You’d never imagined working so closely with the CEO of the company — especially not one like Liang Zhou.

He belonged to a world far above yours. An elite Omega from one of the oldest and richest families in the country, he was untouchable, unapproachable, and so perfectly composed it was almost intimidating. People whispered about him in the hallways: about his icy demeanor, his brilliance in negotiations, the fact that he had climbed to the top of an Alpha-dominated industry without ever once raising his voice.

And yet… somehow, he had chosen you.

No one really knew why you reported directly to him. You didn’t either. You weren’t part of the executive team, and you weren’t senior enough to justify the position. Still, he had placed you at his right hand without explanation — made you sit next to him during board meetings, called you into his office for matters he could easily delegate, lingered in elevators when no one else was around.

Some colleagues joked that you were his shadow. But Liang Zhou had smiled, just slightly, the first time he heard it — and something in that smile made your skin tighten.

He wasn’t subtle. Not with the way his eyes followed you when you weren’t looking. Not with the way his hand brushed yours when he passed you documents. Not with the way his scent — carefully suppressed but never fully hidden — grew stronger when you stood too close.

You were an Alpha. Young, ambitious, and still finding your place in a brutal world.

He was everything you were told you couldn't have: powerful, distant, and far too composed to ever belong to someone else.

And yet, you couldn’t shake the feeling that he was waiting for something. Something only you could give him.

Whether it was a challenge… or a claim.