Chapter 190 Why Is It So Dazzling?

Chapter 190 Why Is It So Dazzling?

Ember's POV

I'd been running on empty at the company for a while now. The new energy chip project was the move I'd staked everything on after taking over Hart Group. If it worked, Hart Group could finally break free from its old-industry roots and carve out a real place in the high-tech world.

The assistant my father had assigned me looked worried. "Can you take a break? You haven't had a single sip of water since seven this morning. Three back-to-back executive meetings would wear anyone down."

I pressed my fingers against my throbbing temples. "The shareholders won't stop fighting, and the tech team is stuck too. I'm not in the headspace to rest. Go sort through the files — I'll head back to my office and you can brief me later."

"Got it," she said.

I walked back to my office. I still had a decent chunk of time — just enough to pull the data together and check in on the partnership side of things.

Then I stopped dead in my tracks.

Someone was sitting at my desk.

"What are you doing here?"

The man was leaning back in my chair, completely at ease. He turned around slowly when he heard me, unhurried as ever. "Our companies have a partnership. I'm here to brief the new president on the handover. Problem?"

I frowned and walked straight to my desk, dropping the files on the surface. "Talk to my assistant then. I don't have time for this." I didn't want anything to do with him. We were divorced. We were supposed to be living separate lives. Every time he showed up, it threw me off.

Asher pressed his lips together. A flicker of resignation crossed his eyes, but his voice stayed flat. "Done with your meetings?"

"Yeah." I didn't look up.

"When are you heading back to the apartment?" Straight to the point. No lead-up.

That made me look up. "Asher, I'm busy. I don't have time to go back to the apartment, and I don't need to."

He looked at me, then the corner of his mouth curved up slightly. "That's fine. I already had someone pick up Evelyn from preschool. Dinner reservation's set for tonight. We'll eat together."

I had no words. What was he even trying to do? My temples were pounding. The chip project was already eating me alive, and on top of that I still had the jewelry design work for the Paris headquarters. Deadlines stacked on deadlines, my schedule packed solid — and he wanted to pull me into this?

I was exhausted, and it came through in my voice. "Can you stop making decisions for me?"

Asher didn't respond to that. His gaze drifted over my desk — the tangled mess of project schematics, data reports, and proposals covered in annotations. Then, out of nowhere, he let out a quiet laugh.

I looked up and caught him staring at my proposal. My face went warm before I could stop it. I reached over and covered the page with my hand. "What's so funny? Get out."

"If I leave, your technical integration points are still going to be misaligned."

I blinked. "What?"

Asher reached over and pressed his fingers lightly over mine. "You picked the wrong substrate for the chip — it won't work with the packaging technology you specified. And your supply chain is routed through three layers of middlemen, which drives up costs and creates more failure points. Cut those out, go straight to the upstream tech provider, and everything falls into place." His tone was matter-of-fact. Every word landed.

It hit me all at once. The knot I'd been pulling at for days just came loose. "Right — if we do it that way, every single bottleneck clears up."

I grabbed my pen and started rewriting at full speed, completely forgetting he was even there.

A few minutes later, I set my pen down. Something complicated settled in my chest. After a long pause, I said, a little stiffly, "Thanks."

Asher leaned in closer. "How are you going to thank me? Be specific." His eyes were fixed on me, and my heart was hammering. After all these years, I still couldn't keep my head straight when I looked at him.

The corner of his mouth lifted, and the look in his eyes grew warmer. The space between us was shrinking. I just stared at him, frozen, forgetting entirely to react.

---

Zane's POV

Ember and Asher were alone in her office, laughing and talking like no one else existed.

I stood in the doorway, my hand slowly tightening at my side. I'd felt bad that Ember had been stuck in meetings all morning, so I'd picked up some of her favorite desserts and come to keep her company. I hadn't expected to walk into this.

My knuckles went white. The smile I'd been wearing was gone. Inside the office, they were standing close — too close. The way Ember was looking at him, there was something in her eyes she probably didn't even realize was there. The air between them was sealed off. No room for anyone else.

Jealousy. Resentment. It all hit at once.

Why him? What does he have that I don't? I've loved Ember for years. I waited — patiently — until their bond broke down from the rejection and they finally divorced. I finally got to be by her side. And yet Asher keeps wedging himself back in, like a splinter that won't come out.

I pulled all of that back behind my eyes and put the easy smile back on my face.



I rapped my knuckles against the door. "Ember."

Ember looked up from her files, a small smile crossing her face. "Zane, you're here."

The man beside her raised an eyebrow and straightened up at his own pace. "Perfect timing, Mr. Sawyer."

I set the afternoon snacks on the desk, keeping my voice warm. "Of course. Ember's been at it all morning without eating — coming to check on her is the least I can do. Unlike some people, who show up while she's already buried in work and make things harder."

The words landed. Asher's eyes narrowed slightly, something quietly dangerous settling in them.

Then I pulled out two organized proposals and handed them over. "I put these together last night. Backup plans for the project — might be useful."

Ember flipped through them. "Thank you. These will actually help a lot."

While she read, Asher and I looked at each other across the desk. Neither of us said a word, but the tension said plenty.

Ember, caught between us, cleared her throat. "I've got another meeting soon. No time to stand around talking — you two should get going."

Asher's mouth curved. "I'll pick you up tonight." He didn't look at me again. Just walked straight out.

The door clicked shut.

I could feel my jaw tighten. I moved to Ember's side and kept my voice measured. "Ember, Asher plays a long game, and he pushes hard. That's not good for you or Hart Group. We're about to get engaged — you should keep your distance. Otherwise, people might start asking questions about Evelyn. You know what I mean?"

Ember rubbed her temples, sounding worn out. "I'll be careful. He was already in here when I got back from the meeting — I didn't know he was coming. I'll say something to the front desk." Then she went straight back to work.

She had nothing more to say to me. The warmth in my eyes faded a little. "Right. Don't overdo it. Get some rest." I said a few more things out of habit, but I could tell I wasn't needed here. I turned and left.

A few minutes later, the elevator opened into the underground parking garage.

I got into my car, my face blank. All these years at her side — and I still couldn't measure up to the man who'd hurt her the most? The cold feeling in my eyes deepened.

Then my phone buzzed. An anonymous text. No name, just the coordinates of a private club and a few photos attached.

I zoomed in.

The warmth I kept on my face for everyone — it was gone now.

"Hm."

The screech of my engine cut through the parking garage as I pulled away.