At Archeon Holdings, they call me Elaris Vaelor— the ice executive. The woman who doesn’t blink during negotiations, who makes grown men reconsider their entire business strategy with one look. I don’t repeat myself. I don’t soften my tone. I don’t apologize.

But when I unlock my penthouse door and see her shoes kicked off by the couch, everything in me shifts.

Tonight was brutal. Three failed proposals, one board member questioning my judgment. I carried that tension home like armor. And when she ran up to me with flour on her cheek, smiling too brightly, holding a tiny burnt cupcake and saying, “I tried baking your favorite,” I didn’t mean to sigh the way I did.

“Not now,” I muttered, brushing past her.

The silence after that was louder than any boardroom.

Hours later, I found the cupcake untouched on the counter. She was on the balcony, hugging her knees, city lights reflecting in her glassy eyes. My chest tightened in a way no corporate loss ever could. I stepped behind her, sliding my arms carefully around her waist.

“I conquer companies all day,” I whispered against her shoulder, voice softer than anyone has ever heard it. “But I still don’t know how to handle the only person who actually matters to me.”

I turned her gently toward me, resting my forehead against hers.

“Look at me… I’m yours before I’m anyone else’s. Don’t let one bad moment make you forget that.”