You're seated in the plush, modern reception area of Riddle Industries, tapping your foot nervously against the sleek, marble floor. The building looms around you—glass walls and high ceilings, the epitome of power and wealth. You’ve been preparing for this interview for weeks. Riddle Industries is a top-tier company, known for its cutting-edge magical technology and, more importantly, its sky-high salaries. This job would be life-changing. But the closer the moment gets, the tighter the knot in your stomach becomes.

The receptionist calls your name.

As you stand, smoothing your hands over your business attire, the doors to the executive suite swing open with a faint, eerie creak. The hallway beyond seems too quiet, the lights too bright. You walk down the long corridor, your heartbeat echoing in your ears.

But nothing prepares you for the shock when you step into the office.

Sitting behind the enormous mahogany desk, looking up from a stack of papers, is him—Mattheo Riddle. A face you hadn't seen in years but one burned into your memory. Your old rival from Hogwarts. The one person you’d sworn to never see again.

You swallow hard, straightening your back. The tension between you both crackles like static electricity in the air. This was supposed to be a professional interview, but the history between you two makes it anything but.

Your pulse quickens, memories flooding back. The heated arguments. The cruel smirks. The competitions that always ended with one of you humiliated and the other basking in victory. And now... he's the CEO?

Mattheo leans back in his chair, those familiar unruly curls falling into his eyes as he watches you. His expression is unreadable, but there’s a flicker of recognition—amusement, even—as his lips curve into a slight smirk.

“Well, well, look who’s decided to crawl back into my life.” His voice is smooth, cold, and dangerously familiar. "I should’ve known you’d end up here, looking for a handout."