The first rays of sunlight were shining through the mirrored glass of the tallest building in Lorencia, the Oliver Corp. Inside, everything was shining: black marble on the floor, strategically placed vases of white orchids, and absolute silence.
On the top floor, Matthew Oliver was starting another day. He was standing with his back to the door, looking out at the view of the city. His dark suit seemed tailor-made for even the simplest movements, and the watch on his wrist shone as if it were a piece of time itself.
Diana, his personal assistant, entered the room with quick steps. In her hand, a clipboard full of papers and a hot coffee, exuding a strong aroma.
"Mr. Oliver, your schedule for today is packed, as always. At nine, meeting with the board. At eleven, conference with the Hong Kong shareholders. At..."
Matthew raised his hand, interrupting her without even looking back.
"And the report from the logistics sector? Has it arrived yet?"
Diana blinked a few times, trying to keep up with him.
"Not yet, sir."
He turned his face just enough to give her that look. Yes, that look. Icy, as if it could freeze even someone's soul.
"I want it on my table in an hour."
Diana hurried out, almost tripping on her heels. "Why is he always like this?" she thought, but she didn't dare ask.
When the door closed, Matthew sat back down. He opened his laptop, but his mind was elsewhere. Oliver Corp was a fortress of light. But no one knew that, at night, Matthew operated in a completely different world, an underworld where power was won by bullets and fear.
Thousands of miles away, in Russia, Evelyn LaMont was in the middle of yet another disastrous dinner party. The table at the Alystair mansion was long, almost unnecessary for just two people. Every dish looked like something out of a fancy cooking show, but Evelyn barely had an appetite.
Nycolas, her husband, was on the other end, fiddling with his phone as if she wasn't even there.
"Nycolas, can we talk?" She asked, her voice low, almost hesitant.
He sighed, not taking his eyes off the screen.
"Not now, Evelyn. I'm busy."
She took a deep breath, trying to contain her irritation. It was always like that. But tonight, something seemed different. When Nycolas finally put his phone down, he looked at her with a cynical smile.
"Actually, we need to talk."
Evelyn's heart raced. She knew nothing good would come from those words.
"I want a divorce."
It was as if someone had thrown a bucket of ice water over her. Evelyn blinked a few times, processing what she had just heard.
"Divorce? Just like that? Out of nowhere?"
Nycolas shrugged, as if he were discussing the weather.
"We both know this isn't working. You're... boring, Evelyn. And I have my priorities."
The blood rushed to her head. Evelyn had always tried hard to please, to keep the marriage going, even when he insisted on being a stone wall.
"You're incredible, Nycolas."
He stood up, straightening his jacket as if nothing had happened.
"I know. And that's why you're going to sign the papers without causing any trouble."
When he left, Evelyn was left alone at the gigantic table. But for the first time in a long time, something inside her began to change.
Back in Lorencia, Matthew's day had already taken several turns. After the meeting with the council, he was now in a much less glamorous place: an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town.
The room was somber, with a few fluorescent lights flickering overhead. A few men were gathered around a table, maps and documents scattered everywhere.
"So, boss, what do we do with the freighter they intercepted?" asked one of the men, a short man, but with scars that told stories of battles.
Matthew, always calm, lit a cigarette. He was in no hurry, he liked to make others uncomfortable.
"I want the names of whoever is behind this. And I want answers by tomorrow."
His tone was low, but full of authority. There was no room for questions.
One of the men, bolder, cleared his throat.
"And if we can't?"
Matthew gave her a look that could cut through diamonds.
"You don't want to find out."
Absolute silence.
After filing for divorce, Evelyn packed her bags and returned to her parents' house, the LaMont House. It was a relief to leave the cold Alystair mansion and enter a place where everything seemed to breathe human warmth.
"My girl!" her mother exclaimed, running to hug her.
Evelyn felt her eyes well up. The hug was tight and welcoming, something she hadn't felt in a long time.
Her father appeared soon after, with his more reserved but equally welcoming manner.
"Welcome back, Evelyn."
The first few hours were filled with conversations, laughter and home-cooked meals that reminded her of her childhood. But when night fell, Evelyn couldn't help but wonder: what to do now?
It was her father who brought the solution.
"Maybe you should consider going to graduate school, the one you've always wanted. Lorencia is a good place to start over."
Evelyn hesitated. Lorencia was a distant, unknown world. But maybe that was exactly what she needed.
Night fell on Lorencia like a heavy blanket. The sky was clear, dotted with stars, but the glow of the city was so intense that it almost hid the immensity up above. Matthew, from the top of Oliver Corp, was ending another day. To others, he looked like the exemplary CEO, a titan of the business world. But inside, it was a different story.
Sitting in his leather chair, his feet propped up on the desk, he twirled a glass of whiskey in his hand. The amber liquid reflected the soft light of the lamp as he stared out at the horizon. The city lights blinked like curious eyes, but Matthew was caught up in his own thoughts.
"Everyone has a price," he muttered to himself, almost as if testing the idea.
That was how he saw the world. An eternal negotiation. And he, of course, was always the one who came out on top. Or at least that's what he liked to believe.
On the other side of the world, Evelyn LaMont stared out the plane window. The clouds looked like cotton candy in the light of the rising sun. Her heart was tight, a mix of nervousness and hope. Leaving Russia behind had not been easy. LaMont House was the only place where she felt safe, but something inside her told her it was time to move on.
Lorencia seemed like a world apart, distant, almost like a dream. "Did I make the right choice?" she asked herself for the thousandth time as she absently fingered the necklace she always wore, a gift from her mother.
The pilot announced landing, and Evelyn took a deep breath.
"That's it, girl. There's no turning back now."
Upon landing, she was greeted by the typical chaos of an international airport. People rushing about, luggage carts, announcements over the loudspeakers. Evelyn felt small in that sea of strangers, but at the same time... free.
Evelyn had been in Lorencia for a week now. She had settled into a small apartment near the university, simple but cozy. With the start of graduate school, her days were filled with classes, readings, and volunteer work at the city hospital.
It was at the hospital that she found a certain comfort. The hallways were busy, full of stories, and Evelyn enjoyed helping. Even with her emotional burden still heavy, she felt she could make a difference there.
That night, as she was organizing charts at the reception desk, the sound of sirens filled the air. Within seconds, the hospital doors opened with a bang, and a gurney was pushed in by two paramedics.
"Man shot!" one of them shouted.
Evelyn froze for a second, but then rushed to help. When she reached the gurney, her eyes met the injured man's. He was conscious, but his expression rigid, as if he were trying to hide the pain.
Matthew Oliver.
Of course, she didn't know who he was. To her, he was just another patient. But to Matthew, he was one more complication in a night gone wrong.
"How serious is it?" Evelyn asked one of the paramedics, trying to remain calm.
"Shot in the shoulder. Doesn't seem to have hit anything vital, but he's lost a lot of blood." Matthew watched her as she gave orders to the nurses. There was something about the way she moved, determined, but with a gentleness he hadn't seen in a long time.
"Don't worry so much," he murmured, his voice hoarse.
"It's not the first time." Evelyn looked at him in surprise.
"This isn't the first time you've been shot? What kind of life do you live?" Matthew laughed weakly, but didn't answer. He was used to questions, but not answers.
After a few hours, Matthew was in a private room at the hospital. He hated hospitals, but he knew it was necessary. As he waited for the doctor to finish dressing him, his phone vibrated.
It was a message from Marcus, his right-hand man in the underworld:
"The attack was a warning. We need to react."
Matthew sighed. There was always something. Even at a time like this, there was no respite.
The bedroom door opened, and Evelyn walked in with a tablet in her hand.
"I need you to sign some documents, sir..." She hesitated, looking at the name on the chart. "Oliver."
He raised an eyebrow.
"Call me Matthew."
Evelyn ignored his casual tone and held out the tablet.
"Just sign here, please."
Matthew took the tablet, but didn't sign right away.
"Are you always this serious?"
She rolled her eyes.
"And are you always this cocky?"
For a moment, there was an awkward silence between the two of them. It wasn't hostility, but it wasn't exactly comfortable either. Evelyn took the tablet back and left, leaving Matthew alone with his thoughts.
The next night, Matthew checked out of the hospital against doctor's orders. He had business to attend to. His group was waiting for him in a warehouse on the outskirts.
"Who wants to play with fire?" he asked, entering the place with firm steps.
Marcus, always direct, handed over a dossier.
"We suspect it was the Alvarez cartel. They're expanding, and it looks like you're in the way."
Matthew leafed through the papers, his face impassive.
"Then let's show them what happens when they mess with me."
While Matthew resumed his shady business, Evelyn continued her routine at the hospital. But even though she was busy, she couldn't get that patient out of her head. Matthew Oliver. Something about him intrigued her, but she didn't know what.
In the hospital cafeteria, during a rare moment of pause, a colleague commented:
"Do you know who that patient was shot yesterday?"
Evelyn looked up from her coffee.
"I have no idea."
Her colleague smiled.
"Matthew Oliver. One of the richest men in the world."
Evelyn choked on her coffee.
"What?"
The coworker laughed.
"Seriously. He's like a billionaire. But he has a reputation for being... complicated."
Evelyn didn't know what to think. The man she'd seen at the hospital had seemed so... human.
That night, Evelyn went home, exhausted but with a clear head.
Meanwhile, in his office at Oliver Corp, Matthew was reviewing documents, but his thoughts kept returning to the young woman from the hospital. She was different. And that bothered him more than he cared to admit.
Two worlds were beginning to intersect, and neither of them knew what that meant.