Chapter Twenty - Four

Sebastian Wolfe POV

Sebastian Wolfe stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows of his penthouse office, the skyline of the city sprawled out before him, the world below bustled with life, but from his view everything was distant, insignificant.

He liked it that way. It was a reminder of how far he had come. He’d built this empire with his own hands, without relying on a family legacy or inherited fortune.

He was a self-made man.

His parents had died in a car crash when he was just ten.

Orphaned at a young age, he had been raised by a distant aunt who barely acknowledged his existence. Her niece's indiscretions had led to her being cut of by the family so his grandparents didn't even want to see his face.

She had two children all to eager to inherit her wealth so that he had no notion that he would have been given something.

They kidded him out the day she died and after roaming from foster home to foster home at eighteen, he left, determined to make his own path. And he had—one that took him to the top of the tech world.

Spectre, his tech company, dominated the industry. In less than a decade, he had turned it from a small startup into a global powerhouse, shoving competitors behind with a ruthless efficiency that left them scrambling in his wake.

But despite his success, one name always seemed to hang in the air like a stubborn shadow: his rival Gustin Winchester.

Sebastian’s jaw tightened at the thought of him. Winchester. The media loved to play up their rivalry—two titans of industry, each vying for the top spot.

It had become a personal vendetta over the years, a game of one-upmanship.

Gustin was cocky and , privileged, a man who had been handed everything on a silver platter his entire life.

Gustin’s family had been in business for generations,only recently entering tech when he took the reins so his name held weight, Sebastian believed that was the only reason people respected him.

But today it wasn’t Winchester who had left him speechless.

The knock at his office door earlier that morning had brought with it more than just a morning interview prospect ,it had brought him

Gustin's ex-wife.

He could still picture her standing there in his office, looking as poised and composed as ever, her dark hair framing a face and eyes that had stared defiantly at him.

Leilani Jordan.

She was a beautiful woman and he'd envied Gustin that but to actually see her in the room when she had looked him dead in the eye and said

"Ex-husband. I’m here to do the best job I can," she said firmly.

"For whichever company gives me the opportunity."

She had guts and there was no denying it.

Leilani Jordan, working for him. The thought amused him more than he cared to admit. It would certainly make things interesting.

Sebastian could already see the headlines if the media found out—

*Tech Titan Hires Rivals Ex-Wife Amid *.

And if it happened to irritate Gustin Winchester in the process, well… that was just a bonus.

He reached for his phone, dialing his secretary’s extension.

"Mr. Wolfe?" came the efficient, calm voice of Charlotte, his long-time secretary.

"Charlotte," Sebastian said, leaning forward, his voice smooth and controlled.

"I need you to do something for me."

"Of course, sir. What is it?"

"Leilani Jordan. She was in my office earlier today seeking a position. I want you to give her a call and offer her a job. "

There was a brief pause on the other end, and Sebastian could almost imagine the surprise on Charlotte’s face. She knew who Leilani Jordan was, of course. He was surprised she had not mentioned it to him earlier, it was the tight-lipped nature if hers that he admired. But she had obviously not expected him to give her the job

" Are you sure sir" she asked and he laughed

" I was wondering when you would break character " he asked and she huffed

" I have no idea what you're planning in that head of your but leave the poor woman alone " she muttered, he smiled

" I did read her resume Char, she's fit for the job so I might as well give it to her " he muttered and she hummed

" Uh uh "

" Just do what need to be done to get it processed" he muttered

"Understood, sir," she replied.

"I’ll reach out to her immediately. Is there anything specific you want her to work on?"

Sebastian considered that for a moment.

" Start her in business development for our new models I want her focused on the new projects we’re rolling out next quarter. Hit the ground running if you catch my drift "

"Very well, Mr. Wolfe. I’ll handle it."

"Good." He hung up the phone, his smile widening.

Sebastian stood from his desk and walked back to the window, his mind already shifting gears.

He wasn’t sure how he felt about it. On the one hand, he didn’t owe her anything but on the other hand, there was something about the idea of having Leilani working for him that piqued his interest in ways he hadn’t expected. Perhaps it was the challenge of it, or maybe it was just curiosity, or maybe it was the fact that he got to screw with Winchester it really didn't matter to him.

Would she hate him for it? Definitely.

But Sebastian had never been one to shy away from taking risks, especially when the reward was as entertaining as it was turning out to be and the still a chance to prove that he was still the one in control.

Sebastian tapped his fingers on the window pane desk, his mind racing . Hiring Winchester's ex-wife could be either a brilliant move or a disaster waiting to happen. But one thing was certain—it would be interesting and he welcomed it.

After all, he was Sebastian Wolfe. And in his world, nothing ever happened by chance.