Chapter 3: Terms and Conditions
Wolfe International was nothing like she imagined.
Elena had expected marble and silence, a fortress of cold steel and cold people. But as she walked into the building's towering glass atrium, everything was... deliberate.
Not luxurious - calculated.
The receptionist wore all black. The lighting was warm, but not soft. There was no music. No plants. No art.
Every single thing felt like a test
front desk receptionist
Miss Hart?
front desk receptionist
(Stood up, her smile polite but robotic)
front desk receptionist
Mr. Wolfe is expecting you. Forty-fifth floor. You'll need an escort.
office staff
(Appeared - sharp suit, earpiece, emotionless eyes. He didn't speak to her, only gestured toward the elevator)
Every floor they passed seemed to drop another degree in temperature
ELENA HART (FL)
(Breath hitched when the elevator finally pinged open)
The doors parted like the gates to a kingdom - one ruled by silence, glass, and leather
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
(Stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, his back to her, arms crossed behind him like a general surveying the battlefield that was Midtown Manhattan.)
The view behind him was absurd. Skyscrapers bowed at his feet. Taxis looked like insects. The sky didn't touch himit avoided him.
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
Elena.
(said without turning)
ELENA HART (FL)
(Heels clicked across the floor as she stepped into the lion's den)
ELENA HART (FL)
Mr. Wolfe
(Said, coolly, keeping her chin high even though her insides trembled)
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
(Turned)
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
(There was no smile. Just calculation)
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
(Gaze swept over her slowly, pausing on her throat, her hands, her shoes - as if logging every inch of her in some internal file labeled mine)
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
You came
ELENA HART (FL)
(Nodded once)
To hear the terms
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
(Mouth curved, just barely)
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
Of course. You're methodical. That's good. I don't want obedience. I want understanding
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
(Moved behind his massive black desk, the kind that screamed power without needing gold or ornament. Just sharp lines and perfect organization)
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
Sit.
(Said, gesturing to the leather chair across from him)
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
(Slid a folder toward her - matte black, no logo)
ELENA HART (FL)
(Opened it)
A standard NDA. A six-week contract. Compensation of $9,000. Housing provided. No social media disclosure.
No public statement about her supervisor.
And a clause at the bottom
> Direct reporting to Mr. Damien Wolfe. Private sessions required once weekly. Optional psychological testing included.
ELENA HART (FL)
(Eyes narrowed)
ELENA HART (FL)
You want to analyze me?
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
I want to understand how you think
(Said simply)
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
That's the core of behavioral analytics, is it not?
ELENA HART (FL)
You don't do internships.
ELENA HART (FL)
Your company doesn't even have a student program listed
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
Not until now.
ELENA HART (FL)
You created this for me?
ELENA HART (FL)
That's not normal
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
(Leaned forward, folding his hands)
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
Elena, I didn't invite you here to comfort you with normalcy. I offered you a key
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
To the next version of yourself
ELENA HART (FL)
(Stared at him)
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
(Was serious And terrifyingly sincere)
ELENA HART (FL)
And what do you get?
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
(didn't answer right away)
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
Access !
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
(Eyes flickered)
Eventually
ELENA HART (FL)
(Chest rose and fell in a sharp breath)
You don't even know me
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
(Tilted his head)
You're twenty-one. Top five percent of your class. Scholarship student. Working part-time at a bookstore you hate. Psychology major with an obsession for moral grey areas. You read Jung at fifteen. Your father left when you were six, and you haven't believed in permanence since.
ELENA HART (FL)
(Went still)
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
And yet....you're still hoping someone might stay.
Silence thundered between them
ELENA HART (FL)
How do you know that?
(whispered)
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
I know things...It's my business.
ELENA HART (FL)
No, it's my life.
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
Yes.(said softly)
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
And I'd like to be in it.
ELENA HART (FL)
(Stood)
I should go.
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
You should sit
(Said calmly)
ELENA HART (FL)
(Hesitated)
(Sat again)
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
(Voice was lower now. Almost a murmur)
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
Do you know what happens when I want something, Elena?
ELENA HART (FL)
People say no?
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
(Chuckled. It was dark and low, like a sound from the bottom of a well)
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
No. People offer themselves. For profit. For power. For the illusion of safety. But you... You didn't come here to be bought.
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
Good
(Slid a second sheet of paper toward her)
> If you stay six weeks, I'll give you the power to walk away. But if you stay longer... you'll never want to.
ELENA HART (FL)
(Fingers trembled as she held it)
ELENA HART (FL)
And what if I walk out right now?
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
(Smiled, slow and lethal)
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
Then I'll wait
ELENA HART (FL)
(Stood again)
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
(This time, he didn't stop her)
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
(But as she reached the door, he added)
Elena
DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]
If you return, you'll never be the same
ELENA HART (FL)
(Didn't look back)
ELENA HART (FL)
I'm already not the same
* Back in her apartment *
ELENA HART (FL)
(Stared at the contract for hours)
Liam texted her three times asking about dinner
Because Damien Wolfe hadn't just handed her a job
And that kind of power was more seductive than any touch
![DEMIAN WOLFE [ML]](https://up-pic.mangatoon.mobi/contribute/fiction/11367302/avatar/43334154/1753282472525.jpeg-s200webp?sign=f8f3100ced82eb266023addc5c6c968c&t=68856eba)
Comments
Oscar François de Jarjayes
This is my favorite story and I need more - please update soon! 😍
2025-07-25
1