Julius stepped back first.
The space between them returned instantly, but the heavy pressure in the room didn't fade. For a long moment, neither of them spoke, the silence thick enough to feel. Julius adjusted his sleeve with slow, deliberate movements, making sure his hands remained perfectly steady. He wouldn't let Harrison see a single flaw in his composure. His gaze remained fixed on the man before him, cold and unwavering.
"If this is the kind of game you want to play," Julius said, his voice smooth as silk, "then I'm in."
Harrison didn't interrupt. He didn't even move a muscle, watching Julius with a stillness that was more intimidating than any threat. That lack of reaction only pushed Julius further. He stepped deeper into the fire, his voice hardening. "I don't care if I lose billions because of you. Ten. Twenty. More. If you think that will make me step back, you're wasting your time."
Julius's eyes sharpened like a blade. "So go ahead. Do whatever you want. Use whatever strategy you've prepared. I won't stop you."
The silence that followed was heavy and unmoving. Harrison finally shifted his gaze, looking at Julius as if he were a fascinating new puzzle. He wasn't impressed by the words or challenged by the threat; he was just observing. That calm reaction irritated Julius more than a direct insult would have. It made him feel like he was fighting against smoke.
"He hate being ignored."
Julius's jaw tightened, but his expression didn't break. He was a master of his own mask. "This ends here," he said firmly. Harrison didn't move to grab him or say a word to stop him. That alone felt wrong. In Julius's world, power always fought back, but Harrison simply let him walk away.
Julius turned and walked out, the heavy door closing behind him with a final click. Only then did he let himself exhale. The hallway felt colder than the office, quieter and more isolated, but the weight of Harrison's presence followed him step after step like an invisible ghost.
He didn't slow down as he headed for the elevator. The doors opened immediately everything in this building was timed perfectly to his arrival. He stepped into the metal box, and as the doors shut, the silence pressed in like he was underwater. He stared at his reflection in the polished surfaces, sharp, controlled, and untouched.
But he knew better. His breathing wasn't perfectly steady, and his heart was still racing. His body hadn't settled, and for an Alpha like Julius, that was unacceptable. As the elevator moved, his jaw tightened. An Alpha's body didn't react like this without a reason. His pheromones were still restless, reacting to a man who was no longer in front of him.
The elevator reached the lobby, and Julius stepped out without hesitation. The guards remained like statues, not moving an inch as he passed. He walked out into the Moscow air, but it wasn't enough to clear his head or settle the fire in his blood. He could still feel the warmth of Harrison's hand on his waist.
His driver opened the car door. "Sir"
"Drive," Julius cut him off.
The car moved into the traffic, the city passing by in a blur of lights. Julius didn't look out the window; his mind stayed in that room with the gold walls, haunted by a single question: You think that was the first time we met?
He closed his eyes briefly. It didn't make sense. He remembered everyone he met; it was how he survived and built his empire. So why did a part of him recognize that touch? When they arrived at his own headquarters, he stepped out into the familiar structure of his own world. Here, everything followed his rules.
He walked straight to his private office, the staff straightening their backs as he passed. Once the door closed behind him, he moved toward the giant window. Moscow stretched below him, cold and unmoving. He had built his power here, and nothing had ever shaken him—until today.
"You think that was the first time we met?" he repeated quietly to the empty room. The words felt heavier now, settling into his bones. His phone buzzed with a message from Helen, asking about the wedding and telling him not to ignore her. Julius placed the phone face down. His mother's warning echoed in his mind: The faster you let her go, the safer she is.
A soft knock sounded, and his assistant Sarah stepped in with her tablet. "Sir, the market has stabilized. We traced the source. It was clean work, hidden through multiple shell accounts, but the origin is Volkov Meridian."
"The room ent quiet." Everyone at the top knew that name. It wasn't just influence; it was absolute, untouchable control. Harrison Volkov. Julius didn't react because he already knew, but his fingers tightened at his side. "Leave it alone," he commanded. "Don't touch it."
When Sarah left, silence returned. Julius realized Harrison hadn't even tried to hide; he wanted to be found. Julius reached for his phone and saw a message from an unsaved number:
["Have you cancelled the marriage contract?"]
He started to type Who are you to me? then deleted it. He tried What did you do to me? and deleted that too. His control wasn't gone, but it wasn't absolute anymore. His pheromones shifted again, still reacting to the memory of that man even here in his own fortress.
Across the city, Harrison stood by his own window, breathing the same cold air. He saw the typing bubbles appear on his screen and then vanish. He lowered the phone, his face an unreadable mask of calm.
"He'll come back," Harrison said quietly. It wasn't a guess or a hope. It was a certainty. "Just like before."