"Umm... Mr. Caldwell, I told you from the beginning that I wouldn’t interfere in your affairs."

Luca Hale leaned back in his chair, looking completely unconcerned, as though the chaos unfolding before him had nothing to do with him.

Of course, that only applied when Vivienne wasn’t involved. If she had been the one cornered today, Luca would have stepped in without hesitation.

Benjamin misunderstood Luca’s calm attitude. Thinking there was still room for negotiation, he hurriedly pressed on.

"Mr. Hale, if I become chairman, I’ll give you one-third of all my profits!"

"One-third?" Luca chuckled, shaking his head. "Benjamin Caldwell... you’re certainly generous."

A spark of hope instantly appeared in Benjamin’s eyes.

Just as he was about to thank Luca, he looked up and met the young man’s amused smile.

Luca slowly leaned forward.

"Since you’re being so generous..."

"Why don’t you just hand over all your shares to me instead?"

"Maybe then I’ll consider it."

He laughed lightly.

Benjamin’s hopeful expression froze.

Only then did he realize Luca had been toying with him the entire time.

His face turned ashen.

He looked desperately around the conference room, searching for someone... anyone... to speak on his behalf.

No one did.

Even the executives who had once followed him faithfully lowered their heads and deliberately avoided his gaze.

It was as though they had never known him.

A surge of blood rushed to Benjamin’s head.

His vision blurred.

His body swayed violently.

Before anyone could react, he collapsed backward in his chair.

"Manager Caldwell!"

"Chairman Caldwell!"

The conference room erupted into chaos.

...

In the end, Vivienne calmly instructed the staff to send Benjamin Caldwell to the hospital.

With the biggest threat removed, the shareholders who had previously stood beside him approached her one after another, pleading for her forgiveness.

Throughout the entire exchange, Luca remained quietly off to the side.

He didn’t say a single word.

These people had followed whichever side promised them greater profit. There was no point wasting energy on them.

Vivienne was more than capable of dealing with opportunists like these herself.

His only role today...

...was to stand behind her.

That alone was enough.

Eventually, the shareholders and executives dispersed.

The once-crowded conference room gradually fell silent.

Only Luca and Vivienne remained.

Luca slowly walked over.

Vivienne looked exhausted.

The pressure she’d been carrying for so long had finally been released, leaving a trace of fatigue on her beautiful face.

Even so, she forced a small smile.

"So..." she asked softly.

"How did I do?"

"Wasn’t I amazing?"

Luca simply smiled and nodded.

Instead of answering, he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her.

Vivienne wasn’t as tall as Naomi Monroe, but she wasn’t petite either. With her high heels on, she was only slightly shorter than Luca.

His arms circled her slender waist as he gently rested his forehead against her soft burgundy waves.

The faint fragrance of roses drifted into his senses.

It was elegant...

Comforting...

And unmistakably hers.

Vivienne froze for a brief moment.

She hadn’t expected Luca to embrace her so openly.

Her fair arms hovered awkwardly in the air, unsure where to go.

After a few seconds of hesitation, she quietly relaxed.

She stopped resisting.

Vivienne’s feelings toward Luca had always been... complicated.

Perhaps it was only the smallest step away from love.

Or perhaps she’d already crossed that line without realizing it.

Otherwise...

She never would have shared that unforgettable night with him.

She had never regretted what happened.

Only...

There had always been a lingering sense of melancholy afterward.

She’d convinced herself they’d never meet again.

Yet today, not only had Luca reappeared in her life...

He had revealed himself to be Octaveo Pharmaceutical’s third-largest shareholder.

Life truly had a strange sense of humor.

And now...

This man was holding her as though he never intended to let go.

"Alright..." Vivienne said softly, gently patting his back.

"This is still the conference room."

"There are surveillance cameras."

Through the thin fabric of his shirt, she could clearly feel the firm muscles beneath.

Almost instantly...

Her thoughts drifted back to that unforgettable night.

The warmth beneath her fingertips.

The strength of his embrace.

A faint blush quietly spread across her cheeks.

Luca slowly loosened his embrace but kept one hand gently cupping her cheek.

His eyes softened.

"Who do you think you are?" he asked with mock indignation.

"You did something so irresponsible and then disappeared without a word."

"Don’t you know you’re supposed to take responsibility?"

His thumb lightly brushed across her smooth skin.

"Angel..."

"You owe me compensation for all the emotional distress you caused."

Angel...

It was the first time anyone had ever called her that.

When her father was still well, everyone addressed her as Miss An.

People of her generation respectfully called her Big Sister Vivienne.

No one had ever used such an intimate nickname before.

Oddly enough...

She liked it.

Very much.

A playful smile curved her crimson lips.

"And how," she asked, her voice gentle as she slowly ran the tip of her tongue across her lower lip, "would you like me to compensate you?"

The sight alone was breathtaking.

If anyone from Octaveo Pharmaceutical witnessed this scene, they would probably think they were hallucinating.

To everyone else, Vivienne was an untouchable ice queen.

Decisive.

Cold.

Authoritative.

Even the sharp rhythm of her high heels echoed confidence wherever she walked.

Yet before Luca...

That icy exterior quietly melted away.

Like a crimson rose blooming beneath the morning sun.

Radiant.

Captivating.

Impossible to look away from.

Even Luca, who rarely lost his composure around beautiful women, felt his heartbeat quicken.

The temperature around him seemed to rise.

He unconsciously leaned closer.

Just before their lips could meet...

Vivienne gently raised two slender fingers and rested them against his lips.

A faint floral fragrance lingered between them.

"No."

Luca sighed dramatically.

"I thought you said you were going to compensate me."

Vivienne smiled, her beautiful eyes sparkling with amusement.

"I did."

"But..."

She glanced toward the security camera in the corner of the room before looking back at him.

"Not here, I’m not exactly a fan of transactions being recorded on cameras."

Luca’s eyes immediately lit up.

"Then...?"

"Hmph."

Vivienne turned gracefully, her long burgundy curls swaying behind her as she walked toward the conference room door.

Just before stepping outside, she looked back over her shoulder.

A teasing smile appeared on her lips.

"If you want your compensation..."

"Come upstairs with me."