Owned by Her Silence

The room went quiet the moment Sophia Voss walked in. Elias Kane noticed it before he noticed her. Conversations lowered. Glasses stopped clinking. Even the people who had spent the last hour pretending not to care about the meeting suddenly looked interested. Sophia didn’t ask for attention. She simply had it. She wore a black suit that looked like it had been made specifically for her, her dark hair pulled neatly behind her shoulders. There was nothing dramatic about her entrance. No announcement. No smile for the room. Just confidence. Elias leaned back in his chair. So this was Sophia Voss. He had heard enough about her to know that meeting her was rarely a good thing. Heiress. Businesswoman. Ruthless. And, according to people who had worked for her, impossible to impress. “Mr. Kane.” Her voice pulled him from his thoughts. He looked up. She was standing directly in front of him. “Ms. Voss.” “You’ve been avoiding me.” Elias almost laughed. “I’ve been busy.” “That’s not what I asked.” Her eyes stayed on his. For a moment, neither of them moved. Then Sophia placed a thin folder on the table in front of him. “I want you on the Voss project.” Elias glanced at the folder but didn’t touch it. “You could have called.” “I did.” “I didn’t answer.” “I know.” Something about the calmness of her response bothered him. “You always this persistent?” “Only when something interests me.” “And I’m interested?” Sophia’s expression barely changed. “Don’t flatter yourself.” That earned a genuine smile from him. For the first time, something flickered in her eyes. Interest. Then it disappeared. “You’ll have until tomorrow morning to decide.” She turned to leave. Elias looked at the folder again. “Why me?” Sophia stopped at the door. Without turning around, she said, “Because everyone else in this room wants something from me.” A pause. “You don’t.” Then she walked away. Elias stared after her. For the first time that evening, he wasn’t thinking about the contract. He was thinking about her. And somewhere across the room, Sophia Voss was already wondering how long it would take before Elias Kane realized that walking away from her had never really been an option.