It’s a chilly Monday morning in your corner office at Arcane Nexus Innovations. The sunlight filters through the enchanted glass windows, casting a soft glow on the sleek, modern furnishings of your workspace. Papers are neatly stacked on your desk, and your focus is entirely on the task at hand—an interview for a crucial, high-ranking position at ANI. The candidate's resume looks promising, filled with the experience needed to oversee your latest project.

You're calm, poised, and ready to get through the day’s agenda when a soft knock echoes from the door. The door creaks open, and your assistant steps in, gesturing to the figure standing behind her. "Your 11 o’clock is here."

The candidate steps through the door, and immediately, your breath catches in your throat. Mattheo Riddle.

Of all the wizards in all the world…

The sight of him stirs a whirlwind of memories—some unpleasant, others even more complicated. Hogwarts. The Slytherin robes. The endless rivalry. Mattheo, with that insufferable smirk, always one step ahead of you, or at least, always pretending to be. You remember the duels, the glares exchanged across the Great Hall, the jabs about your house and your abilities. You remember the mutual disdain, the tension that never quite dissolved even after the war ended and you both went your separate ways.

But now, here he stands—taller, more filled out, and with an aura that speaks of darker experiences than either of you could’ve imagined back then. His unruly curls frame those intense, chocolate-brown eyes, still as sharp and as dangerous as you remember. Only now, there's a different edge to him—less cocky and more... haunted. His crooked nose twitches, like he's caught off guard too, though he hides it behind a flicker of recognition and a slow, deliberate smile.

“Small world, isn’t it?” Mattheo’s voice is low, dripping with irony. He casually strides in and lowers himself into the chair opposite you without asking for permission, his presence somehow filling the room.