Olivia’s POV


    A couple of calls came in from Ava while we were still in the car. I hesitated to answer at first, but eventually picked <ol><li></li></ol>


    “Liv!” Her voice was frantic. “Ethan-he’s been acquitted. All charges.”


    I blinked. “What?”


    “He found out your flight information. He’s on his way to the airport.”


    I sat there, phone pressed to my ear, too stunned to speak.


    “Liv, that guy’s lost it. I don’t know what he’s thinking, but if you don’t want to see him, you need to turn around right now. Find a hotel. I’lle to you, we’ll hide somewhere if we have to.”


    Her urgency jolted me, but instead of reacting, I nced out the window.


    “I need to think,” I said quietly, and hung up.


    The car was quiet. I didn’t even need to turn my head to know Alexander and Mike had heard everything. Of course they had. Ava hadn’t exactly whispered the information to me.


    Still, neither of them said a word.


    After a moment, Mike broke the silence. “Don’t worry about it. Alpha Alexander has a private jet. We’ll go straight to the tarmac. Ethan won’t see you. He won’t even find the ne.”


    I turned slightly in my seat, catching Mike’s easy smile in the mirror. “That would be great.”


    The relief I felt was instant but shallow. It couldn’t shake the exhaustion behind my eyes.


    The cabin of the private jet was far more luxurious than I’d imagined. Soft leather seats, clean modern interiors, and a calm that should’ve made me feel at peace. I leaned against the window and pictured Ethan storming through airport security, only to realize he was toote.


    A small smile threatened my lips but didn’t quite form.


    The flight attendants served a generous breakfast-fresh fruit, croissants, eggs, things I usually loved-but I barely touched any of it. My appetite had shrunk into the size of a stone.


    I ended up staring out the window again, watching clouds stretch across the sky like slow waves. Somewhere out


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    there, my life was changing-but inside, I still felt stuck.


    “Are you nning to work like this the whole time?” a cold voice said, slicing through the quiet.


    I turned my head. Alexander was looking at me from across the aisle, his face expressionless.


    “I… what?” I blinked, confused.


    “I don’t think you need to go through introduction if you’re nning to spend the whole trip spacing out.”


    My checks flushed instantly. Heat crept up my neck. “I—I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be distracted. It won’t happen again.”


    “Good,” he said, with the emotional temperature of a marble statue. “You’d better remember.”


    He didn’t even nce back at me afterward, just returned to whatever document he’d been reading.


    I lowered my gaze, biting the inside of my cheek.


    Okay, fair. I was zoning out. But did he have to talk to me like I was azy intern on her first day?


    I turned back toward the window and let out a slow breath. I’d asked for a job. He gave it to me. Now I had to prove I


    deserved it.


    Alexander only rested for about ten minutes the whole flight. The rest of the time, he was glued to work-on video conferences, calls, typing notes, signing papers. It was like watching a machine in a man’s body.


    I waited until I saw Fin unplug his tablet and lean back slightly.


    I got up, quietly moved toward the middle of the aisle, and stopped beside him. “Fin,” I said gently, “do you have a


    moment?”


    He looked up and smiled. “Of course.”


    “I was hoping you could walk me through the work schedule for this trip… in detail. I don’t want to embarrass myself


    Fin gestured for me to sit beside him, nodding. “Alright. Let’s get you caught up.”


    He then forwarded me the schedule and leaned in to exin it. “Our main destination this trip is Washington,” he said. “We’ll be inspecting the branch there.”


    I nodded and followed the itinerary on my tablet. It was tightly packed. No room for error.


    “In addition,” he added in a lower voice, “Mr. Green has meetings lined up with several local government officials and some important business partners.”


    I raised an eyebrow. “So it’s not just a routine inspection.”


    Fin offered a small, knowing smile. “This is just the first stop. For the next six months, Alpha Alexander will be visit-


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    ing branches all over the world.”


    I gave a slight nod of understanding.


    He had only just returned to take over the presidency of the Green Group. It made sense-despite being the heir, au- thority was never handed over on a silver tter. There would be internal resistance, power struggles, and whispers of doubt behind his back. Especially in a dynasty like the Greens, where loyalty was tied to legacy but trust had to be


    earned.


    He had to show everyone-directors, shareholders, opponents-that he wasn’t just a name, he was the future.


    Still, one thing puzzled me. I tilted my head and asked gently, “Is there a particr reason we’re starting with Wash- ington?”


    Fin hesitated for a beat before answering. “No… not really. Just the closest one, I guess.”


    That felt a little too convenient. I’d done some homework on the Green Group before. It was a textbook example of a family empire that had grown exponentially through the generations. Originally a private banking institution, it had expanded into new energy, inte ventures, even film production and media acquisitions. Six of itspanies were publicly listed. And yet, among all the overseas branches, the Washington one wasn’t thergest or most lucrative.


    So why start there?


    Still, I let it go.


    We spent the next thirty minutes going over the schedule, outlining meetings, responsibilities, and the expected deco- rum. Fin mentioned I’d primarily be shadowing him and Mike for now, until I got the hang of things.


    He sighed mid-sentence and rubbed the back of his neck. “Honestly, I used to handle everything solo when I was sta- tioned in the LA branch. But ever since I got transferred to HQ, the workload’s been brutal. I mean, Alpha’s not ex- actly easy to please… even Beta Mike’s doubling as his secretary.”


    I chuckled. “That bad, huh?”


    Fin nodded with mock solemnity. “Now that you’re here, maybe I can breathe again.”


    “Don’t get your hopes up too soon,” I said with a half-smile. “I might mess up and make things worse.”


    Before Fin could respond, a sharp voice cut through the quiet.


    “I can see you’re having a lovely conversation.” Alexander’s voice was low, but the sarcasm was razor-sharp. “Per- haps dessert would go well with all that sweetness?”


    I nearly jumped.


    Fin immediately stood upright and stiffened like a soldier at inspection.


    I turned and saw Alexander standing behind us with that cool expression he wore like armor. His tone wasn’t angry, but it wasn’t warm either. It was hard to tell if he was joking-or if we were already pushing boundaries.


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    Chapter zo


    “Just going over the schedule.” I said quickly.


    Alexander gave me a once-over that I couldn’t quite decipher, then walked past us without another word.


    An hourter, afternding and passing through a surprisingly smooth airport exit, we arrived at the Graymoon Hotel. It was sleek, modern, discreet-the kind of ce that screamed quiet luxury.


    After check-in, Fin and I apanied Alexander to his suite.


    He walked ahead of us and didn’t say much on the way up.


    Once inside, he dropped his briefcase on the table and loosened his cor. The living room was expansive, the kind of space meant for high-level meetings or private conversations.


    Alexander sat down on the couch with a quiet exhale. He looked at me for a moment-not Cold this time, just unread- able.


    Then, as if it were the most casual thing in the world, he asked, “My schedule for tonight?”


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    Olivia’s POV