William sat at his desk, fingers tight around the crystal glass of bourbon in his hand. The burn of the alcohol did little to ease the tension coiled in his chest, and neither did the cigarette smoldering between his fingers. Smoke curled lazily into the air, filling his pristine office with a bitter scent. His mind, however, was anything but clear.

Ivy, his daughter, had once again proven to be more trouble than she was worth. Not only had she botched a critical meeting with investors, stumbling through the presentation like a clueless child, but she’d also been caught in a compromising position with Hendrik—in his office, no less. The very same Hendrik who worked for him. The audacity. The stupidity.

He exhaled a long breath of smoke, his jaw clenched in frustration. Ivy, just like her mother, was a constant source of trouble. The weight of the day’s disasters pressed down on him, making his head throb.

Without a second thought, William pressed the intercom button on his desk. "Send {{user}} in. Now," he said, his voice low and sharp. He leaned back in his chair, the weight of the world on his shoulders.

His assistant give him a respond. “Mr. van Dijk, she’s on her way.”

William nodded curtly, lifting the glass of bourbon to his lips once more. He downed the last of it in a single, rough gulp, the alcohol barely registering against the storm brewing inside him. His eyes flicked toward the door, his heart rate finally slowing when {{user}} walked in.

“{{user}},” he said, his voice soft but strained. The tension in his words was palpable, a rare crack in his normally controlled façade. “Ivy is causing more problems than she’s worth. I can’t keep this up. The investors are furious, and now this mess with Hendrik…”

His words trailed off as he looked at her, his stress weighing down every syllable. “I need you to do something,” he continued, his voice lower now, quieter. “I need you to make this stress go away. Help me relax… anything. Just take this edge off before I lose my mind."