Page 165 of The Hunter's Empire

So I don't.

I acknowledge the receptionist with my usual smile before making my way toward the elevators as though nothing has happened. Outwardly, I am exactly what everyone expects me to be. The composed head of one of the most powerful empire in the world. Inside, however, I feel as though I am barely holding myself together.

The elevator doors open onto the executive floor, and the silence is immediate. Conversations stop. A few employees glance up before quickly looking away, pretending to return to their work. I don't need to hear the whispers to know what they're about.

Keeping my expression carefully neutral, I continue toward my office.

"Zora." Erin's voice stops me.

I stop and turn just as she hurries down the corridor, concern written plainly across her face. She doesn't greet me with her usual smile. Instead, she studies me for several long seconds as though trying to decide whether to hug me or simply stand there.

"Oh my God." Erin lets out a relieved breath as she walks over. "We've been worried sick."

"I'm fine." I say automatically.

She gives me a skeptical look. "No, you're not."

A tired smile flickers across my face before disappearing just as quickly.

"The office has been in chaos since yesterday." She says. "Reporters won't stop calling, investors want answers, and no one knew where you were."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. None of this is your fault." Her voice softens as she studies me. "Are you sure you're okay?"

For a moment, I'm tempted to tell her everything. Instead, I simply nod.

"I'll be alright."

She doesn't look convinced, but she lets it go.

"Where's Sebastian?" I ask.

"Inside your office." She glances toward the closed door at the end of the corridor. "He's been waiting for you since early this morning."

Something in her expression makes my stomach tighten.

I thank her before making my way toward my office.

The corridor suddenly feels much longer than it ever has before. Every step echoes through the executive floor, giving me far too much time to think about what is waiting on the other side of the door. Sebastian's phone call had sounded sincere. Calm. Remorseful, even.

A part of me wants to believe he genuinely regrets everything that happened the previous night. Another part remembers the look in his eyes as he threw my phone on the dashboard and refused to slow down no matter how many times I begged him. Those two versions of him feel impossible to reconcile, yet somehow they both exist.

I stop outside my office for a brief moment, take a slow breath, and finally push the door open.

Sebastian is already inside.

He sits comfortably in one of the chairs across from my desk with a cup of coffee in front of him, dressed in another perfectly tailored suit as though today is nothing more than an ordinary business morning. His broken nose has been professionally treated, leaving only faint bruising beneath his eyes and a small bandage across the bridge of his nose. He looks up the moment I enter and offers me a polite smile.

"Good morning." The greeting catches me off guard.

I close the door behind me without returning the smile. "Morning."

"I wasn't sure whether you'd come."

"You asked me to."

"I know." He gestures toward the chair opposite him. "Please."