?Chapter 1395:


    With that, she shook her head again and walked away, leaving Niks standing frozen far longer than he would have expected.


    Niks remained motionless, his eyes fixed on the scene before him. He noticed Alexander lingering long after the meeting had adjourned, clearly waiting for his moment. Rather than leave with the others, Alexander approached Dani, wearing what he believed was an irresistible smile.


    “Dani, what a surprise. I didn’t expect our reunion to happen through a business meeting,” Alexander said, tugging at the sleeve of his tailored suit—a look evidently chosen by Hamilton’s assistant down to thest cufflink.


    Confidence radiated from him as he leaned in slightly, hoping to catch her eye and charm his way into familiarity.


    Dani lifted her head and nced at him with cool neutrality. “The meeting is over. If you’re still here, I assume there’s a reason.”


    Alexander faltered, thrown off by her clipped tone. “Well, I was hoping you’d join me for lunch.”


    Dani shifted in her chair and offered a small, knowing smile. “You’re not in high school. Don’t tell me you’re still that bad at reading the room.”


    Niks watched as Alexander’s confident grin cracked into uncertainty.


    Without waiting for an answer, Dani began straightening the scattered documents before her. “Do you honestly think this partnership happened because of you? If it weren’t for the McCoy family pulling strings, you wouldn’t even be standing in this room, let alone talking to me.”


    Her expression was stunning—bright enough to disarm most men—but her words carried a bite sharp enough to cut through bone. “I have no interest in exchanging pleasantries with you. I suggest you don’t entertain any expectations from me beyond work. If you don’t want to look foolish, keep things strictly professional and avoid lunch invitations. Want to know why?” A wicked smile curled at the corner of her mouth, full of amusement at his difort.


    Niks felt secondhand humiliation wash over him. If he had been the one standing across from Dani, he would have fled by now.


    Alexander stood frozen in ce. His pride urged him to walk away, but something about her—her poise, her brilliance, the sheer force of her presence—held him captive. His legs refused to move, and his eyes stayed fixed on her wless face.


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    So much time had passed since he’dst stood this close to Dani. The ache of missing her had be a dull, constantpanion, and he despised himself for still feeling it.


    Dani met his gaze for a fleeting second, her expression unreadable. Then she spoke, her words sharp as a de. “My timees with a price tag in the thousands—per minute. Can you say the same? Be honest. Do you even make a hundred dors a minute? Why should I waste my time entertaining you?”


    She didn’t relent. “You parade around with this smug notion that you matter to me because I once chased after you. Let me correct that. I only ever thought of you as the boy from my past. Even that was an illusion. Without it, there’s nothing about you that draws me in. Alexander, I’ve been meaning to say this for years: the warmth I showed you? It wasn’t real. I mistook you for someone else. I never loved you. I never even liked you.”


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