The conference room
She looked him straight in the eyes. Those icy orbs, sharp enough to burn her into ashes, didn't intimidate her... but they did intrigue her. Against her will, her gaze flickered briefly across his sculpted frame. Muscles taut under that perfectly tailored shirt… it was obvious he trained religiously. His eyes, his hair, his cold demeanor... everything about him looked meticulously crafted. If only he weren't her enemy…
She sighed inwardly.
But her face remained unreadable...years of survival had taught her to mask every emotion to perfection.
"Mr. Drakos," she finally spoke, her voice calm, "I didn't think we'd meet like this."
Theron narrowed his eyes.
"By the way," she continued with a smirk, "I never expected Mr. Theron Drakos - the man hailed as a business icon across cities and continents, to be such an incompetent jerk."
A collective gasp filled the conference room.
The air itself seemed to freeze.
John turned pale.
I've never seen anyone stand up to our boss like this, he thought.
Isabella swayed slightly. The sheer pressure in the room made her dizzy.
"HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT?!" Theron's voice thundered, his glare deadly.
Aurora tilted her head mockingly. "Wow… Mr. Drakos, did you just mistake me for one of your subordinates? Do you think you can silence me with that infernal gaze of yours?"
She began walking slowly toward him, her heels echoing ominously.
Jason watched, stunned.
I actually doubted her for a second. But she's insane. She's fearless!
"I'll make you pay.. for damaging this project and for that insult. Just wait...." Theron roared.
"Huh?" Aurora chuckled darkly, moving to stand directly across from him at the center of the table. "Then you should be billing your precious team, JERK."
Isabella began sweating. Lena leaned toward her and whispered,
"Ms. Wilson, if we let her keep talking, she's going to expose everything."
She's right, Isabella panicked. I need to act... fast.
"What are you implying, Ms. Adkins?" Isabella snapped. "We sent the termination after signing the contract. The email came from your end! Are you now blaming us for your mess?"
"YOU—" Susan stood, but Aurora calmly raised her hand.
"Even if I had canceled the contract, don't you think I'd have a solid reason?" Aurora said coolly. "Ms. Wilson, I can prove I didn't send that email." Raised her brows.
"WHAT?!" several voices echoed across the room.
"If you didn't send it, then who did?" Theron barked. "Don't you dare accuse us of your incompetency, Ms. Adkins."
"Incompetency?" Aurora let out a soft laugh. "Coming from you, that's rich."
Theron's fists clenched.
"You, of all people, should know how competent your beloved employee Ms. Wilson truly is. You not only assigned her to this project, but you also allowed her to insult and humiliate my employees. And when her own presentation fell apart, thanks to her incompetent team, you have the audacity to blame me for walking out?"
Gasps rippled through the crowd again.
"You're not just an incompetent boss who can't control his team," she continued sharply, "you're also a fool to come charging at me with your law suits without knowing the facts."
"You bitch!" Isabella screamed, lunging at her with a raised hand.
SMACK—
The room fell silent as Isabella collapsed onto the floor.
Even Theron's eyes widened for a second.
She's absolutely insane, he thought. And I can't look away.
"I warned you, Ms. Wilson. I told you never to cross my path again. You did. And now, I won't hold back."
She turned toward her team. Riya stepped up, connected her phone to the projector, and hit play.
A video flashed across the screen.... Isabella insulting Aurora's team, mocking them, humiliating them.
Then came Aurora's warning. And her decision to give a second chance.
Aurora's lips curled into a devilish smile as she stared at the woman on the floor.
"Ms. Wilson, do you even understand what a second chance means?"
She turned slightly.
"I'm sure Mr. Drakos does. Pity… he doesn't give them."
Theron was silent, seething. John could feel the heat radiating off him.
This is going to explode, he thought, shivering.
Theron snapped, "Even if that's true, you had no right to cancel a signed agreement—"
"Why so restless, Mr. Drakos?" Aurora cut in smoothly. "It's bad for your health."
"You—!"
The next video began playing. It showed a man entering Aurora's office, sitting at her desk, typing the cancellation email, and sending it. The timestamp matched perfectly.
Then the man made a call.
"Ms. Wilson, I've done what you asked. Don't forget to transfer the agreed amount."
The room froze.
Mr. Wilson collapsed. Secretaries rushed to him.
Isabella stood pale and trembling. Her soul had seemingly left her body.
"Ho… how… did you—" she shuddered.
Aurora took a slow step toward her, eyes gleaming like a lioness circling her prey.
"I can also show the entire room who guided you from the shadows," she said, her voice low and chilling, "but I won't. That concerns Drakos Corp. And after what happened now…"
her gaze flicked toward Theron
"I have no intention of revealing it. Not yet."
Isabella felt like she had just died.
Theron narrowed his eyes.
Someone guided her? From inside?
How dare she play this game
I thought she was a mere bitch.
But the way she planned, the precision…
If Aurora hadn't been sharp, Isabella could've destroyed both Adkins and Drakos in one blow.
Still, Aurora didn't say everything. She was holding something back.
She stepped even closer to Isabella.
"Did you think I'm just a regular employee? One you can kill and toss aside like garbage whenever you want?"
Her voice dropped to a thunderous whisper.
"I'm Aurora."
The name hit like a whip crack.
Yes, now everyone knew who she really was. Not just a businesswoman. Not just a CEO. But a storm wrapped in silence, a fire cloaked in calm.She could be empathetic, yes, deeply... but only to her own.To those who betrayed her trust?She was ruthless. Unforgiving. Unstoppable.
And they had just learned that the hard way
Then she turned and walked away, her heels echoing with terrifying finality.
John stared in awe. She's not just a boss. She's a storm. I can't even imagine how her own secretary keeps up with her.
Theron remained quiet, but the shift in his expression wasn't lost on her. His anger was volcanic.. but buried. He didn't explode. Yet.
She walked to the table and leaned toward him, hands resting on the edge.
"These lawsuits," she said, sliding two folders across the table, "are against Drakos Corp. Since Ms. Wilson represents your team, they fall on your company. If you're willing to apologize officially, we'll consider cooperating."
Theron didn't speak.
She leaned a little closer and whispered, "There are things you'll need from me again. But I won't involve myself in your company's internal messes. Not unless you make it my problem."
She straightened, turned, and began walking away.
As Aurora turned to leave, she paused at the door, almost as if remembering something trivial.
"Ah… I forgot one thing," she said, her voice slicing through the silence like a blade. "Isabella, is that project even yours? Or did you steal it from someone else?"
Everyone froze.
"I always had a feeling the structure… the style… resembled Mr. Brown's work. Quite the coincidence, huh?"
With that final bomb, she walked out, heels clicking in rhythm with the stunned silence she left behind.
The room felt like it had been hit by a series of explosions...one after another... until nothing but ashes remained.
Theron's eyes didn't leave Isabella. His gaze was murderous, enough to make her shiver like a prey trying to escape from its predator.
Isabella looked less like a person and more like a lifeless shell. Her body was here, but her soul had long fled.
Jason blinked, trying to catch his breath.
Damn. That woman. That confidence. That fire.He didn't just admire her anymore.He was falling.... Hard.