His Term, Her Touch

CHAPTER 3: COLLISION COURSE

SIENNA'S POV

The Maddox building seemed taller than I remembered. Sleeker, colder too- as if the every pane of glass had been polished with ego and old money. I don’t slow my pace as I walk through the revolving doors.

I have walked into bigger boardrooms, meaner ones too. But this isn’t about the size or scale. This is about Zane Maddox and the fact that I am walking straight into his territory with my head held high and my spine locked in steel.

The dress I have on is black. Not dramatic, not loud. Just exact. Sleek lines, structured shoulders and a neckline sharp enough to cut through any posturing. It falls right below my knee, impeccably tailored just like everything else I wear.

No jewelry except a slim silver cuff at my wrist. I wanted to give the kind of look that said “you can look but you will not touch. You can speak but you will not shake me” and that was exactly what I gave.

My heels click against the marble in perfect rhythm, measured and sharp. Camilla flanks my left side, silent, iPad in hand and face unreadable. Good. There is no room for second guessing. Not today.

The elevator doors slide open with a soft hush. Camilla steps in first. Forty first floor, executive wing. No music, no small talk- just the hum of motion and our faint reflections on the steel walls.

As the elevator ascends, so does the weight in my chest. But I don’t let it show.

I never do.

The doors open to silence. A receptionist greets us with a nod and a flicker of recognition. I walk past her without slowing, I already know where the boardroom is. I studied the layout two days ago.

Two turns, frosted glass. Maddox’s territory

The doors open and I step inside with the kind of stillness that commands more attention than noise ever could. The room pauses.

Zane is already standing- of course he is- at the head of the table like a monarch too polished to be questioned. He turns at the sound of my heels against the Maddox marble, and for a moment, something flickers in his expression. Recognition. Calculation. Amusement maybe. Or something closer to wariness

Good.

So he didn’t expect me to look this composed or what?

I don’t smile. Don’t slow. My eyes locked on his with steadiness and for a moment, the world narrows to the stretch of polished floors between us.

“Ms Vale” he says smoothly, his voice dipped in charm and wrapped in control

“Mr Maddox” I reply, just as cool

One executive officer shifts in his chair, appears to be suddenly aware of how stiffly he was sitting. Another reaches for his pen but doesn’t write anything. Ava, seated at Zane’s right, keeps her face still but it doesn’t stop the twitch of her mouth- uncertainty, maybe curiosity. Camilla takes the seat beside her without a word, already putting up our materials on the iPad

I move with the ease of someone who already mapped out the space, take a seat without waiting to be invited, placing my folder down with intentional precision.

I meet Zane’s eyes across the table again and offer a single nod

Let’s begin

The first ten minutes pass in numbers, acronyms and timelines. The usual rhythm of figures and projections that were precise and forgettable. I watch Zane from across the table, noting the way he defers slightly on technical details, letting others fill the gaps. Still commanding without ever having to raise his voice. But I feel it: the undercurrent, the waiting. Like a match being turned over in his palm though not lit yet

Then he drops it

“of course, we will have to streamline Axion’s operational strategy to align with NovaX’s existing infrastructure. Especially considering the… decentralized systems you’ve favored in the past”

He doesn’t look up. That makes it worse

My eyes narrow slightly

“Decentralized?” I echo “is that the word you’re using for ‘agile’ now?”

“Agile” he says, meeting my gaze “or scattered, depending on the perspective”

A pause. The air thins. Even Camilla looks up

“perspective” I reply, my voice smooth “tends to blur when viewed from a penthouse. Especially one that was inherited”

The silence that follows is brief but charged

I don’t smile, I don’t need to. The line did what it was meant to do: draw blood without leaving any scars

Yes, inherited. Let that echo against his ego

He straightens slightly, still smiling but the kind that’s all edge. Someone coughs to break the tension. Ava attempts to redirect

“Some things are inherited. Others are built. You’ve always been good at rebuilding, haven’t you Sienna?”

His voice stings as he makes a harsh reference to my whole empire nearly collapsing in the past due to a bad deal. I had to build again from scratch and he easily flips the jab from privilege to resilience vs recklessness.

I don’t respond. I don’t need to. The silence is louder- thicker than words, sharp enough to cut through glass. Even the hum of the AC begins to sound too loud

Ava clears her throat gently

“perhaps we should review the proposed equity split before finalizing timelines”

I nod once, not taking my eyes off Zane

Let him think he landed a blow. Let him enjoy the quiet. It won’t last

Ava begins flipping through the printed copies of the proposal, her voice steady as she outlines the next steps- equity splits, board seat rotations, shared oversight responsibilities

I listen. At least, my body does. My mind is still trained on Zane. On the careful way he turns his pen between his fingers. On the slight downturn of his mouth that isn’t quite a smile but isn’t neutral either. Neither of us replied after the last blow because anything more would have been war. War can come later

Zane slides a crisp, color-coded schedule across the table. I let it sit for a second before pulling it towards myself. I don’t rush. My fingers move with precision, flipping once, twice and scanning. It is well prepared- I give him that- but tilted too heavily to favour NovaX’s structure

Typical

I uncap my pen. One swift adjustment to the rotation order. A comment margin beside the joint task force composition

“Too performative. Too convenient. We’re not doing theater, we’re doing strategy.”

I slide the paper back across the table. Our fingers don’t touch but the tension between us do

“i see you haven’t lost your talent for redlining deals before they are even printed” he says as he studies the adjustments

“i see you still think wit substitutes for substance”

I close my folder with a soft click, Camilla mirrors my actions without missing a beat.

“I believe we are aligned” I say

“we’ll review the documents internally and revert by morning” Ava responds

Zane doesn’t move, he just watches.

I offer a small nod to the room, another to Ava and walk out- heels tapping in even rhythm against the marble, each step measured, precise.