"You will continue therapy," Alexander declared, slapping his palm on the table. His frown was more stern than intimidating. Daniel, having learned to read his moods, didn't even flinch.

"No."

They glared at each other in silence for a minute. Alexander was the first to relent. He sighed, leaned back in his chair, and ruffled his hair, which Daniel thought was overdue for a haircut.

"Danny, please keep going to therapy. Just because you haven't had any breakdowns lately doesn't mean you won't have any in the future. It helps you, and I feel better knowing you're under the supervision of two excellent doctors."

"She's already helped me," Daniel replied grumpily. "I don't want to be distracted by therapy anymore. It's too time-consuming, and I've already worked through everything I need to." He had long since stopped trying to manipulate Alexander through Ksenia, realizing her father had become the intermediary. Now he could influence Alexander directly, so there was no longer any reason to continue. His demons wouldn't disappear while he was here anyway.

"We'll talk about it later. I don't have time right now," Alexander said, checking his watch. "Damn, while we were discussing the project and then arguing, I didn't have time to take you out for lunch. We'll go together after the meeting, okay?"

"Okay," Daniel said, closing his laptop and stretching. "How long is the meeting?"

"An hour, not more," Alexander replied, walking around the table and gently lifting Daniel's chin with his fingertips, making him meet his eyes. "Do you want to come with me? They're presenting the brand strategy today. You've been in marketing for a while, would be good to have your opinion."

Daniel went cold. Carefully, he pulled his fingers away and stood up, making sure their bodies didn't touch. Was this a test or..? He must have shown something on his face because Alexander quickly reassured him.

"Well, if you don't want to go, don't. Why do you take any mention of marketing to heart? I'm not going to force you; I just wanted you to evaluate the new brand strategy with me."

"I don't take it personally," Daniel said, feeling a wave of relief. "I just have a lot of work on the project that interests me more. Who's presenting?" He dropped his pen and bent to pick it up, staying calm even when Alexander replied.

"You bumped into each other once, I think. She came the same day you started work. Sofya Milyutina, remember?"

"Vaguely," Daniel said, managing an indifferent smile as he stepped toward the exit. "Shall I go?"

"Wait," Alexander reached for him, rustling softly. "A kiss first..."

There was a brisk knock on the door, and it swung open before anyone could answer. Daniel nearly jumped when he saw Sonya. She was hissing something to Georgy, not noticing how close she and Alexander were standing. Daniel backed against the wall, blushing, but he couldn't take his eyes off her. She looked stunning when she was angry: her big brown eyes glittered, her pretty straight nose wrinkled, her lips curved contemptuously.

"I told you I didn't come to see you!" Sonya grumped to Georgy, then turned to the good-naturedly smiling Alexander and said, "Hello, Alexander. I apologize for coming straight to the office, but I wanted to show you something before the meeting."

"Hello, Sofya. It's all right. Gosha, I'm sorry I didn't inform you that Sofya is presenting the brand strategy today. I suppose you know Daniel King?" Alexander gestured toward Daniel, and Sonya, with a slow, graceful turn of her head, fluttered her eyelashes and smiled charmingly.

"Hello, Daniel. Yes, we've met before. Nice to see you again," she said with a faint squint.

"Hello, nice to see you too," Daniel stammered, fidgeting and jerking toward the exit. Georgy raised his eyebrows in surprise, scrutinizing him closely.

"Hi there."

He felt ashamed of himself as he reached the door. He had behaved foolishly, while she hadn't given any hint or gesture that there was more between them than a working relationship. Whether there was or not... Daniel grinned unhappily. After that magical night, he had been too afraid to text or call her. To prevent her from contacting him, he had even blocked her number. There was a pressing suspicion that the new phone had tracking capabilities, and he had thrown away Sennoy's phone, keeping only the SIM card just in case. Did she understand that his silence wasn't because he didn't want to see her but because he had serious problems? Probably not. She was likely offended, much like the first Sonya, her almost forgotten predecessor. But it was better for her to be offended than to know the truth.

Working was impossible after the brief run-in. Instead of focusing on the columns of numbers, he kept seeing her beautiful face, first distorted in rage, then calm and serene. The urge to talk to her, to find out if she felt the same way, or if that night had been just an amusing but irrelevant adventure for her, was frustrating. Daniel drummed his pen on the desk, tapped his foot nervously, drank water, and paced the office, telling himself to back off. But he kept checking the time; the meeting shouldn't have lasted more than an hour. After fifty minutes, he rushed down the corridor to the stairs, afraid to miss Sonya.

The wait was excruciatingly long: for thirty-five minutes, Daniel hovered by the stairs, staring through the small gap between the door and the jamb of the conference room. Finally, the door swung open, releasing the representatives of the other companies one by one. Daria came out with a tight-lipped expression. The last to emerge were Alexander and Sonya, looking satisfied.

Alexander was saying something softly, and Daniel strained to make out their conversation. He felt annoyed watching Alexander unleash his usual charms: smiling affectionately, looking at Sonya as if she were saying something of utmost importance. Sonya batted her eyelashes and smiled back, matching his charm. A dark, incomprehensible jealousy bubbled inside Daniel. He couldn't understand whom he was jealous of or why. But he desperately wanted to separate them as soon as possible. Finally, Sonya said clearly.

"No, I still want to see Daria. Thank you again, Alexander!"

Hope squeezed his heart sweetly. Maybe Sonya wanted to see him? But damn it, she didn't know that he was sitting in the office next to Daria's!

"Thank you!" Alexander gallantly escorted her to the elevator, pressed the button, and tilted his lion's head. Daniel rushed up the stairs, determined to avoid Alexander intercepting him. No lunch until he had a word with Sonya!

On the second floor, he scrambled, trying to meet Sonya without being seen by Alexander. He ducked into a small meeting room, pulled the blinds, and adjusted the slats for a better view. Alexander, saying something, headed to his office just as Sonya exited the elevator, laughing at how Alexander reached the floor before her. Alexander also laughed, waved at her, and continued on his way. Sonya followed him, but Daniel couldn't resist. He crossed the distance between them in two quick strides, grabbed her arm, covered her mouth, and dragged her into the room.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sonya shoved him away.

Daniel sighed dejectedly. Dragging her into the room had been a thoughtless impulse as much as it had been a desire to talk. She was taboo, tantalizing, desirable, but still taboo. He wasn't supposed to look, reveal his dirty secrets, or desire her. But it was torturous, so much so that his fingers tingled with the urge to touch her, draw her close, breathe in her scent, and kiss her fresh lips.

"I'm sorry, Sonya... I know I seem like a total jerk for blocking your number. But believe me, I had to," he said, his excuse sounding pathetic and implausible. Her brown eyes mockingly confirmed it, narrowing as contemptuously as when she had looked at Georgy.

"What are you, an undercover agent, Dan?" Sonya grinned tiredly.

"No," Daniel crumpled, at a loss for words. "But I'm under certain conditions... in general..." he exhaled desperately. "It doesn't matter. It was good to see you," he grabbed the doorknob and jerked it nervously, forgetting that the door opened outward. Sonya's laughter chimed like a bell, she placed her cool fingers on his, stopping him, soothing him with a single touch, and Daniel froze, pressing his forehead against the rustling blinds.

He could hear everything: the distant hum of the shredder, the sound of Alexander's footsteps when he was trying unsuccessfully to reach Daniel's switched-off phone, the voices in the office next door, and... Sonya's light breathing. The heat of her body burned his back, boiling his blood. This lingering moment was beautiful and agonizing - he wished it would never end, that they would stand like this forever.

"So, it's not going to work out between us, is it?" Sonya said in a deliberately light tone, though she couldn't completely hide her nervousness.

"So it seems," Daniel confirmed with a heavy heart, glad he couldn't see her eyes right now.

"But not because you don't like me?" Sonya rose on tiptoe and blew softly on his ear, which immediately turned hot. She laughed softly. "If you didn't like me, you wouldn't have dragged me in here."

"I really, really like you, Sonya," Daniel leaned closer, inhaling her scent, clenching his fists to resist the urge to grab her, to fall into her smiling mouth. "I've never felt this way before."

"What are these circumstances that you can't be with me?" Sonya asked, then added quickly. "You don't have to answer, just a question out loud. I'm sorry, Dan. I like you, too," she said, then hesitantly suggested. "Well, at least you can kiss me goodbye?"

Daniel turned around, almost pushing her, grabbed her by the waist, and kissed her so swiftly that their teeth clashed. Sonya gasped into his mouth, bit his lower lip for a moment, then melted into the kiss. Time seemed to slow, even the light seemed to fade. Only she mattered now, her greedy soft lips, her supple body, her strong arms. Daniel kissed her deeply, feeling healed with each moment, flushing her out of his system and Alexander's influence with it. He finally broke away with difficulty.

"Goodbye?" Sonya licked her redened lips, swayed slightly toward the door, and held out her hand. Daniel responded sadly to her question-affirmation.

"Goodbye, Sonya."

He didn't go to see her off - it hurt too much. He shut himself in the bathroom and snorted for a long time over the sink, splashing ice water on his face to regain his composure. He looked at his sad reflection with hatred: why had everything turned out this way? Why couldn't he find a way out of this situation? Why was he forced to push away the one he never wanted to let go?

Tengiz met him by the bathroom. Apparently, anxious Alexander had alerted all the guards to look for him. Daniel rolled his eyes, still feeling the remnants of impotent anger. He just tersely uttered.

"I got food poisoning. I'm going home. I'll tell Alexander myself."

"Wouldn't it be better to go to the hospital?" Tengiz stammered, but fell silent after receiving a frankly angry look in response. Daniel grabbed his laptop from his office, turned on his phone, sent a brief message to Alexander - whom he had no desire to see or hear from at the moment - ignored the incoming call, and walked unsteadily to the elevator.

The scent of her perfume was still in the elevator - subtle, fresh, infinitely exciting. Daniel inhaled deeply, holding each breath, trying to keep a piece of her within him. When he couldn't bear the tension any longer, he moaned briefly and slammed his fist into the mirrored wall. The impact-resistant mirror held, but Tengiz didn't; he flinched, frowning with worry. Daniel composed his expression, cursed himself for his outburst, shook his head slightly, silently asking Tengiz not to report it, and stepped out of the elevator more confidently. A step, another, a third, and Daniel stopped at the exit. Sonya's presence lingered in the remaining trail of her perfume, making it impossible to part with her, to leave the office knowing that this scent was the last thing he would remember. He stood there, snapping, breathing heavily, and then slumped outside into the exuberantly joyful green of May.

Alexander arrived late in the evening, by which time Daniel had already calmed down, resigned, and nearly let go -he was accustomed to passing through all stages of despair quickly. Alexander undressed leisurely and settled on his side of the bed without hugging or kissing him as usual, probably assuming Daniel was asleep. Daniel felt a wave of relief - if Alexander had touched him right then, he would have screamed in rage, struck him, or gone hysterical, just as he had before New Year's Eve.

Alexander remained still, silent, almost not breathing. As Daniel was drifting off to sleep, he heard a quiet voice.

"You're mine, Danny. I won't give you to anyone."

It must have been a dream, an echo of the past, because it couldn't have sounded so fierce and furious.