Chapter 2: The Deal
Elena didn't sleep that night.
She lay in bed in Liam's arms, his body curled protectively around hers like it always was, safe and warm. He murmured something about a dream then drifted off again. But her mind refused to shut down.
ELENA HART (FL)
(Stared at the ceiling, Damien Wolfe's voice echoing like a drumbeat in her head)
> "I make it a habit to know things that interest me."
"I will."
Ava had called him dangerous. Cold. Possessive. The kind of man who didn't chase. He cornered.
By morning, Elena had told herself it was all in her head. Just a weird encounter. A power trip. Men like him said cryptic things and then moved on to their next billion-dollar deal.
He wouldn't think about her again.
She would never see him again.
At least, that's what she believed.
ELENA HART (FL)
(Stepped onto campus)
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
(Standing across the quad, right outside her department building -Damien Wolfe, billionaire, kingmaker, and living storm, in a long charcoal coat that moved like shadow in the wind)
He wasn't the kind of man who stood around on wet concrete near vending machines and bike racks. He belonged in boardrooms made of glass and iron, speaking in numbers and ultimatums.
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
(Said, like they were old friends meeting by accident)
ELENA HART (FL)
(Body froze, but her brain screamed run)
ELENA HART (FL)
(Didn't listen)
ELENA HART (FL)
What are you doing here?
ELENA HART (FL)
(Asked, trying to sound casual. Her voice trembled instead)
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
Meeting you.
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
(Replied, like it was the most obvious thing in the world)
ELENA HART (FL)
You're stalking me now?
ELENA HART (FL)
(Said, forcing a half-smile)
ELENA HART (FL)
Is that your idea of charming?
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
(Didn't smile back)
don't stalk ......I position!
ELENA HART (FL)
(Eyes narrowed)
Position?
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
For what I want.
ELENA HART (FL)
(Stepped back without meaning to)
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
(He Noticed - of course he did - but didn't move. His presence was weight enough)
ELENA HART (FL)
I'm not sure what you think this is-
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
I think
(Interrupted smoothly)
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
This is opportunity
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
(Reached into his coat and pulled out a cream envelope. The paper looked expensive, thick, and embossed with gold lettering)
ELENA HART (FL)
(Didn't take it)
ELENA HART (FL)
What is that?
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
An internship
ELENA HART (FL)
(Blinked)
I didn't apply for any internship with your company
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
You didn't need to
(he said, as though that explained everything)
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
It's a partnership between Wolfe International and your university. New. Prestigious. Selective
ELENA HART (FL)
(Stomach dropped)
You created it..?
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
(Didn't deny it)
ELENA HART (FL)
(Exhaled, sharp)
So this is some kind of... power move?
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
It's a door
( he said)
You can walk through it, or pretend it's not there. Your choice.
ELENA HART (FL)
And what happens if I walk through it?
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
Then I'll teach you how to read people like open books. How to make them bleed with a single word. How to own any room you enter
ELENA HART (FL)
I don't want to own anyone
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
You will
ELENA HART (FL)
(Stared at the envelope in his hand but still didn't reach for it)
ELENA HART (FL)
I have a boyfriend
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
(Didn't react. Didn't frown. Didn't blink)
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
That's unfortunate....For him
(said calmly)
ELENA HART (FL)
That's not how this works
(Snapped, more forceful now)
ELENA HART (FL)
You don't just appear, hand someone a job, and expect them to fall into your lap.
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
(Lips curled - but it wasn't amusement. It was something darker)
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
You're not in my lap, Elena...Yet.
ELENA HART (FL)
(Took a full step back now)
You're unbelievable.
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
(Extended the envelope once more)
I'm not forcing you
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
This isn't coercion. It's... inevitability.
ELENA HART (FL)
(Breath caught)
I don't believe in fate
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
I don't either....I believe in control
ELENA HART (FL)
(Stared at him, heart pounding against her ribs)
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
(Nodded once, turned on his heel, and walked away)
Tessa Grant (ML Assistant)
(Silent and nondescript in a gray suit -followed)
People parted for him like he was royalty.
When he disappeared around the science wing, Elena was still standing there, frozen.
ELENA HART (FL)
(Frozen , standing while holding the envelope)
later in Elena’s apartment
She didn't open it until she got back to her apartment.
Liam was in class. The place was quiet. Cold light from the window hit her desk. She sat, staring at the gold-foiled seal.
She should've thrown it away. Burned it. Ripped it to shreds. But her fingers trembled as she peeled it open, heart hammering in her chest.
Elegant. Crisp. No wasted words.
> Dear Miss Hart,
Congratulations. You have been selected for the inaugural Wolfe Scholar Practicum.
Duration: 6 weeks
Pay: $9,000
Housing: Optional corporate suite provided
Location: Wolfe International HQ,
Midtown Manhattan
Department: Behavioral Analytics -Office of the CEO
Supervisor: Damien Wolfe
Please respond within 48 hours.
We look forward to changing your future.
Her throat went dry.
Office of the CEO.
Supervisor: Damien Wolfe.
This wasn't an internship. It was a tether.
Liam would never approve. Ava would scream. Her professor would raise an eyebrow. But deep, deep inside her chest, something else stirred.
Because no man had ever looked at her the way Damien Wolfe had.
Like he had already rewritten the world in her image. Like the choice wasn't hers - it was his to allow.
And maybe, just maybe, she wanted to see what happened when a girl like her danced with a man like that
![DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]](https://up-pic.mangatoon.mobi/contribute/fiction/11367302/avatar/43334154/1753282472525.jpeg-s200webp?sign=e9cae19f0157faabb0b2d1426ecf90b2&t=68856f19)
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