Nevaris Vale's Private Residence | Living Room
The morning after the board meeting was quiet. Peaceful, even.
For exactly five minutes.
Then, Freya Lenore heard the sound.
A loud, ear-splitting victory jingle blared from the oversized speakers in Nevaris Vale's living room, accompanied by a triumphant, electronic "YOU WIN!" followed by "NEW HIGH SCORE! AMAZING!"
Freya stopped in the doorway, took a slow breath, and adjusted her stance.
Across the massive, sleek, ridiculously expensive living room, Nevaris was sprawled across an L-shaped couch, a controller in one hand and a half-eaten energy bar in the other. His feet were propped up on the coffee table, surrounded by empty snack wrappers, soda cans, and at least one bag of marshmallows that looked like it had been raided by a particularly deranged raccoon.
On the wall-sized screen in front of him, a colorful mess of explosions, pixelated characters, and overly dramatic battle animations played out.
Freya blinked.
This was the same man who had single-handedly dismantled his CFO less than twenty-four hours ago.
The same man who had turned a corporate boardroom into his personal execution ground, exposing fraud, coercing resignations, and casually threatening ruin as if he were discussing lunch options.
And now he was... gaming.
Freya pinched the bridge of her nose. "Nevaris."
He didn't even look away from the screen. "Freya."
"Why am I here?"
"Because you love my company."
She exhaled slowly, resisting the overwhelming urge to flip the damn coffee table. "I meant, why did you call me here?"
Nevaris finally hit pause, stretching his arms behind his head as he turned to her with an infuriatingly lazy smirk.
"Oh, that." He yawned. "No reason. Just wanted to hang out."
Freya stared. "Hang out?"
"Yeah, you know, like friends do?" He grabbed a handful of chips, stuffing them in his mouth. "We've been so business-business lately. Figured we should chill."
Freya opened her mouth. Then closed it. What part of our relationship has ever been 'chill'?
"You dragged me here for nothing?"
Nevaris gasped dramatically, clutching his chest. "Freya! How could you say that? Spending quality time with your dear, beloved, incredible boss is never 'nothing'!"
She gave him a blank look. "Nevaris."
"Freya."
"Nevaris."
"Freya."
Silence.
Nevaris grinned and patted the empty spot on the couch. "C'mon. Take a break. You're always so serious."
Freya did not move.
She had spent years in the military. Years as a mercenary. Years executing high-level contracts with military precision. And now, she worked as the right hand of the most unpredictable businessman on the planet.
And yet, nothing in her life had prepared her for the sheer absurdity that was Nevaris Vale on his day off.
She glanced around the room.
The house itself was ridiculous—modern, sleek, and filled with expensive artwork that Nevaris probably never even looked at. A massive bookshelf covered one wall, filled with books on business, strategy, and—was that a manga collection?
She shook her head.
The furniture was a mix of ultra-high-end minimalist design and completely nonsensical clutter, as if Nevaris had started decorating with intention and then lost interest halfway through. There was a fireplace that had never been used, a set of glass doors leading to a ridiculously oversized balcony overlooking the city, and multiple high-tech gadgets lying around that he probably bought on a whim and immediately forgot about.
It was chaotic.
It was so him.
Freya sighed. "You're unbelievable."
Nevaris wiggled his eyebrows. "I know."
She walked over and plopped onto a chair instead of the couch. "I assume you didn't drag me here just to mess around."
Nevaris made a tch sound. "Fine, fine. You got me." He tossed his controller aside and stretched like a cat. "I was gonna have you check some reports later. But that's boring."
Freya narrowed her eyes. "What kind of reports?"
"Legal stuff." He waved a hand dismissively. "Contracts, acquisitions, a few hostile takeovers. Nothing too crazy."
Freya crossed her arms. "Define 'not too crazy.'"
Nevaris grinned. "You'll see."
She frowned, already dreading whatever insane business maneuver he was plotting. "You have an entire legal team for this."
"Yeah, but they don't have you."
Freya stared at him.
He was still in his lazy, hoodie-wearing, video-game-playing mode, but there was something sharp in his voice.
Something that reminded her exactly why he was the Demon of Contracts and not some random billionaire playing at business.
He trusted her.
That was the unspoken truth behind all of this.
Freya sighed, leaning back in her chair. "Fine. But don't expect me to play video games with you."
Nevaris clutched his chest like she had stabbed him through the heart. "You wound me, Freya."
She rolled her eyes.
For a moment, there was blessed silence.
Then—
Nevaris suddenly turned, his expression way too smug. "By the way, how's the situation with Langley?"
Freya's gaze flickered. "Cleaned up."
She had handled it personally. Langley had resigned, but his attempts to salvage his position afterward had been swiftly… dealt with.
Nevaris nodded. "Good. I don't like loose ends."
Neither did she.
The moment passed. Then, as if switching personalities again, Nevaris grinned and grabbed his controller.
"Alright, I'm feeling generous." His eyes glinted. "Wanna bet on a game? Winner gets to make the loser do one thing."
Freya gave him a flat look. "No."
"Scared?"
Freya raised an eyebrow. "I don't play."
Nevaris' grin widened. "Even better. Easy win for me."
Freya exhaled. Why do I even bother? She grabbed a controller. "One game."
Nevaris cheered. "Hell yeah!"
The match started.
Five minutes later—
Freya had absolutely destroyed him.
Nevaris stared at the screen.
Then at her.
Then back at the screen.
Then back at her.
"…What. The. Hell."
Freya smirked. "I don't play." She stood up, stretching. "But I study."
Nevaris pointed at her, offended. "You memorized the mechanics just from watching me play?"
Freya simply grabbed her coat. "I'll be expecting my reward later."
Nevaris collapsed onto the couch, groaning dramatically. "You're scary."
Freya smirked. "You have no idea."
She turned to leave, but before stepping out, she glanced back.
Nevaris was still sprawled on the couch, sulking like a child.
It was strange.
One moment, he was the Demon of Contracts, terrifying and ruthless.
The next, he was a ridiculous man-child, whining about losing a video game.
Sometimes, Freya wondered which version of him was the real one.
Or if, perhaps, they were both equally true.