Deeper than deal

14

Summers trailed behind him as the elevator chimed softly, announcing their arrival on the top floor.

She kept her eyes on the floor, hands clenched tightly, each step feeling heavier in the cold silence that Maximus exuded. Tears blurred her vision, but she quickly brushed them away, hating how every tough decision seemed to fall apart in her hands, leaving her helpless.

She hugged him earlier, clinging to him out of pure desperation, but his indifference only made her feel smaller, more lost.

What was he planning?

They stopped outside his hotel suite, and Maximus pressed his hand to a sleek, glass-like panel beside the door. She barely took in the technology, her attention on him, searching for any hint of his intentions. Suddenly, an AI voice broke through the silence, crisp and indifferent. “Welcome, Mr. Weston.”

Summers stiffened, her heart racing, but he didn’t look back. Instead, he swiped a card across the scanner, and with a soft chime, the door slid open.

She wanted to roll her eyes at the intense security, how everything in his world seemed locked down, guarded—just like him. But her mood was too dampened, too fragile. His privacy was impenetrable, a fortress that she, too, could never enter unless he allowed.

Hesitantly, she stepped forward, but the same AI voice rang out again, “Unrecognized subject.” She froze, heart pounding as the words echoed in her mind, making her feel like an outsider, like she was trespassing into something forbidden.

Maximus turned, his expression unreadable, and without a word, reached out and took her hand. His grip was firm—neither gentle nor harsh—but enough to send a chill through her veins. He pulled her in, the door sliding shut behind them with a quiet finality. “Subject recognized.”

He didn’t release her hand until they reached the center of the suite, where he let go and crossed over to a glass cabinet, leaving her with the echo of his cold touch.

Summers looked around his suite—a space of sleek elegance, minimal yet luxuriously refined. Dark wood and soft lighting, with polished surfaces and understated grandeur, made it feel as if she’d stepped into his world, one crafted entirely for him.

Her gaze kept following him as he moved to his desk, activating everything with a quick scan of his fingerprint, moving as if she wasn’t even there. She watched, feeling a pang of loneliness in his indifference, until his phone buzzed, and he answered without a second thought.

Her attention drifted then, drawn to the massive floor-to-celine window that framed the city like a masterpiece. The golden lights, the muffled hum of distant life—it was breathtaking. For a moment, it made her feel small but oddly comforted.

“I don’t care, Alex,” his sharp voice pulled her back. “I need solutions, and you have until tonight. If it’s not done, you’re fired.”

She stiffened, her legs aching from fatigue, yet she didn’t dare to move or even think of sitting. She watched him toss his phone aside and walk to the window, hands slipping into his pockets.

Summers couldn’t look away, wondering what weighed on him, what thoughts lingered behind that hard gaze. Then, he turned, and their eyes met.

Her breath caught, heart hammering. He didn’t look away, his stare slow and deliberate, tracing her from head to toe, making her feel exposed under the intensity of his gaze.

Summers pressed her lips together, finally breaking eye contact to look down, feeling a warmth rise to her cheeks.

What was with that stare?