Ben had no idea that the woman he was planning to destroy had already uncovered everything.
Valerie knew about Melissa's plan.
She knew about the grudge because of Ian.
And she knew that the upcoming meeting had nothing to do with business.
Valerie opened a file.
Valerie closed the file and smiled.
"Such a loyal brother."
Her assistant looked confused.
"Is something wrong ma'am?"
"Nothing."
Valerie stood from her chair and walked toward the window.
The city stretched endlessly before her.
"They think they're hunting me."
The assistant swallowed nervously.
"Are they?"
Valerie's smile widened.
"No."
For the first time, a dangerous curious spark appeared in her eyes.
"They're walking straight into my trap."
One week later.
The conference room of Sterling Corporation was prepared to perfection.
Executives sat around the massive table, waiting for the arrival of Wilson Corporation.
The doors opened.
Ben Wilson walked in first.
Tall.
Confident.
Dangerous.
Every eye in the room followed him.
His gaze immediately found Valerie at the far end of the table.
For a brief second, both of them smirked.
Neither looked away.
Neither smiled.
It felt less like a business meeting and more like two generals meeting on a battlefield.
Ben took his seat.
Valerie calmly crossed her legs.
"Mr. Wilson."
"Ms. Sterling."
The tension in the room became almost unbearable.
Nobody noticed the faint amusement hidden in Valerie's eyes.
Nobody except Ben.
Interesting.
Instead of looking nervous, she looked entertained.
As though she already knew something he didn't.
For the first time, Ben felt a strange sense of unease.
Although he has seen her at gala events.
But now was different.
The meeting began.
But neither of them was paying attention to the presentation.
A silent war had already started.
And neither intended to lose.
What Ben didn't realize was that every move he planned to make against Valerie would slowly pull him closer to her.
He didn't want to lose to Valerie because he has been to numerous meetings and none of them won in terms of business.
The meeting lasted nearly two hours.
On the surface, everything appeared professional.
Charts were presented.
Contracts were discussed.
Financial projections were reviewed.
Yet beneath the polished conversation, a completely different battle was taking place.
Ben watched Valerie carefully.
Every answer she gave was calm.
Every move was calculated.
Not once did she appear pressured by his questions.
In fact, several times she redirected the discussion so effortlessly that even his own executives found themselves agreeing with her.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
When the meeting finally ended, the executives began gathering their documents.
One by one they left the room until only Ben and Valerie remained.
The silence stretched between them.
Valerie closed her folder.
"You seem disappointed, Mr. Wilson."
Ben leaned back in his chair.
"Should I be?"
"You tell me."
Their eyes locked.
For the first time, Ben realized something.
This woman wasn't reacting the way his opponents usually did.
She wasn't intimidated.
She wasn't defensive.
If anything, she looked amused.
As though she knew a secret.
Ben's gaze sharpened.
"Have we met somewhere besides charity galas and business events?"
Valerie smiled.
"We have."
His eyebrows rose slightly.
"When?"
"Several years ago."
Ben searched his memory.
Nothing.
Valerie stood up.
"You don't remember."
"Should I?"
"Not necessarily."
Before he could ask another question, she walked toward the door.
Then she stopped.
Without turning around, she said,
""Tell Melissa that business and personal grudges rarely end well for the person who confuses the two."."
The room went silent.
Ben froze.
For the first time all day, genuine shock crossed his face.
Valerie opened the door and left.
Leaving him standing there.
Stunned.
How did she know what transpired between Himself and Melissa?
The question echoed in his mind long after she was gone.
That evening.
Ben stormed into Melissa's penthouse.
His sister looked up from her wine glass.
"What happened?"
Ben tossed his suit jacket onto the couch.
"So I was part of your stupid games all along?"
Melissa frowned.
"What are you talking about?".