Page 25 of Fated to the Enemy Alpha

“Let’s get this client back in the fold,” Magnus said.

I nodded again, forcing a lightness in my tone. “We won’t disappoint you.”

Once the meeting concluded, I left Magnus’s office, adrenaline coursing through my veins. Worry knotted my stomach as I contemplated the need to put my all into a pitch to secure a client that my shadow company had just acquired. But what if this was an opportunity—one I could use to divert suspicion away from myself?

Just as I was packing up my things and formulating a plan, Stephen rejoined me in our office.

“Congrats on the probation period,” he said as he returned to his desk. “I owe you a drink in California. The flight’s not until one, so we can work on the pitch in the morning.”

His tone was amicable and just the right level of professionalism we’d been keeping to all week. But I was suddenly picturing us in a hotel bar, leaning in close to one another. Just like that, my heart was thumping, my mouth was moistening, and my legs were feeling weak.

I shook the thought away. If my plans came to fruition, we wouldn’t even be making that pitch in California. I had to be strategic. The stakes were too high for mistakes. But whatever happened, I needed to maintain the façade that I was just another employee eager to impress Magnus, so I quickly agreed. “Thanks. Let’s get an early start Monday—8 a.m. so we have most of it ironed out before the flight.”

Stephen nodded his agreement. But as I left the office, the determined glint in my eye wasn’t for the pitch but for the plan I was formulating. With an impending business trip on the horizon, it was time to make a move before the walls closed in around me.

Chapter 10

Stephen

Our sleek black car glided effortlessly along the freeway, the hum of the engine vibrating through the luxurious leather backseat where Lina and I sat. We were on our way to LaGuardia Airport, riding a wave of adrenaline from our early morning run-through for the pitch.

She’d delivered her part of the presentation with confidence, captivating me with her sharp insights into profit margins and cost analysis. “I can’t believe how quickly you found that solution,” I said, meeting her gaze.

“Thanks, but it’s just good analysis. We’re leveraging our strengths against competitors,” she replied, the faintest smile warming her lips. I marveled at how that small gesture radiated charm, igniting a warmth within me that seemed to grow every time we worked side by side.

“Unbelievable,” I murmured, struck by how she was downplaying her solution. By sharing our supplier for Lenidex with Haldon, the percentage difference in production costs alone should convince them to come back to us.

I knew at the pitch tomorrow she’d command the room in her crisp white button-down, open gray blazer, and gray cropped trousers paired with Louboutin heels. She looked every part the razor-sharp businesswoman she was, but I had the sudden urge to pull her into my lap, wanting to see her with tousled hair, her lips bruised. My yearning for a connection beyond the office flared.

In the back here, the sensory overload accompanying Lina’s presence was intoxicating. The sweet, wild scent of jasmine intertwined with the faint hint of greenery from the plants on her desk. I’d started to suspect she’d bought those plants as a barrier against my lingering gaze, which only made me want to enjoy the unimpeded view I had of her now.

You shouldn’t be having these thoughts.

Not about your co-worker.

Not about your future stepmother.

Not about the fated mate you were forced to give up.

As Lina angled her profile toward the window, I allowed myself a moment’s indulgence. Her golden blonde hair caught the morning light like spun silk, her gracefully upturned nose lending a girlish charm to her face, offset by her plush, full lips.

“We can show them the projected market expansion for the East Coast,” I said, trying to force my thoughts back to the upcoming pitch with our client in California tomorrow.

“Good idea. The projected growth rates will be attractive too,” Lina agreed, that same small smile on her lips. Warmth spread through me as I honed in on those luscious lips.

So attractive.

God, work wasn’t doing anything to distract me from her closeness.

I want this car to be bigger.

No, if I’m wishing for things, I want it to be smaller.

God, I don’t know what I want.

“The pitch could be stronger if we considered what our competitor might offer Haldon to retain them,” she said.

Lina was digging for information about the company that had poached Haldon. My father had warned me of our shadowy competitor last Friday and had explicitly instructed me not to share that tidbit with Lina.

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