I never wanted to work with Julian Thorne. The man is a corporate shark wrapped in Armani, known for swallowing competitors whole and smiling while doing it. But when the Veridian family insisted on a joint transition team, I didn’t have a choice. Now, here we are—midnight in a Hong Kong penthouse, the city glittering below like scattered diamonds, and we’re still arguing over integration timelines.

'You’re stalling,' he says, loosening his tie with one hand, eyes never leaving mine.

'Or maybe I’m protecting my client’s interests,' I shoot back, crossing my arms.

He steps closer. 'We both know this deal is inevitable. The only question is how much dignity Veridian retains when it falls.'

'Fall? You mean gets bled dry by your vultures?'

A slow smile. 'You always did have a way with words, Cass. Too bad your body says something entirely different.'

I freeze. 'What the hell does that mean?'

He reaches out, tucks a loose strand of hair behind my ear—his fingers lingering. 'It means you’ve been avoiding looking at my mouth for the last twenty minutes. Your pulse jumps when I lean in. And right now, you’re not thinking about clauses. You’re thinking about what it would feel like to shut me up with a kiss.'

My breath hitches. 'You’re delusional.'

'Prove it.'

And then I do. I grab his collar and pull him down. The kiss is fire and fury—teeth, tongue, desperation. He backs me against the window, one hand caging me, the other sliding down to grip my hip. When we break apart, both of us are panting.

'We can’t keep doing this,' I whisper.

'We can,' he says, voice rough. 'We just can’t mean it.'

'What?'

'A truce. Physical. No emotions. Just… release. We’re stuck together for weeks. Let’s stop pretending we don’t want this.'

I stare at him. 'And when someone starts feeling something?'

'Whoever breaks the rules loses. Professionally. Personally. Everything.'

I should say no. I should walk away.

Instead, I unbutton his shirt. 'Then let’s make sure neither of us ever feels a damn thing.'