Page 20 of The Alpha's Lunar Crown

I hold her stare, feeling thrown off. "Yes."

She shakes her head and sighs, flipping a page on the report. "What's your risk mitigation plan?"

I cock my head and ignore her question. "Aurora, we don't win by playing safe."She hums, then, she takes a deep breath and pushes the reports towards me. "We also don't win by being reckless."

My lips twitch, as I hold back words. There she is…Aurora. She's a woman I once let go of because I thought she was fragile.

"Why not talk to us about your plan…" I pause and scan the room. "or you don't have any?"

Aurora straightens her back, "I don't speak without having a plan of my own." She shot back at me and stood, walking to the projector and turning her attention to the room. "Mr. Ravenclaw, your plan is very aggressive. The market now isn't stable enough for a bold move like this. If we rush in, and it backfires, we'll lose millions."

She points at the market chart displayed by the projector.

Some executives nod, murmuring their agreement. I watch her as she disagrees with every point I make.

She continues, flipping to another page in the report. "A better approach is a staggered investment. We need to test the water first, then push forward when we have a stronger footing. We build dominance bit by bit. We don't get it by chasing it blindly."

That fire in her—it burns in her voice as she speaks. Now, she stares at me, probably wanting to know my opinion or to have my approval.

Despite that, she now owns the conference room, and I can't lie about that.

A member of the senior executives clears his throat. "Ms. St Claire, you made a valid point." We all applaud her as he turns his attention to everyone in the room. "Her plan minimizes losses while still making sure we are growing in the game."

Another executive nods. "I agree. It's a smarter option than the first."

Their votes start rolling in, and one by one, they all side with her. I'm upset because I just realize what I have lost. I lost her. I follow her eyes as she scans the room as it settles into an agreement.

I watch her in silence, but something twists inside me. It is a mixture of pride and admiration, but deep down, it's regret. How didn't I see this before?How did I let her go without realizing how smart she is?

I was wrong all along, and I lost her to my ignorance.

The meeting wraps up, and the executives shake hands. Soon afterward, the conference room empties out.Lingering by the table, I pretend to go over some reviews and documents. But no, that wasn't why I was there. I watch her as she stands a few feet away from me, packing up her things.Aurora stands by the end of the table, gathering her documents and acting completely unbothered—like she didn't notice I was a couple of chairs away from her."Good job, Aurora."

She doesn't look up to face me. Instead, she trains her eyes on her phone, tapping away. "Thanks," she replies, her tone very distant.

I lean forward, my voice echoing throughout the room. "You enjoyed that."

She pauses, glancing up. Her lips tilt into something that is not quite a smirk but close. "Enjoyed what?"

I narrow my eyes and cross my arms. "Proving me wrong."

She lets out a soft laugh, shaking her head. "It wasn't about proving you wrong, Lucien. All I did was what would best serve the company."

I know she lied because the look of satisfaction on her face said otherwise. One thing about Aurora is that she always knows exactly what she's doing.

Tucking her phone away, she plops her hips on the edge of the table. At least I've got her attention now. "You should be very grateful to me. I just saved your ass from making a reckless mistake that would have spoiled your name on so many grounds." I stand, pushing my chair back, closing the distance between us. "Did you say grateful?" I muttered. "What are we here for?"

She tilts her head, her eyes boring into mine. "Yes. Grateful, and we are here for business."

I reach out, my fingers grazing her wrist. I could feel her shiver under my touch, no matter how hard she tried to resist it. "Is that all it really is to you?"

She takes a deep breath, eyes glittering, but she doesn't move away or say a word. "Isn't it?"

"You've changed, Aurora," I lean closer to her, so close that she could feel the heat of my words in her ear.

She presses her lips together. "Things happen, and it changes people."

My grip tightens around her wrist as I hover over her. "You changed overnight."

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