CONTRACTED TO BEAR THE CEO'S HEIR

Bound By Command

The private jet touched down at dawn,unnoticed by most. But within the walls of the Granex corporation, it's arrival sent a silent storm surging through the corridors. Assistant rushed. Phones rang. The president had returned.

By midmorning,Killian stood in the glass-walled conference room,posture stiff, jaw locked, his eyes shadowed by the sleepless nights following the scandal. He had exchanged his usual ease for a crisp gray suit and practiced stillness.

Elara sat at the long mahogany table,expression serene,but her hands- resting on her lap-betrayed her. One thumb circled the other in slow, anxious repetition. Her pale pink blouse,buttoned high at the collar, gave her an air of quiet elegance, almost too pristine for the mess her life had become.

Neither of them spoke.

The silence snapped when the double doors opened.

President Maxim Reeve entered with the force of a winter storm-controlled, cold, unstoppable. His tailored navy-blue suit was wrinkle-free despite his return from a week-long international business trip. His steps were calculated, steady, as if even his presence had been premeditated.

Behind him followed his wife.

Mrs. Reeve walked like that shadow that belonged to no one. She wore black- always black- and her pearl necklace shimmered like a warning. Her expression was poised, unbothered. But her eyes,sharp and calculating,took in the scene with the precision of a surgeon.

Neither parent offered greetings. The air tightened around the room.

"Elara Vance," the president said,breaking the silence at last. His voice was low, steady, and sharpened by expectation. "Quite the mess you've walked into. Or created. It's difficult to say."

Elara bowed slightly."President Reeve."

He didn't even spare her a glance. Instead,his eyes moved to his son.

"You allowed a scandal to be public. Then handed me a contract."

Killian met his father's gaze without flinching. "I took responsibility."

"Responsibility?" The president's voice dropped, dangerous. "You think that's what this is?"

Killian opened his mouth to speak but the president raised a single hand- and silence obeyed.

"I read the document. The terms are...useful," he said, glancing briefly at Elara.

"But usefulness doesn't mean approval."

Mrs. Reeve took a step forward. "And I can't say I've ever heard of an executive who sleeps with her superior's son and survives the fallout with a contract and a diamond ring," she said her voice smooth,almost amused." You must be extraordinary,Miss Vance."

Elara met her eyes calmly." Or very efficient."