Alexander’s POV

I arrived at the club and headed straight for the private room that had been reserved.

The moment I stepped inside—

the atmosphere changed dramatically.

Daniel Caldwell sat lazily on the sofa, a glass of liquor in his hand. Even after hearing the door open, he didn’t immediately look up.

"CEO Blackwood..."

A faint smile curved his lips.

"I never thought the great Alexander Blackwood would personally arrange a meeting with me."

Only then did he lift his eyes.

Our gazes locked.

Cold.

Sharp.

I walked in calmly and sat across from him before pouring myself a drink.

"Really?" I said lightly. "I assumed you were already it."

Daniel chuckled softly, swirling the liquid in his glass.

"let me go straight to the point then"

Without waiting for his response, I slid the file across the table.

"Take a look."

His brows lifted slightly.

"I knew it," he murmured. "Alexander Blackwood never moves without a reason."

He finally set his glass down and opened the file.

The room fell silent.

I watched him flip through the pages one by one

the evidence connecting Echelon Industries to the leaked information...

the transactions...

the contact records...

Lucas Knight.

Yet the more he read

the more amused he seemed.

Not nervous.

Not panicked.

Amused.

Finally, he closed the file slowly.

"To be honest," he said lazily, "I expected you to figure this out sooner."

My gaze darkened slightly.

"I always thought you were smart, Caldwell."

I leaned back against the sofa.

"I didn’t expect you to stoop to buying confidential information from my company."

Daniel laughed quietly.

"You really think I wanted the information?"

He shook his head slowly. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"No."

His eyes met mine directly.

"I just enjoy watching the look on your face when someone close to you betrays you."

My fingers tightened slightly around the glass.

Three years ago.

He was talking about three years ago.

Daniel noticed the shift in my expression and smiled wider.

"There it is."

I ignored him.

"Caldwell," I said coldly, "we’ve been rivals since university. You should know by now that you’ll never surpass me."

"Is that confidence?" Daniel asked lazily.

"No," I replied.

"A warning."

The amusement in his eyes deepened.

"You know what’s funny, Alexander?"

He leaned forward slightly.

"For someone so intelligent..."

"...you can be unbelievably blind when it comes to the people around you."

My expression hardened.

Then—

he casually mentioned her name.

"How’s Alicia?"

My jaw tightened instantly.

Daniel noticed.

Of course he noticed.

A slow smile spread across his face.

"Poor thing," he said softly. "She’s being dragged into your little mess while you still refuse to clear things up publicly."

I stared at him coldly.

"Watch your words."

Daniel only laughed.

"No wonder Lilian fell so hard back then."

The air around me turned colder.

"What did you say?"

He tilted his head slightly, studying me.

"You still think Lilian was innocent, don’t you?"

Silence.

"You investigated everyone except the woman standing closest to you."

My gaze sharpened instantly.

"What are you trying to imply?"

Daniel leaned back comfortably.

"Back then," he said slowly, "how do you think I got access to information that only you could reach?"

Something inside me sank.

Coldly.

He smiled.

"She used to know most things about your work, didn’t she?"

My hand tightened around the glass.

Back then—

Lilian had known quiet a lot of things regarding the company,she even knew the password to my office computer.

which no one else did.

That was exactly why I suspected her in the beginning.

But she denied it.

And afterward...

everything happened too quickly.

The kidnapping.

The guilt.

The nightmares.

Her leaving the country.

—

Daniel watched my silence carefully before continuing.

"At first, she was reluctant but the more you got busy and ignored her...."

"The more she became much easier to comfort , even more than I expected."

His voice was calm.

"Only after she gave me what I wanted did she realize I wasn’t interested in her the way she imagined."

My expression darkened completely.

"She really was naive back then."

The glass in my hand cracked slightly.

A sharp sound echoed through the room.

But Daniel only smiled.

The satisfaction in his eyes was undeniable.

"You tell me all these things and expect me to believe you?" I asked calmly.

Daniel leaned back lazily against the sofa, the corners of his lips curling upward.

"You don’t have to believe me," he said lightly.

His gaze locked onto mine.

"You can always ask her yourself."

The atmosphere suddenly felt heavier.

I stared at him for a few seconds, my expression unreadable.

Then I slowly stood up.

I was done here.

Daniel let out a low chuckle behind me.

"What’s wrong, CEO Blackwood?"

His tone was casual.

"Can’t handle the truth?"

My jaw tightened slightly.

But I didn’t let it show.

I adjusted my cuffs calmly before looking at him one last time.

"I’ve already said what I came here to say," I said coldly.

"So if you know what’s best for you—and for Echelon Industries—you’d better stay away from my life."

Daniel’s smile deepened.

For some reason—

it irritated me more than anything else would have.

I turned and walked toward the door.

But just as my hand touched the handle—

Daniel spoke again.

"Careful, Alexander."

My footsteps paused slightly.

His voice lowered.

Almost amused.

"You’d better watch your back, CEO Blackwood."

Something in my eyes darkened instantly.

But before I could turn around again—

Daniel laughed softly.

"You have no idea what’s coming for you."

Silence.

For a moment, the entire room felt suffocating.

I said nothing.

Then I pulled the door open and walked out.

The cold night air hit my face the moment I stepped outside.

I got into the car heavily and loosened my tie slightly.

But Daniel’s words kept replaying in my mind.

Again.

And again.

Like something trying to force its way into my thoughts.

—

You can always ask her yourself.

My fingers tightened unconsciously against the steering wheel.

A strange irritation rose in my chest.

No

Not irritation.

Unease.

For the first time in years...

something felt completely out of my control.