Chapter 12: Back to Business
Zara was back at work a day after being discharged from the hospital, looking as vibrant and determined as ever. She had gotten some rest, but her mind was still reeling from the events of the past week. Between the nearly fatal car incident, the hospital stay, and the tense meeting with Xavier Steele, her life felt like a whirlwind. But she wasn't going to let anything—or anyone—distract her from the task ahead.
She breezed into her office, the usual hum of activity surrounding her as her team worked on the details of the deal. The company was still buzzing from the potential of the massive contract, but Zara's focus remained razor-sharp. There was one thing on her mind today: the meeting with Xavier Steele.
The thought of his name alone was enough to give her a headache. Cold. Arrogant. Detached. But Zara wasn't about to let him throw her off her game. She had been through too much, fought too hard, to let this man, or his attitude, get in her way.
Tori, her assistant, knocked lightly on her door. "Zara, your meeting with Mr. Steele is in 30 minutes. Is everything ready?"
Zara sighed, standing up from her desk and brushing a stray lock of hair from her face. "Ready as I'll ever be. I just have to get through this."
The anticipation made her pulse quicken. She had heard enough about Xavier Steele—the man was a force to be reckoned with. But she wasn't intimidated. She was Zara Winters. She had built an empire from the ground up. No one, not even someone as cold and calculated as Steele, would make her second-guess herself.
She grabbed her bag and headed out of her office. Her team greeted her with polite smiles, but she barely registered them. Her mind was already on the task ahead. She was going to walk into his office with confidence, present her ideas with authority, and make it clear that she wasn't just some young CEO trying to impress him. She was here to make a deal, not to play games.
As she entered the elevator, her phone buzzed with a reminder about the meeting. The car was waiting for her outside. One last breath and she'd be in the same room as Xavier Steele again. But this time, it would be different. She wasn't going to be caught off guard.
Her nerves started to settle. She focused on the design concepts they were about to discuss, the project that could change the trajectory of both their companies. There was too much at stake to let personal tension cloud her judgment. She wasn't going to let Xavier Steele get under her skin.
The car pulled up to the towering office building where his company was headquartered. As Zara stepped out, she was greeted by an almost eerie silence in the lobby. The glass doors opened with a soft swoosh, and she was led toward the elevator that would take her up to his floor.
The doors to the elevator closed with a soft chime, and as the elevator ascended, Zara's stomach did a little flip. She was ready for this. She was more than ready.
The doors opened, and a sleek hallway greeted her. She could feel the weight of the moment pressing in. This was it. Her meeting with Xavier Steele. The man who had already made her life difficult—and the one who she was about to meet head-on in his own domain.
As she approached his office door, she couldn't help but take one last deep breath.
It was time.