CONFLICT

This office could be described as a spacious executive area, airy and well illuminated with a whole wall that featured a large frameless, bulletproof, high-tensile, and one-way glass window. It displayed the whole modern metropolis from a height of more than 1,350 feet while letting the sun illuminate the room. It's also fully furnished with all the most modern office equipment and advanced security gadgets and yet could still maintain a classy and classic feel.

One could easily say it's a pleasure to enter such a place of dominance, power and luxury.

However, the presence of these two complex and combatant individuals gave one the impression of a battlefield instead of it being the personal office of a multi-billion company president. And the same mood went for everyone else in the room.

"You might say it's a party. Too bad for me that you're invited. It would be uncool if you were."

"Oh, really now? I think I'm required to attend, unfortunately for you."

"Just because you have a position in this company doesn't always mean you're always welcome to everything that happens here, Victor."

"It doesn't matter if I'm not welcome in your eyes, though. I own a good part of this company while you just happen to be the President's daughter, Estelle."

Roman and Eros' heads kept moving from one speaker to the other. Watching these two men's actions as they witnessed the severe, serious couple makes one think of an intense tennis match between two angry and competitive expert pro-players; but with words.

"Whoa… time out… Or do I have to call in an official referee?" laughed the man with the salt and pepper hair, who happened to be the sickest and oldest person in the room.

"Well, I didn't start the fire, Roman…" replied the broad-shouldered male in the personalized Italian shoes and equally dark business suit, standing near the bullet-proof glass wall, which was behind The President's massive mahogany executive desk.

"Yes, you did, by asking me if we would be having a party later…" snapped the woman who was still in the middle of the room with one hand on her jutted hip, her legs slightly apart.

"And you took me seriously?"

"Well, you took it too far…"

"Alright, enough of that. That goes for both of you, or I might start considering the two of you a security threat."

Everyone's eyes instantly diverted to the speaker. It was the Silverfire Security Head who was intensely speaking from where he stood. The stoic and expressionless man was leaning against the President's large luxurious executive chair.

He hardly talked, but it seemed he was intent on being heard now, which is why that got everyone's attention since he never spoke without good reason and, more so, with a few strong words. Or probably more than a few.

"Victor, I realize that I'm just one of the company's staff, and I am not in any way equal to your skills, management or otherwise, though we call each other twins. Neither am I in any position to threaten you with my authority, Zoe. I'm lucky that I can even call you by your first name due to the fact we're practically family. But I will call you on anything that is included in my job description and this personal war of yours can easily cross that line."

Eros paused for effect, then lowered his voice, giving himself a dangerous tone.

"When that happens, you will have me to deal with."

The icy atmosphere in the air was so thick that one could cut it with a knife.

But at that moment, the door suddenly opened…

In came a petite secretary with large round glasses, her strawberry blond hair in a ponytail and her slim but curvy figure very evident due to her stewardess-looking outfit. With her girly smile and perky greeting, the cold in the air seemed to vanish.

It also helped that she just entered with coffee cups and other tea things, like a few small pastries, on a tray.

"Hello, everyone. Hi Miss Zoe, Boss Roman, Sir Victor. Sir… Eros… w- wait, is there something wrong?" Rachelle said as her words were slowing down at the end.

Her ending her statement in a question wasn't exactly a good sign. The split-second silence that followed could have been an appropriate enough answer, but Roman was able to offset it immediately.

After all, he's had lots of practice throughout the years with these two 'youngsters' of his.

"Oh no, no, no! Absolutely nothing wrong at all, Rachelle. Thank you so much for taking care of the coffee. And truly, it's all good, and you're right on time."

The young lass' smile instantly returned, while a few sighs of relief could be heard in the background…

Roman's thoughts: Whew, crisis averted… But for how long?

"All right then, Boss Roman, I'll just be making coffee for everyone now. Still the same hazelnut cappuccino for Miss Zoe, black for Sir Eros and a latte for your Boss, right? Will it be black today, too, Sir Victor?"

"No, thanks Rachelle, I'll be going to my office instead. Send the coffee there if you still insist on making me one," answered the business executive, his tone low and dry.

"Victor, you don't need to go. We can continue our talk while we have coffee, come on," requested Roman, with a cheerful mood going on strong.

"We already had our talk, Roman. And if someone wasn't late, we wouldn't have to start our meeting from the beginning." Victor said with a smirk, his sarcasm back on track.

"Alright-y then Sir Vic, please expect it within a few minutes. Would you like a few pastries? "

Zoe, upon hearing her 'nemesis' not wanting to stay, felt a bit of a painful twist in her chest. But her fury at him mentioning her being tardy, and her current outfit got to her gut and she felt her anger rising again.

Even if she didn't want it and was trying to control herself, her fury was drowning out her regret too fast for her to stop it.

"What? The proud and insensitive Vice-President Victor Stephan Saville is running away with his tail between his legs. Have I won this round again, I wonder?" Zoe stated with a sneer as the billionaire businessman started walking towards the door. "I will be celebrating my victory as you cower from behind your office doors, you know."

He paused at the open entryway of the President's office before giving her some attention by snidely replying, "Think what you want. I'm not going down to your level, Princess Estelle Buenaventura. It only means the way you're reacting now is totally beneath me. Which shows exactly the level where you are."

The cold silence in the room is back with a vengeance…