The Ice King’s Weakness

Chapter Three – After Hours

Elena’s POV

The office was eerily quiet after 8 p.m.

Most of the floor had emptied hours ago, but Adrian Vale was still in his office, the faint glow of his desk lamp spilling across the glass. I had stayed too—not because he told me to, but because we had a launch plan to finalize, and my pride refused to hand him anything less than perfect.

I stood by the whiteboard in the conference room, jotting down key points, when I heard his voice.

“You’re still here.”

I turned. He was leaning against the doorway, jacket off, tie loosened, sleeves rolled up. The Ice King in his more… human form was somehow more dangerous.

“I thought CEOs liked employees who go the extra mile,” I said.

“Employees,” he repeated, stepping in. “You’re not an employee.”

“Consultant, then,” I corrected.

He stopped a few feet away, eyes flicking to the board. “You’ve been working for hours. I assume that means you have something worth showing me.”

I handed him my notes. He scanned them quickly—too quickly—and I could see the moment his eyes slowed down.

“This… is good,” he admitted, sounding almost reluctant. “Very good.”

I grinned. “Careful, Vale. That sounded dangerously close to a compliment.”

His gaze lifted to mine, that grey steel softening for just a heartbeat. “It was.”

The room felt warmer suddenly, though I was pretty sure the air conditioning was still set to “arctic tundra.” I stepped closer, pointing to a section on the board.

“If we shift the ad release by two weeks, it’ll give the campaign room to—”

I stopped when I realized how close he was. Close enough that I could catch the faint scent of his cologne—something crisp and expensive with a darker note beneath it.

“You’re good at this,” he said quietly.

The way he said it wasn’t about the campaign. Not entirely.

I held his gaze, refusing to step back. “That’s why you hired me.”

His eyes lingered on mine for a moment too long before he straightened, putting that cool, professional mask back in place. “We’ll meet with the design team tomorrow. Email me your full proposal before midnight.”

And just like that, he was walking out of the room—leaving me standing there, pulse pounding, wondering if I had just imagined the heat in his eyes.