Chapter 600: The Landlord Arrives

Alex pulled the car smoothly into the reserved executive bay outside 14 Central Corridor.

The obsidian glass tower rose high into the sky, its dark facade casting a long shadow across the quiet plaza. He stepped out of the vehicle, straightened his coat, and walked unhurriedly through the tall revolving doors into the lobby.

The ground floor was cavernous and mostly empty, lined with polished gray marble that reflected the recessed ceiling lights.

Naomi was already waiting near the central reception desk, holding a slim black leather portfolio in both hands.

She wore a tailored charcoal pencil skirt that hugged her waist and hips, paired with an ivory silk blouse left open at the top button, revealing the sharp line of her collarbone. Slender black heels accentuated her legs, while her dark hair was pinned up in an elegant arrangement that allowed a few loose strands to brush against her neck.

The outfit appeared formal at a glance, but the fit was deliberately chosen to flatter her figure.

When she noticed Alex approaching, the practiced smile on her face faltered for a fraction of a second before she regained her composure.

She stepped forward to meet him, her heels clicking softly against the stone floor.

"It is nice having you once again, Mr. Hale," she said, extending her hand. Her tone was smooth and entirely polite, carefully masking any trace of the emotions churning beneath the surface.

Alex took her hand in a firm, measured grip. His touch lingered just a beat longer than necessary, his fingers resting casually near the inside of her wrist. He could feel the faint tremor running through her fingers and the hurried rhythm of her pulse beating rapidly against her warm skin.

"The pleasure is all mine, Mrs. Shaw," Alex replied, a slow, knowing smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "I only hope our meeting today won’t end quite as abruptly as the last one."

Naomi’s composure cracked instantly.

A sharp spike of heat rushed to her cheeks, staining her skin with an unmistakable flush of crimson. The memory of that cramped cubicle flashed through her mind with startling clarity, making her throat tighten. She withdrew her hand a fraction of a second too late, pretending to adjust the lapel of her blouse to hide the sudden rise in her breathing.

’This man really has a way of making people lose their cool,’ she thought, her fingers tightening around the edge of her portfolio. He didn’t need threats or displays of power; a simple, lazy remark was enough to strip away her armor and leave her flustered.

Without shifting his expression, Alex watched her squirm and quietly activated the Eye of Insight.

A crisp interface of crimson and silver light manifested across his sight, invisible to the woman in front of him.

[TARGET APPRAISAL: NAOMI SHAW]

- Cover Identity: Senior Corporate Counsel

- True Allegiance: The Mercer Family

- Cultivation Realm: Late-Stage Enhanced

- Deceit Level: 84%

- Mental State: Severe Composure Loss; Acute Fixation / Apprehension

The floating text laid her secrets completely bare in an instant. Her hidden allegiance was clear, along with the exact trap she had been ordered to lead him into.

A faint, knowing smirk curved the corner of Alex’s lips.

So it was the Mercers pulling the strings.

He wasn’t sure which of the two brothers had actually ordered this little welcoming party, but he didn’t particularly care, either.

Whether it was the older one swinging brute force or the younger one playing corporate games, both would end up bending the knee or breaking all the same.

The floating interface faded from his vision with a subtle blink.

Alex glanced casually around the vast, quiet lobby, letting his gaze sweep past the unmanned security turnstiles and polished marble pillars before settling back on Naomi.

"Where is your husband, by the way?" he asked, his tone mild and conversational. "Karl, wasn’t it? I thought he would be coming along for such an important handover."

The sudden mention of Karl’s name caught her completely off guard. Naomi froze, a flicker of raw panic flashing across her eyes before she quickly tried to smooth it away.

"Karl had... some urgent matters to handle for Mr. Cole," she said, her voice a little too fast, sounding rehearsed and strained.

"He couldn’t make it this morning, so he left the entire walkthrough in my hands."

Alex watched her squirm with a faint, amused smile.

Her face was an open book. Even a blind man could look at the tightness in her jaw, the unsteady rise of her chest, and the white-knuckled grip on her leather portfolio and know something was wrong. She was practically broadcasting to the entire room that an ambush was waiting just around the corner.

Yet Alex had no intention of calling her out on the lie. He didn’t care about whatever clumsy scheme she and Karl had cooked up with the Mercers; instead, he wanted to savor every second of watching her unravel.

Alex took a slow, deliberate step forward, closing the distance until the polished toe of his shoe nearly brushed against hers.

Leaning down slightly, his voice dropped into a low, intimate murmur that grazed the warm skin beside her ear.

"Or did you send him away on purpose?" he asked softly, his breath stirring the loose strands of hair along her neck. "Just so you could steal a little alone time with me... my naughty Mrs. Shaw?"

Naomi’s breath hitched sharply, a sudden shiver running down her spine. The scandalous title, paired with his complete disregard for personal space, made her heart hammer violently against her ribs.

She wanted to pull away, but her heels felt rooted to the cold marble floor.

"A pity," Alex whispered, the amusement heavy in his voice as his smirk deepened. "It really would have been so much better if he were here... watching, just like last time."

Alex straightened up with an easy, fluid grace, finally stepping back to give her room to breathe.

Naomi let out a faint, trembling breath she hadn’t realized she was holding, her collarbone flushed pink and her pulse still racing wildly.

"Now then," Alex said, his tone shifting effortlessly back to that of an unbothered magnate inspecting his new assets. "Aren’t you going to show me around my magnificent property, Mrs. Shaw? It would be rather rude to keep your new landlord waiting in the lobby."

Without waiting for an answer, he turned on his heel and began strolling toward the security turnstiles, his posture lazy and confident, radiating the natural authority of a man walking into his own living room.

"R-Right... of course," Naomi managed, clearing her throat in a desperate bid to pull her professional voice back together.

Clutching the leather portfolio tightly against her chest, she gave a stiff nod and hurried after him. The sharp click of her heels echoing across the vast floor as she rushed ahead to scan her clearance card and open the gates.