The private elevator doors opened directly into Lauren Voss's sprawling corner office on the 52nd floor of Voss Tower.
Floor-to-ceiling windows offered a commanding view of the city, but the atmosphere inside turned glacial the moment one of her senior guards stepped forward and spoke in a low, respectful tone.
"Boss, Mr. Voss is waiting inside."
Lauren's face hardened instantly, every trace of her earlier cold composure sharpening into something far more dangerous. Her jaw tightened, eyes narrowing to slits of pure ice.
She gave a single curt nod, saying nothing, and strode forward.
Ryan followed silently a few steps behind, his borrowed navy outfit still feeling foreign on his frame. He kept his gaze lowered, moving carefully through the blurred luxury of the office without a word.
Lauren pushed open the heavy double doors. The room was vast, dominated by a massive obsidian desk and sleek leather seating. She dismissed every guard and assistant with a sharp flick of her wrist. "Out. All of you. Leave the boy."
The men filed out instantly, the door clicking shut behind them with finality. Only Ryan remained, standing awkwardly near the entrance, hands clasped tightly in front of him, heart already beating faster at the sudden shift in tension.
Seated in one of the visitor chairs was Alex Voss... tall, silver-haired, impeccably dressed in a charcoal suit. He looked up with a mocking smile that didn't reach his eyes, leaning back as if he owned the entire tower.
"Well, well," he drawled, voice laced with familiar disdain. "The ice queen graces us with her presence. Still playing dress-up in your little criminal empire, Lauren? How charming."
Lauren remained standing behind her desk, arms crossed, her expression carved from pure frost. The hatred between them crackled in the air like electricity.
She had despised him since childhood for the endless stream of women he paraded through their home, for the way he had ignored her when she was small and vulnerable, for the constant betrayals that had shattered her mother.
To Alex, she was nothing but a disappointment: the illegal, foul-mouthed, mafia daughter who had stained the Voss family name with blood and power instead of legitimate business.
Ryan stood frozen near the wall, sensing the venomous energy without needing clear vision.
He kept perfectly still, barely breathing, every instinct screaming at him to make himself invisible.
Alex let out a low chuckle, gesturing lazily at the room. "Look at this place. All steel and shadows. You really think this makes you strong? Running around cutting off cocks and sending heads in gift boxes like some cheap thug. Your mother would be ashamed... if she hadn't drunk herself to death trying to forget what a failure her daughter became."
Lauren's voice cut through the air, cold and razor-sharp, without a flicker of emotion. "Say what you came to say, or get out. I have actual work to do."
Alex's mocking smile widened. He leaned forward, eyes flicking briefly to Ryan before returning to his daughter.
"Heard you picked up a little stray. Cute. Another weakling to add to your collection? Or are you finally realizing even queens need pets to remind them how superior they are?"
Ryan's fingers twitched at his sides, a knot of anxiety tightening in his chest as he realized the conversation had shifted toward him. He kept his eyes fixed on the blurred carpet, saying nothing, praying he wouldn't be dragged into their poisonous exchange.
Lauren's gaze remained locked on her father, her posture rigid with barely contained contempt. "The boy is none of your concern. State your business or leave my tower before I have security escort you out in pieces."
Alex Voss leaned back in the chair, his mocking smile never fading as he delivered the real reason for his visit.
"Tonight. Midnight sharp. The Eclipse Club. There's a private meeting in the VIP vault room. The Italians are bringing the new supplier contracts for the synthetic opioid pipeline we both need. They won't sign unless both Voss bloodlines are present at the table. Your signature and mine. If either one of us skips, the deal collapses and the Grigori crew moves in on the entire East Coast supply chain within forty-eight hours. You lose your docks, I lose my legitimate front companies that launder your product. So be there. Don't be late."
Lauren's eyes remained hard as flint, but she gave one sharp nod. She hated him, yet this was business that directly threatened her empire.
The Italians were notoriously paranoid about family unity in deals of this scale. Skipping would cost her millions and hand the Grigori an opening she couldn't afford right now.
Alex stood, straightened his suit jacket with deliberate slowness, and left without another word. The heavy doors clicked shut behind him.
The moment he was gone, Lauren dropped into her massive leather chair behind the obsidian desk. Anger radiated off her in cold waves. Her jaw was clenched so tightly the muscle jumped.
She sat there for several seconds, staring at nothing, the fury at her father's presence still burning silently beneath her icy exterior.
"Bring me water," she ordered Ryan without looking at him, voice flat and harsh. "From the cabinet on the left wall."
Ryan moved quickly, his steps careful across the blurred office floor. He located the glass cabinet by touch and outline, poured chilled water into a crystal tumbler, and carried it back with both hands to keep it steady. He placed it gently on the desk in front of her.
Lauren picked up the glass and drank deeply, the cool liquid doing nothing to soften the hard lines of her face.
When the glass was empty she set it down with a sharp click and reached out, dragging the nearest visitor chair across the floor until it sat right beside her own. The screech of wood on marble echoed briefly.
"Sit."
Ryan obeyed at once, lowering himself into the chair beside her. He sat stiffly, hands resting on his knees, eyes fixed downward on the blurred surface of the desk.
Being this close to her while she was angry made his stomach twist with fear, but he kept his breathing even and stayed silent.
Lauren opened her laptop and began typing rapidly, fingers flying over the keys with ruthless efficiency. After a minute she spoke again, tone cold and demanding, not even glancing at him.
"Tell me your qualifications. Education. Skills. Everything. Be precise."
Ryan swallowed, voice soft and hesitant as he answered carefully, keeping his gaze lowered.
"I… I finished high school last year, Mommy. My grades were average… mostly Cs and some Bs in English and history. I was supposed to start community college this semester but… my father didn't pay the fees. I can type decently on a computer, maybe sixty words per minute. I know basic Microsoft Word and Excel from school projects. I'm good at organizing things… like sorting papers or keeping lists neat. I don't have any special skills. No sports, no certifications, nothing like that. I'm… not very strong or smart in the ways that matter here."
He paused, then added quietly, almost apologetically, "I learn fast if someone shows me exactly what to do. But I've never had a real job. I mostly stayed home… helping with whatever my father needed when he wasn't… angry."
Lauren continued working on her laptop, occasionally typing notes while listening. Her expression stayed ice-cold, no warmth or pity crossing her features.
The extreme contrast hung heavy between them: the powerful mafia queen seated at the center of her empire, reviewing contracts and schedules on her screen, while the soft, vulnerable eighteen-year-old boy sat meekly beside her in borrowed clothes, confessing his complete lack of qualifications in a quiet, trembling voice.
She didn't interrupt or offer encouragement. When he finished speaking she simply continued typing for another moment before issuing her next cold command.
"From now on you stay close. You will learn whatever I decide you need to learn. No excuses. Understood?"
Ryan nodded quickly, murmuring, "Yes, Mommy."
Lauren kept her eyes on the laptop, already moving on to the next task, the weight of her dominance pressing down on the fragile boy beside her as the city skyline stretched endlessly beyond the windows.