Chapter 11 Hidden Secrets
Stefan's POV:
I was standing in a corner of the dimly lit backstage area, my hands in my pockets. My assistant silently accompanied me as I watched the scene.
The woman walked away, her head held high. She should have exuded a quiet confidence, but I’d noticed how her eyes had narrowed during her conversation with that man. I had witnessed the tense set of her shoulders, and the clipped edge of her voice.
And I had also seen how the man reacted.
His face twisted in something dark — anger, hatred, perhaps even fear.
I watched him stand there briefly, his fists clenched by his sides. Then, just as he lost sight of her, he let out an exasperated breath and murmured to himself.
“You think you can come and run this company?” his tone low, hatred in every word. “This has always been my company. I won’t see a woman take it from me.”
I stayed put, watching him, my eyes glued to him.
The man’s jaw hardened.
“You think you can just come back and take what’s mine?”
he added, his voice laced with resentment. “Even grandmother thinks she can get rid of me… I’ll teach you all.”
And then, without speaking again, he turned on his heel and left.
I let him go.
Not because I was uninterested but because I’d seen enough.
As soon as he was out of my sight, I emerged from the shadows, my assistant moving a little beside me. I watched as the man walked away, his shoulders tight with rage.
Then, after a beat, I turned my gaze toward where she had walked away.
And she had walked far ahead, her silhouette out of view.
I took a slow breath and rubbed my fingers against my palm.
“I didn’t come here to learn anyone’s secrets,” I muttered under my breath. “I came here to sign the documents I have to.”
And I had no intention of getting sucked into whatever this was.
But…
Then my mind replayed the man’s words in my head, and my eyes were a little dark.
So that was the purpose of that evening.
That attack.
I had already suspected that what happened wasn’t a mere accident — but now the pieces were beginning to fall into place.
It was because of this man.
I sighed softly, my fingers twitching slightly.
It wasn’t my problem.
It had nothing to do with me.
I had no reason to care.
And yet…
I turned to walk, but for the slightest second, my foot hesitated.
So I walked on without another word.
__
With a final stroke of the pen, I etched my name onto the last line of the contract. The ink was dry in seconds, officially locking in my hundred million-dollar agreement.
The land was mine now.
The board members had attempted to push for negotiations, to lower the price, but I was not in the mood to play games. Time was money. If I wanted something, I just took it. Simple.
I sat back in the chair after checking the contract one more time. This purchase was not simply a matter of acquiring property; it was about control. That land was positioned as a thing that would come to benefit me in ways that others couldn’t see. My competitors were eyeing it, but they didn't leap.
Hesitation was a weakness.
That’s how men like me stayed on top.
With the contract signed, I passed the folder to the former owner, who received it with both hands. He knew better than to spend my time on needless words.
I rose and straightened the cuff of my suit. With that, I turned my back and walked toward the exit. Then, it happened.
A soft impact.
Someone bumped into me.
I barely moved. It meant nothing, but the body that’d bumped into me took a half step backward, startled by me not even moving at all.
That same woman.
She looked up, surprise flickering over her face. Then, she smiled.
A courteous smile. Then she continued walking away, not looking at me.
But then—she stopped.
I watched as she turned back to me, uncertainty flashing across her eyes as she opened her mouth.
“Mr. President,” she said to me. “Sorry, I didn’t recognize you before. And … I’m sorry if I disrespected you.”
I said nothing.
Instead, I observed her.
Her tone was measured, her shoulders upright. She was not trying to impress me or plead for my attention.
Interesting.
When my silence came up, most people got uncomfortable. They stuttered they second-guessed their words, and they tried to fill the silence.
But she didn’t.
She just stared at me, waiting.
If it had been anyone else, I would have left.
But… I didn’t… for some reason.
And I didn’t know why.
I finally nodded, very small acknowledgment only.
Then she said something that surprised me.
“Can I ask you out for dinner?”
Direct.
“Can I have your number?”
Even bolder.
I studied her more closely. She was unlike any of the women I’d been used to seeing.
Most were predictable. I couldn’t remember how many had approached me—using charisma or subtle manipulations to gain my focus. Some were daring, but their goals were always the same — money, power, prestige.
It was all so tiresome.
But now as I looked at her I could tell something was lacking in her eyes.
Greed.
I felt that there was not an appetite for my wealth, nor a veiled attempt to get a favor based on it.
She was simply asking.
Not demanding.
Not scheming.
Simply… asking.
That made her different.
I thought about, briefly, answering her myself.
But before I could take my move, Carter beat me to it.
My assistant didn’t hesitate, stepping around me and pulling a sharp, black business card from his suit pocket.
She glanced at him, surprised a little by the gesture, but still took the card.
She opened it and her fingers skimmed over the embossed letters as she looked it over.
Then she looked back at me.
And she smiled.
It was subtle, but there. A genuine smile.
“Thank you,” she said.
I didn’t respond.
Instead, I did what I had always done — turned and walked away.
No goodbyes. No explanations.
My assistant fell into step next to me, as he always did. We were almost at my car door when I finally said something.
“Carter.”
“Yes, sir?”
“I want all the information on her.”
Carter didn’t give an outward reaction, but I knew he had already anticipated this command. We’d worked together long enough that he knew when something — or someone — caught my eye.
“Got it,” he replied, without missing a beat.
I went on walking, but after a moment I added —
“And her family.”