Empire of Lies and Flames (Ruins of Power #1)

Chapter 2

RENéE

If sheer frustration could set paper on fire, the stack of designs in front of me would’ve been reduced to ash by now. I yanked out a few I liked, pausing on one that made me smile—a playful cat pawing at the dot in our logo.

“This is perfect. Who designed it?” I asked, holding it up.

“That would be me,” Rose said smiling from ear to ear.

I beamed at her. “Even if the higher-ups turn it down, I’m printing this for myself.” Laughter rippled through the room, and I gathered the designs into a file.

“Send me these,” I said, giving a final nod of approval before heading out. The others filtered away, their chatter fading into the background as I strode toward my office. I had barely made it halfway down the hall when someone called my name.

“Renée!”

Turning, I saw Aubrey jogging toward me, papers stacked in her hands. “Elise asked me to pass these along.”

“Thanks, Aubrey.” I started flipping through the first few pages—already feeling the flickers of irritation creeping in. “Where’s Elise? We’re supposed to meet in ten minutes.”

“She’s checking on production for your latest client,” came a voice I’d know anywhere.

Javier.

I stiffened. Nails on a damn chalkboard would’ve been easier to tolerate.

“Good morning, Mr. Densmore,” Aubrey greeted him, her tone shy and a bit too breathless. She looked like she’d met her idol. And just as I expected, before Javier could respond, she’d already scurried off, leaving me alone with him.

Typical.

Javier gave a half-hearted wave in Aubrey’s direction before shrugging. “Since Elise’s tied up, I’ll be joining you for the meeting.”

“Lovely,” I replied. I forced a tight smile, though my blood pressure was already spiking just from his presence. “I will forward you the meeting link in half an hour. Is that alright?”

“We could use conference room one. More efficient,” he suggested, flashing that irritatingly smug grin.

My hand itched to slap it off his face, but instead, I forced myself to say, “Fine. See you there in ten.”

Back at my desk, I barely had time to sit down before my laptop pinged with an email notification. One glance and I groaned.

“Are you kidding me?” Another new client—and they wanted a proposal by the end of the day.

“This guy’s been back two days, and already I’m drowning,” I muttered, letting out a heavy sigh. But my frustration melted into a smile when my eyes landed on the fresh bouquet of yellow roses. The dried flowers from yesterday were gone, replaced with vibrant new ones. One of these days, I was going to figure out who kept leaving them.

When I walked into the conference room, Javier was already there, headphones on, tapping away on his laptop quietly. He barely glanced up, as I set up my own laptop on the other side of the table and tried to ignore him, though his presence was like static I couldn’t tune out.

Out of nowhere, he closed his laptop and circled the table, dropping into the chair right next to me. Next to me.

“Ready?” His voice startled me, low and too close. I froze for a second, acutely aware of the heat radiating from him and the faint, clean scent of his cologne. My stomach gave an annoying little flutter. Focus, Renée.

“Yes,” I managed, staring at my screen. “Sending the meeting link now.” My fingers fumbled over the keyboard like I’d never typed a day in my life.

Javier leaned in, his arm brushing against mine, and my breath hitched. “Done?” he asked, his tone casual, like he wasn’t completely invading my personal space.

His breath skimmed past my ear, and a shiver raced down my spine. My brain short-circuited, and I hit "send" without thinking.

Then I realized.

I’d forgotten the meeting link.

“Damn it,” I cursed, hurriedly rewriting the email, praying he hadn’t noticed. But of course, his knowing smirk was all the answer I needed.

As the call started, Javier flipped on his corporate charm for the client, Mr. Luther, an older man who radiated warmth. “Good morning, Mr. Luther. I’m Javier Densmore, and this is our Project Manager, Renée Margot,” he began, sliding into his pitch.

“Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Luther,” I said, offering a bright smile, though every word Javier spoke made my fingers itch to throttle him.

Javier steamrolled through the conversation, cutting me off at every turn. My jaw tightened as he droned on about premium merch, clearly enjoying the way he’d arranged this whole thing without me.

Enough.

When Mr. Luther finally asked why he should choose our brand, I cut Javier off, my voice cool and firm. “We don’t just deliver quality merchandise,” I said. “Our focus is on building genuine relationships with clients, ensuring that every detail aligns with their vision. Our team works to guarantee that the product reaches its full potential when it hits the market.”

Javier’s jaw twitched, though he kept his smile. We went back and forth with the proposal until we reached a conclusion, we all agreed on.

Mr. Luther chuckled, nodding in approval. “Well, that’s the kind of commitment I like to hear. I’m looking forward to seeing what your team can do.”

With a few closing pleasantries, the call ended, and I shut my laptop with a snap. I expected Javier to look frustrated, but instead, he still looked smug. How? How could he still be smug?

Before I could savor the small victory of not completely losing my composure, Javier turned to me, his expression unreadable. “So, about the Jenna merch launch,” he started, casually adjusting his watch. “We’ve hit a few setbacks.”

My stomach sank. “What setbacks? We’re launching next week.”

He shrugged like it was no big deal. “Unforeseen technical issues. It’ll take another month.”

A month ? My jaw clenched so hard I was surprised it didn’t crack. “A month? Do you have any idea what that does to our sales projections?” The words came out sharper than I intended, but I didn’t care.

Javier just gave a faint smirk, unfazed by my tone. “It’s a development issue,” he said, launching into some polished spiel about testing and quality assurance. None of it actually answered my question, and the way he delivered it—smooth, calm, and so sure of himself—made my blood boil.

I curled my hands into fists under the table, my nails biting into my palms. Sure, he’s tall, dark, and frustratingly good-looking. But he can’t just pull this garbage and expect me to roll with it.

“I’ll keep you updated,” he said, standing and gathering his things like we hadn’t just discussed the slow-motion train wreck of my entire project.

“Please do,” I bit out through gritted teeth, watching him saunter out of the room with that infuriating mix of arrogance and charm.

The door had barely clicked shut behind Javier when Elise strolled in, eyes wide with mock horror. “How did you not punch him? You looked about two seconds away from sinking your teeth into his neck and draining him dry—slowly and torturously.”

I groaned, dragging a hand through my hair. “Trust me, I was this close.”

Elise fell into step beside me as we walked out of the conference room. “Honestly, from the look on your face, I’m shocked you didn’t go full vampire.”

I stopped in my tracks, raising an eyebrow at her. “Did you really have to vanish right before the meeting? You left me alone with him, Elise. Alone.”

She shrugged. “I was working.”

“Next time, I’m locking you in there with him. Let’s see how you like it.”

She laughed. “Please. I’d have him crying in five minutes flat.”

I snorted, my lips curving into a smirk. “I’d pay to see that.”

We stepped into my office, and Elise dropped into the chair across from my desk. “So,” she said, “how’s the whole Devour thing coming along? You surviving? Or should I call for backup?” She asked as she propped her chin on her hand.

I let out a sigh, collapsing into my chair. “Barely. Half the team acts like we’re ahead of schedule, and the other half… well, let’s just say I’m not even sure they know what day it is. And on top of that, I still have to swing by the production team later to drop off some paperwork.”

Elise shrugged. “You know, if you need help, I’m happy to. God knows you’re juggling enough already.”

I paused. “Actually…” I reached for the stack of files on my desk. “You’d be saving me a trip if you could take these.”

She took the papers from my hand. “No problem. I’ve got you.”

For all her teasing, Elise had a knack for stepping in when I needed her. “Thanks,” I said, offering a small smile.

“Anytime,” she said, standing and tossing a casual wave over her shoulder as she headed for the door. Watching her leave, I let out a breath. At least one thing was off my plate for now.

I barely had time to set my keys down when a flash of teal fabric came flying at my face from across the living room.

“You’re late!” Pearl’s voice rang out as she huffed, hands on her hips like an impatient drill sergeant. She tapped her foot, her eyes narrowing as I pulled the dress from my face. “I texted you an hour ago! You are not getting out of our traditional girl’s night Tuesdays!”

I stifled a laugh, holding up the dress she’d thrown at me. “I was going to suggest a rain check,” I mumbled, but her glare cut me short.

“Not happening. Get in there and put it on,” she ordered, waving a hand toward my bedroom. I knew better than to argue when Pearl was on a mission.

With a sigh—mostly for show—I slid into the dress, Pearl practically dragging me out the door the second I was ready. By the time we reached the club, I could feel the stress of the day already melting away, my heartbeat syncing with the pulsing bass and wild energy around us.

Nights like these kept me afloat. There was something liberating about the chaos of the dance floor, the laughter, and the flickering lights. Even if it meant I’d be dragging myself to work tomorrow on two hours of sleep, I’d do it all again just to feel this free, if only for a few hours.