The White Collar Act

It was late at night when Julian Schmidt was still in his office, immersed in a pile of files piling up on his desk. The dim light from the lamp cast shadows on the walls, while he was concentrated on his research into the case of the so-called Mountain Climbers.

They were a criminal organization rooted in the global financial market, and were known for their insidious tactics and their deep connections within various companies around the world. Outside this organization, high-ranking employees in reputable companies were persuaded to work as inside traders, manipulating insider information to make undue profits.

Emma was Julian's relentless secretary and their relationship has always been exceptional. He couldn't see a life in which they didn't work together, as she not only mastered all his quirks and preferences, but also had an extraordinary ability to anticipate his needs before he even mentioned them. Emma admired his work ethic, his intelligence, and his leadership ability. However, on her part there was also a certain physical attraction to Julian, that she for various reasons had never let it show.

One, it would be unprofessional, two, they had a 15-year age difference, Emma had just turned 30. And three, among others, Julian had a beautiful family of two children and a wife. He was a very faithful man and couldn't even dream about ever betraying his wife, and Emma cared too much about her job to let something happen so easily. But the tension was there, the whole time.