm. Certain.
"It's okay," he murmured near her ear.
"We're fine. You're fine."
She closed her eyes.
For a second, the room, the board, the pressure—
all of it vanished.
Mentors and Murmurs
"Hey, you two."
Liam's voice cut gently through the moment.
Jordan stepped back at once.
"Hello, sir."
Sarah hurried closer, concern already written across her face.
"Nadia, are you okay?"
She nodded weakly.
"I… yeah. I think so."
Liam studied Jordan now, openly.
"I must say," he said slowly,
"I'm really impressed with how you handled that situation."
Jordan inclined his head politely.
"Thank you, sir."
Sarah exhaled.
"To be honest, the first group were doing so well… until Mr. Richard started asking questions."
Liam shook his head.
"And he made it look like he had a personal vendetta against them."
Sarah scoffed under her breath.
"That bloody asshole.
I still can't believe Ms. Cross was once married to him."
Jordan stilled.
Just slightly.
Married?
His mind moved faster than his face allowed.
Three years ago.
Divorce.
Hostility.
The pressure.
The tone.
Personal vendetta.
It clicked.
"They were married?" he asked quietly.
Sarah nodded.
"Divorced three years ago."
"And he still has ties to the company?"
"Shares," she replied.
"And reputation. One of the best prospects this company ever had."
Jordan nodded once.
"I get it."
But inside, something colder formed.
This wasn't about interns.
This was war.
Friends, Shock, and Suspicion
Later, by the elevators—
Zoey rushed toward Nadia.
"Are you okay??"
Nadia exhaled shakily.
"That man nearly destroyed me in there."
Adrian cursed softly.
"That bastard did the same to us."
Johnson shook his head.
"Language, man."
"I nearly blew it," Nadia whispered.
"But Jordan stepped in."
Adrian stared.
"And?"
"He answered everything," she said slowly.
"Cold. Precise. Like… he wasn't even thinking."
Zoey blinked.
"That's insane."
"But the questions…" Nadia frowned.
"They weren't intern-level."
Adrian nodded grimly.
"He did that to us too."
Silence fell between them.
Zoey whispered, "Then how did Jordan answer?"
Nadia swallowed.
"I don't know.
But he didn't hesitate."
Johnson muttered, "That's not normal."
Nadia rubbed her temples.
"Oh God… I need some air
Inside the Conference Room,
The room had not cooled.
If anything, it had sharpened.
Richard stood by the table.
Damian leaned against a chair.
Two other board members watched silently.
Vivienne remained seated — composed, unreadable.
"You're hiring unstable variables, Vivienne," Richard said calmly.
"That intern embarrassed senior leadership," Damian added.
Another voice chimed in, cool and sharp.
"You're losing control of your company culture."
They weren't angry about Jordan.
They were angry about her.
Jordan Walks Back In
A soft knock.
"Come in."
Jordan entered with quiet professionalism.
"I just came to pack up the projector… and the files."
Richard's gaze lifted slowly.
Pinned him.
Held him.
"Jordan, right?"
"Yes, sir."
"Did you design your own framework… without letting her know?"
He pointed at Vivienne.
The room tensed.
Vivienne opened her mouth—
But Jordan spoke first.
Soft. Respectful.
"With respect, sir…
Everything I said today came from her framework."
The lie was flawless.
"She built the architecture," he continued calmly.
"I just stress-tested it."
Silence.
Absolute.
Vivienne turned slowly toward him.
Their eyes met.
In that second—
Not romance.
Not attraction.
But loyalty.
Unbreakable.
Professional.
Earned.
Jordan inclined his head.
"I'll take my leave."
And left.
The door closed.
The Board Turns on Vivienne
No one spoke.
The silence was deliberate.
Then Richard leaned back, folding his arms.
"Well," he said pleasantly,
"That was… unexpected."
Mariah tapped her pen.
"Unexpected is one word for it."
Damian stared at the door.
"That intern," he said slowly,
"He wasn't in your hiring pipeline, was he?"
"He passed background checks," Vivienne replied evenly.
"Same as the others."
Richard smiled.
"That's the problem."
"And what problem would that be, Richard?"
"You brought interns into a board presentation."
"They earned it."
"No," Mariah said coldly.
"They overperformed it."
Vivienne felt the shift.
This was no longer about interns.
The Undercurrent
"Your ex-intern group collapsed," Damian said.
"But your chosen pair…"
He paused.
"Outshined the room."
"Isn't that the point of merit?" Vivienne asked.
Richard chuckled.
"Oh, Vivienne…
You let a twenty-four-year-old humiliate senior board members."
Humiliate.
The word burned.
"He answered questions you asked."
"That's not the issue."
"It's optics," Mariah said.
"Your intern made our systems look obsolete."
"And contradicted Richard's proposal," Damian added.
Budgets.
Control.
Power.
Jordan Becomes the Target
Mariah slid her tablet forward.
Jordan Blackwood's profile.
"Unusual depth for his age."
"Talent exists."
"Does it?" Richard murmured.
"No footprint before twenty-one. No competitions. No history."
"Yet he handles state-level theory like instinct."
Damian whispered, "He embarrassed Mariah."
Vivienne finally understood.
They would come for her through him.
"Audit him," Richard said.
"Gladly."
"Psych profile."
"He's an intern," Vivienne snapped.
"Not yet."
That crossed it.
"Do not harass my interns."
"Then don't bring weapons into political rooms."
Weapon.
Vivienne repeated silently.
Are they afraid of Jordan?
Unaware
Down the corridor—
"I thought I was going to faint," Nadia said.
"You did fine."
"No. You saved me."
"We're a team."
Behind glass, executives watched.
Curious.
Unsettled.
One… calculating
"Now we watch your intern," Richard said.
"And we watch you," Damian added.
"Be careful."
They smiled.
Vivienne turned and walked out.
Already knowing:
From this moment on—
Jordan Blackwood was no longer invisible.
And neither of them were safe.