Chapter 6
Cassie's phone buzzed just as she took her first breath in hours. Christian's name lit up the screen, and with it, the familiar pinch of anxiety beneath her ribs.
"Kensington," he said, skipping pleasantries. "We're flying out tomorrow. Titan Industries. High-level pitch. You're leading."
Her fingers clenched around the phone. "I thought Roy was taking point."
"He was. Until Titan's CEO requested a woman at the table. Your name came up."
Requested? That felt less like a compliment and more like a setup.
"Why me?" she asked before she could stop herself.
"Because you're sharp," he said. "And I don't send people I don't trust into a room with wolves."
Her pulse skipped. That almost sounded like praise. Almost.
"Don't disappoint me," he added—and just like that, the warmth evaporated.
They sat in silence on the plane, first class but suffocating. Cassie kept her eyes on the in-flight map. Christian had a file open on his laptop, but he wasn't reading it. He was watching her.
"You grip the armrest during takeoff," he said without looking away.
Cassie blinked. "I do not."
His eyes flicked to her hand—white-knuckled around the leather.
"Right," she muttered, pulling her hand back.
"I don't like surprises," he said, tone unreadable.
She turned to him, something prickling beneath her composure. "Is that why you watch me? To eliminate risk?"
He smiled—just barely. "Among other reasons."
The plane lifted off. Her stomach dropped—and not because of altitude.
The next day, Cassie walked into the conference room, nerves twisting in her stomach. She started setting up for the meeting, hyperaware of every movement. When Christian entered, she didn't need to turn around. She felt him like static electricity—close, charged.
"You look nervous," he murmured, standing just behind her.
"It's called focus," she shot back, louder than she meant.
One of the Titan execs glanced over, amused.
Christian didn't react, but his mouth curved slightly. "Good. Let's see what it looks like under pressure."
The Titan Industries team entered—three reps in power suits, all sharp edges and calculating gazes. Cassie recognized the look. Predators assessing prey.
She launched into the presentation, pacing herself, delivering points with precision. When one exec challenged a proposed figure, she didn't blink. Instead, she restructured the pitch on the fly, aligning it with Titan's known pain points. The move was risky.
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Christian's reaction. No expression. Just an almost imperceptible tilt of his head. Approval, maybe. Or calculation.
By the end, the room was quiet in that particular way that meant they'd won.
Cassie stepped into the hallway to collect her notes. That's when she heard it—Christian's voice, low and direct, from the other room.
"She's the reason the pitch landed," he said. "You'll get results because she doesn't miss."
Cassie froze, her breath caught.
"Is she senior enough?" one of the Titan reps asked.
"She's the sharpest in my division," Christian replied. "And the only person I'd trust to carry this without me."
She backed away quietly. By the time Christian emerged, her expression was neutral.
"Nice recovery," he said. "Especially when they pushed you on budget caps."
"I handled it," she said, chin lifting.
"I noticed." His gaze held hers. "Next time, it's yours alone."
She blinked. "What?"
"No backup," he said. "If you're going to lead, lead."
"Is that a challenge?"
"It's a test," he said. "One I don't offer often."
As they left the building, Cassie exhaled. She should've felt victorious. Instead, her nerves buzzed—not from failure, but from something dangerously close to anticipation.
In the car, she turned to him. "You said I'm the sharpest in your division."
Christian didn't look at her. "I don't say things I don't mean."
A beat of silence.
"So… that was a compliment?"
He glanced at her then, the ghost of a smile playing at his lips. "It was a warning."
Cassie looked away, the air suddenly too thick to breathe.