The conference room was cold.
Not physically.
Strategically.
Large glass windows overlooked the Dallas skyline, and a long black table stretched across the center of the room. Screens glowed softly at one end, already prepared for the presentation.
Executives were filing in.
Three from the partner company.
Two engineers.
One legal advisor.
And Sebastian Wolfe.
He stood at the front of the room, calm and composed, hands resting lightly on the table. Black suit. Perfect posture. Blue eyes sharp.
As if he had slept ten hours.
Lillian knew better.
She stood slightly behind him, tablet in hand, quietly organizing documents as the room filled.
One of the executives leaned back in his chair.
"Mr. Wolfe," he said, "I heard you flew in late last night."
Sebastian nodded once.
"Correct."
"And you're still presenting today?"
Sebastian's voice was calm.
"I don't delay progress for sleep."
A few people chuckled nervously.
Lillian didn't.
She knew exactly how little sleep he had gotten.
The executive smiled.
"Well then. Let's see what you've built."
Sebastian stepped forward.
The screen behind him lit up instantly.
The Sovereign logo appeared first.
Clean.
Minimal.
Powerful.
Then the interface appeared.
"The Sovereign Smart-Home Interface," Sebastian began smoothly, "is designed to remove complexity from daily life."
His voice filled the room with quiet authority.
No hesitation.
No weakness.
Lillian watched him closely.
This was the Sebastian Wolfe the world knew.
Sharp.
Precise.
Brilliant.
He moved through the presentation with effortless control.
Slides changed.
Graphs appeared.
Engineers leaned forward.
Questions came quickly.
"How does the system adapt to new hardware?"
"What about security breaches?"
"Energy efficiency?"
Sebastian answered each one instantly.
"The interface runs on adaptive architecture."
"Security is handled through layered encryption."
"Energy consumption reduces by twenty-three percent."
His answers were precise.
Efficient.
Unemotional.
But Lillian noticed something others didn't.
His fingers tapped the table occasionally.
A subtle sign of fatigue.
His jaw tightened when the engineers started asking more technical questions.
But he never stumbled.
Never faltered.
At one point, an executive leaned back and studied him carefully.
"You seem very confident in this system."
Sebastian met his gaze.
"I built the core architecture myself."
The room went quiet.
The executive raised an eyebrow.
"You personally?"
"Yes."
Another pause.
Then the executive nodded slowly.
"Well," he said, "that explains the confidence."
The meeting continued for another hour.
Negotiations.
Contracts.
Technical details.
Finally the lead executive closed his folder.
"I think we have a deal."
Sebastian nodded once.
"Good."
Hands were shaken.
Documents exchanged.
The project was moving forward.
As everyone stood up, one of the engineers looked at Sebastian again.
"You really didn't sleep, did you?"
Sebastian's expression didn't change.
"I don't sleep when I'm building something important."
Lillian felt a small knot tighten in her chest.
Because that wasn't entirely true.
He didn't sleep even when he tried.
The drive back to the hotel was quiet.
The deal had gone well.
Very well.
But Sebastian looked even more exhausted now.
His posture was still straight.
But the sharpness in his eyes had dulled slightly.
Lillian sat beside him, watching carefully.
"You did well today," she said quietly.
"I did my job."
"You impressed them."
"That was expected."
She sighed slightly.
Talking to him was like trying to open a locked door.
The car stopped outside the hotel.
They stepped out.
Neither of them spoke as they rode the elevator back to the suite.
The room was quiet when they entered.
Sebastian immediately removed his jacket and draped it over a chair.
Lillian set her tablet on the desk.
"Do you need anything before tomorrow's meetings?" she asked.
"No."
"You should rest."
"I have work."
Of course he did.
He walked to the desk and opened his laptop again.
Lillian watched him.
His shoulders looked tense.
His movements slower than usual.
He wasn't going to sleep.
Not on his own.
She hesitated.
Then made a decision.
"Mr. Wolfe," she said quietly.
"Yes."
"I forgot something in the car."
He didn't look up.
"Go get it."
"Alright."
She grabbed her bag and left the room quickly.
But she didn't go to the car.
Instead, she stood in the hallway for a moment, thinking.
Her plan felt wrong.
Completely wrong.
But Sebastian clearly wasn't going to take the medication himself.
And he needed sleep.
Eventually she returned to the room.
Sebastian was still working.
Focused.
Unmoving.
"Did you find it?" he asked without looking up.
"Yes."
She set her bag down and walked casually toward the bedroom.
Her heart beat faster.
Sebastian's suitcase was still near the wardrobe.
She opened it quietly.
Clothes.
Documents.
Then she found it.
The medication bottle.
Severe insomnia.
Just like she remembered.
She held it for a moment.
This is wrong.
She knew it.
But she opened it anyway.
One tablet.
That's all.
She slipped into the bathroom and filled a glass with water.
Then dropped the tablet inside.
It fizzed quietly.
Slowly dissolving.
She waited.
Watching the water turn slightly cloudy.
Her stomach twisted.
But she didn't stop.
When the tablet fully dissolved, she carried the glass back into the room.
Sebastian finally looked up.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"What is that?"
"Water."
He leaned back slightly.
"You rarely bring me things without a reason."
She forced a small smile.
"You should drink something."
He studied her carefully.
Suspicion flickered across his face.
"You're being unusually considerate."
"I'm your secretary."
"You're my argumentative secretary."
She placed the glass on the desk.
"Just drink it."
His eyes moved from the glass.
To her.
Back to the glass.
"Miss Parker."
"Yes?"
"If this is some sort of attempt to poison me, it will be extremely inconvenient for tomorrow's meeting."
She sighed.
"It's just water."
He stared at it another moment.
Then picked up the glass.
Lillian held her breath.
Sebastian took a slow drink.
Then another.
Then finished it completely.
He placed the empty glass back on the desk.
"There," he said calmly.
"You've succeeded in hydrating your employer."
Relief washed through her.
"Good."
He returned to his laptop.
But within minutes something changed.
His typing slowed.
Then stopped.
He leaned back in the chair slightly.
His eyelids drooped.
He frowned faintly.
"Miss Parker."
Her heart jumped.
"Yes?"
"What exactly was in that water?"
She tried to remain calm.
"Water."
He studied her again.
His eyes were already heavier now.
"You're lying."
"I'm not."
He rubbed his eyes slightly.
Then sighed.
"You drugged me."
"It's medication."
"For my insomnia."
"Yes."
A long pause.
Then he leaned back again.
"You had no right."
"I know."
"That was incredibly unprofessional."
"I know."
His eyes closed briefly.
Then opened again.
"But you needed sleep," she said quietly.
He stared at her.
Tired.
Too tired to argue properly now.
Finally he stood up slowly.
"You're impossible."
"And you're exhausted."
He walked toward the bedroom.
Pausing at the door.
Without turning back he muttered quietly.
"If this ruins my productivity tomorrow…"
"It won't."
He disappeared into the bedroom.
Moments later the lights went off.
For the first time in days.
Sebastian Wolfe was actually going to sleep.
And Lillian sat quietly in the living area.
Wondering if she had just made the worst professional decision of her life.