Vincent Sinclair heard her explanation and narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, studying her with a gaze that gave away nothing. His expression was unreadable—a painting half-finished in shadow. Then, after a tense pause, his brow lifted slightly and he gestured toward the elevator panel.

"Going up?"

Elliot Shaw, standing awkwardly near the mirrored wall, exhaled quietly. The tension drained from his face as he watched the silent exchange.

So the two knew each other?

Seeing Chairman Sinclair so calm, even conversational, Shaw felt the blood drain from his face. He'd almost reprimanded someone the chairman appeared familiar with. His mind reeled with quiet panic.

Isabella stepped aside gracefully. "Chairman Sinclair, I can take the employee elevator. I sincerely apologize for earlier. I wasn't paying attention."

She gave a polite nod and moved toward the side exit of the elevator lobby.

It was a wise move. After graduating, she had come to Halycon&Co through Chloe's recommendation, but everything she had achieved in the company was through relentless work. She understood better than anyone: survival in a place like this required tact, restraint, and invisibility.

Especially now.

Her relationship with Chloe Dubois was fractured beyond repair, and she wanted nothing more than to avoid any additional entanglements with the Sinclair family. Especially with Vincent.

Out of sight, out of mind. She was even considering quitting. But she needed to secure a new apartment first. One step at a time.

Her temples throbbed with a dull ache. She pressed a palm to her forehead and sighed.

The tangled mess of it all was too much to untangle now. Escape required planning.

Back at her desk, she barely had time to sit before the phone rang.

"Isabella, where the hell have you been? Get ready. Chairman Sinclair wants the Q2 performance review at the 2 p.m. meeting."

It was the voice of Director Martin, sharp and impatient.

She blinked. "The second quarter report? Director Martin, I told you last week—we had a delay with the April financials. The final numbers aren’t in yet. I’m projecting delivery by tomorrow morning."

She looked down at her watch. It was already 1:30.

"Then figure it out. This isn’t coming from me—this is from Sinclair himself. You know how he operates."

"Director, it’s not a matter of slacking off. It’s a data hold from Finance. Just one more day, I can have it all sorted—"

"You think he cares? You want to be the one to tell him his request got postponed by someone two pay grades below him?"

The call cut off. Dead air.

She yanked the phone from her ear and set it down a little too hard. Her pulse thundered in her ears.

Everything was unraveling. Her love life in ruins. Her friendships decimated. And now, her job?

She stared at the flickering cursor on her screen.

What next?

Originally, it was still the lunch break, so the upper floor of Halycon&Co was hushed in midday stillness. Sunlight filtered through cobalt-blue glass, scattering over the sleek floors in luminous patches. Though the light was bright, it held no heat. Yet as Isabella crossed that sunlit floor, there was no warmth in her chest.

In the sales department where the quarterly reports were compiled, one name loomed large: Lily Chen. There was a history between them—one Isabella didn’t entirely understand. Rumor had it that years ago, the executive assistant position had been earmarked for Lily. But in the end, Isabella had secured it. Whether or not that rumor was true didn’t matter. What mattered was that Lily had never forgotten it.

Now, Lily was reportedly leaving Halycon&Co next month to get married. And like clockwork, this month’s sales report had been delayed. Repeatedly. Isabella knew exactly what this was. A quiet, petty punishment.

She inhaled and gathered herself. She needed Lily to cooperate. A smile softened her lips as she approached, knocking gently on the edge of the desk. "Lily, hi. I know you’re buried in numbers, but I wanted to ask if you could prioritize the Q2 report. There’s a meeting coming up, and I’m stuck until I get that data."

Lily looked up with thinly veiled contempt. Her smile was sharp, all enamel.

"Well, well. What brings you down here in person, Miss Rossi? Must be urgent if the chairman’s secretary is delivering the request herself."

Isabella expected the dig. She kept her smile steady.

"It is urgent. Really urgent. If you can get it done before two, I’d owe you big."

"Two? Oh dear, I told you—the earliest is tomorrow. Just look at this pile," Lily said, gesturing lazily to her cluttered desk. "But if I find some spare time, I might be able to squeeze it in. No promises."

Isabella took a breath, voice tighter now. "Lily. Chairman Sinclair personally asked to see the report."

Lily's eyes lit up with mock surprise. "The new chairman? Wow. In that case..."

She tapped a few keys and turned back with a grin. "I’ll send the raw numbers to your inbox. You can compile and format the report yourself. Sorry, but I really do have a lot to wrap up before I leave this place. You understand."

It wasn’t a real offer of help. Just another hurdle. And Isabella wasn’t about to argue. She’d done the reports before. She could do them again.

"Just send them. I appreciate it," Isabella said calmly, masking her frustration. She turned on her heel, missing the satisfied glint in Lily’s eyes.

Rossi, Lily thought darkly. You stole that job. Today, you choke on it. Don’t blame me.

---

Half an hour later.

Isabella hit print, straightened the final pages, and stood.

She headed for the conference room, report in hand, unaware of just how closely she was about to be watched.