Snow tried to bury herself in work, in the meticulous equations of microbial growth and the delicate balance of botanical extracts. But the image of Andreas Charm, his stormy eyes, his rare, almost-smile, kept resurfacing. And with it, the bitter taste of her past.
The "hostile takeover" mentioned in Andreas's file was a polite term for what had actually happened. It was a brutal corporate ambush orchestrated by her stepmother, Queen Ravenna. Snow, then a vibrant, ambitious prodigy fresh out of university, had inherited White Cosmetics after her father's sudden death. She had been naive, trusting, and utterly unprepared for the venomous ambition of the woman who had once pretended to be her loving stepmother.
The memory often came in flashes, cold and sharp. The emergency board meeting, Ravenna's perfectly manicured hand signing papers, the glint of triumph in her eyes as the votes turned against Snow. And then, the "accident." A doctored cosmetic formula, a highly potent allergen slipped into a batch of her signature cream, meant for her personal use. The anaphylactic shock, the sirens, the long, dark months of a coma, a world reduced to a blur of pain and muffled voices. When she finally woke, White Cosmetics was gone, stripped for parts by Ravenna, and Snow's reputation was in tatters, painted as an incompetent heiress who had nearly killed herself with her own reckless innovations.
She shivered, despite the warmth of her office. The physical scars had healed, but the emotional ones ran deep, twisting her perception of trust and ambition. Every smooth-talking executive, every powerful name, echoed Ravenna's deceit. And Andreas Charm, with his undeniable power and connection to a world she despised, was the loudest echo of all.
She walked over to the small kitchen area, brewing a strong cup of herbal tea. Sleepy, ever perceptive, noticed her strained expression. "Rough night, Snow?" he asked, his voice soft.
Snow nodded, clutching the warm mug. "It's just… being reminded of it all. It makes me question everything."
"He's not her, Snow," Doc said, joining them. "And you're not the same person you were then. You're stronger. You built EdenTech from nothing."
"But he's a Charm," Snow insisted, her voice tight. "Their world is all about power. And power, in my experience, corrupts." She felt a confusing mix of fear and a strange, undeniable pull. He had seen her, truly seen her, in a way no one in that world ever had. But the risk… the risk was too great.