Daniel sat, his eyes dull and lifeless even as he continued signing pages and pages of paper. He was still suffering from the after effects of everything that had happened, and even though he shouldn't be feeling so down, he couldn't help it.

Just then, his phone began ringing.

Daniel looked at his phone for a good three seconds before he picked it up.

"Chief, Mister Jules has arrived." A youthful lady's voice said.

Daniel rubbed his temple before replying, "Send him to my office."

"Yes, Chief."

Andy stood upright, his being dignified down to the very bone as he stared at the young lady in front of him who was making a call to Daniel. His face was emotionless as ever, and standing next to him, even Sam who was also quite cold, looked as if he was expressing a million expressions on his face. 

"Mister Jules, please follow me," The lady then directed them towards an elevator.

Andy stood still, not saying a word while Sam said a few words of thanks. 

Deep inside though, Andy really couldn't help but want to move his face just a bit. It honestly wouldn't be a surprise to him if his face had become paralyzed completely, seeing as the only thing he ever did was nothing. He didn't smile, he didn't yawn, he didn't do anything that used his facial muscles much other than talking and even then, he was a man of very few words. Something Andy would never use to describe himself, as a person who liked to chatter a bit.

Sam, standing off to the side couldn't help but feel tried, even if he didn't show it. He hadn't gotten much sleep, having to catch up on late work and also take care of Louis, who had made a surprise visit the night before.

This elevator dinged, and the young lady walked them towards the door of Daniel's office. "Mister Jules, Chief Lovensci will already be waiting for you inside. This is as far as I will take you."

Andy looked into the young lady's eyes with a very frozen face, saying, "Thank you."

After that, Sam opened up the door and Andy walked in.

The young lady was left dazed for a few seconds, recalling Andy's face, she couldn't help but blush. She heard about the cold prince, Andy Jules, but she had never expected that he would be that otherworldly. As she walked away from the office, her eyes were still a bit dazed, but she had a silly smile on her face.

Andy stood, staring at Daniel with cold eyes, not saying anything as he remained standing. Sam, off to the side, couldn't help but feel a little bit.....amused? After staying by Andy's side for some time now, Sam could at least figure him out a bit. Andy wasn't cold down to the very bone, it was just that he wasn't great at expressing his emotions, thus, it made him seem as if he hated people. But, Andy could be warm sometimes, though it barely looked any different from his usual demeanor.

"Mister Jules, please, take a seat." Daniel said as he stood up and showed Andy to a seat, and sat facing him.

Andy observed Daniel. Honestly, this man was very handsome, and although his features may appear cold at first glance, he wasn't like Andy. Instead, Daniel was a very good person, a good talker, but his heart was also weaker, because that was the reason why he would let Avian do everything that he had wanted. Of course, Andy couldn't understand why Avian would break it off between Daniel and him but who cares? It just made his task even easier. Even if he did sympathize with Daniel every bit, he related more to the original soul instead.

If anything, he and the original soul were very alike, minus their personality. The path that the two had walked was very similar, except Andy didn't love anyone and he had never loved anyone whereas the original soul was head over heels for Daniel.

Andy didn't talk much about his past, his family, nor how he had climbed to become a powerful businessman and even till the end of his life, he didn't let anyone know about it. The reason as to why was because it was a past that Andy never wanted to talk about after going through it all.

His past....it wasn't one that Andy would say was fulfilling. Although, it was one of the reasons that Andy became who he was, and it had also taught him so much, there were too many painful scars behind it. If given the chance to change his childhood memories, he wouldn't hesitate to do so. 

His family wasn't his biggest pride, and it would never be. Truth be told, after succeeding in his life, Andy never contacted his family, cutting off all connections with them and even going as far as to change his name.

But, back to the present, since he shouldn't dwell on such things, Andy stared at Daniel as Daniel sat across from them.

"Would you like anything to drink, Mister Jules?" Daniel asked, putting on a light smile that hid the haggardness on his face. He wasn't like Avian, who didn't even try to hide his dislike towards Andy, and since he had broken it off with Avian, there was no need to worry about this man. Andy was successful, extremely successful, cooperating with him will only benefit the both of them. 

"Black coffee would do, Mister Lovensci," Andy said, his sitting position was a sight to look at as his every move brought about elegance and gracefulness to it. His posture was upright, befitting the son of a noble, and that cold glance of his felt like it could bring about a world of chaos.

Yes, believe it or not, as much as Andy seemed like a person who wouldn't have such taste, Andy liked to drink black coffee and he wasn't afraid to admit it.

For just a moment, Daniel lost himself in those cold eyes. Those eyes that were unlike Avian's, it felt as if it was entrapping his soul, pulling him in, and his heart skipped a beat for just that one moment. Even though those eyes were so cold, even if his face remained so emotionless, Daniel's heart pulsated as Andy's eyes landed on him. 

It was only the second time seeing with each other, but in Daniel's head, it almost felt like he knew this man. That thought was weird though, because clearly, this was the first time that he had interacted with Andy, and yet, it was almost like he knew who the person in front of him was.

Just then, a memory from years ago appeared.

A small child, with shining gray eyes, and glossy, dark gray hair, smiling while Daniel had told jokes to him, and the expression on his face was filled with happiness as he laughed. 

That day remained in his memories for so long, for his first meeting with that child was also his last. As Daniel stared at Andy once more, comparing the memory of that small child and Andy, he was suddenly hit with a wave of emotions. Was it possible, could those two people be the same person? They did look very much alike, though their personality wasn't the same, people did change as they grow.

But, now wasn't the time to think about it. Daniel would confirm it later.

[Male lead's love percentage has risen to 15%.]

"And you?" Daniel asked Sam afterwards, to which, Sam pushed up his glasses, a habit of his, as he replied.

"Black tea would do for me, Mister Lovensci."

15 minutes later, three men were inside the office, not saying a word in the silence. 

Daniel was left with his thoughts, Sam was looking at everything, avoiding the awkward air that seemed to float everywhere.

Seeing this, Andy resisted the urge to scream in frustration as he looked at these two men who were in the own world. As he took a sip from his coffee, he put the cup down, a cling uttering in the quiet room.

"Mister Lovensci, I'm sure that you have already read the contract proposed by me. Do you have any thoughts about whether you will agree or disagree, or are there any adjustments you wish to make?" Andy's voice was cold and detached, but his voice had a strange tone to it that made one fall into a trance.

Hearing Andy's voice, Daniel snapped out of his thoughts, and began to answer. "Mister Jules, there is no need for any adjustments as I think that this contract was well-thought-out. This contract will bring benefits to the both of us if we agree on the idea of cooperating."

"If that is so, are you willing to collaborate with Luxe? Though Luxe is but a new brand in the world of business, I can guarantee that this will bring about quite a big profit if we do collaborate. The question is whether or not you will collaborate with us, as you do hold quite a bond with Murex. Murex and Luxe has been at each other's throats for quite some time now, and there is quite a high tension between the two brands." Andy purposely asked this question, wanting to find out if Daniel was going to move on so soon from Avian or if he wasn't ready yet.

At that question, Daniel paused. After dating Avian, Daniel had held Murex as a close companion because the one backing that company was Theo, Avian's father. Even though it was for the sake of Avian that Daniel held Murex to such a degree, it was also because Theo was a capable leader who thought of many great ideas to make Murex rise. But, he had no relationship with Avian anymore. Avian had cut him off just like that, and with the recent news that Murex was falling from the leaderships, it wouldn't be wrong to cut off any relation with Avian or his family.

If Daniel wanted to move on, he needed to get rid of the remaining feelings he felt for Avian. This was the chance to do so. He knew that Andy didn't like Avian because of family ties, if he agreed to this collaboration, it was obviously showing where he stood in between Andy and the Stollin family. With a deep breath, he came to his decision.

"Mister Jules, you don't have to worry, I will agree to this collaboration."

Hearing this, Andy smiled, an evil delight rising inside him. This was clearly showing that Daniel wasn't going to help Avian, Rose, and Theo anymore, hence the Stollin family had just lost one of their biggest pillar that kept them strong. This was also a sign that Daniel was going to be moving on and that Andy could now subtlety chase after Daniel and snatch his heart.

"Mister Lovensci, I hope that you won't regret your decision." Andy's voice now seemed a little more powerful, and felt like it had more emotion in it. The cold light in his eyes was no longer as harsh as it was.

Daniel could see these changes quickly with his eyes, and right away, he knew he was making the right decision. This man and that child from back then were the same person, he wasn't wrong.

"Of course, I will not. Mister Jules, I hope that our cooperation will go smoothly. Also, please call me Daniel."

"Alright then, you can call me Andy, Daniel."

[Male lead's love percentage has risen to 32%]