Chapter 1
Cold.
Ruthless.
Brilliant.
Those were the three words most often used to describe Alyce White.
To the outside world, she was a legend.
Starting with nothing but determination, intelligence, and relentless ambition, she had built A&T Company into one of the most powerful multinational corporations in the world within only a few short years.
Business magazines called her a genius.
Competitors called her a nightmare.
Investors called her a miracle.
Her enemies called her dangerous.
No matter what title people gave her, one fact remained unchanged.
Everyone knew her name.
Alyce White.
At only twenty-four years old, she stood at the top of the business world.
And she had no intention of stepping down.
The massive shareholder meeting had finally come to an end.
The tension that had filled the conference room only moments ago still lingered in the air as Alyce walked through the hallway with her personal assistant and best friend, Clara.
Employees quickly moved aside when they saw her approaching.
Nobody dared to block her path.
Nobody dared to speak.
The clicking sound of her heels against the marble floor echoed throughout the corridor like a countdown.
Behind her, several shareholders were still trying to recover from the shock of what had happened inside.
One unfortunate shareholder had attempted to threaten her during the meeting.
Alyce’s response had been simple.
She had calmly pulled out a gun and placed it on the table.
The man had nearly fainted.
Needless to say, nobody argued with her afterward.
The elevator doors opened.
Alyce stepped inside.
Clara followed.
The doors slid shut behind them.
The moment they were alone, Clara burst out laughing.
The sound echoed throughout the elevator.
“Alyce, I swear one day you’re going to give me a heart attack.”
Alyce looked up from the documents she was reviewing.
One elegant eyebrow rose.
“What did I do this time?”
Clara stared at her in disbelief.
“What did you do?”
She pointed dramatically.
“You pulled out a gun in the middle of a shareholder meeting!”
Alyce blinked.
“He was being annoying.”
For several seconds, Clara simply stared at her.
Then she laughed again.
“Annoying? Alyce, the man looked like he was about to write his will.”
“He threatened me.”
“He questioned a financial report.”
“He questioned me.”
“That’s not the same thing.”
“It is.”
Clara pinched the bridge of her nose.
Sometimes she wondered how Alyce’s brain worked.
Unfortunately, after years of friendship, she still had no answer.
“I spent three hours preparing that presentation,” Clara complained.
“Three hours.”
Alyce shrugged.
“And?”
“And?” Clara repeated dramatically. “Do you know how much coffee I consumed during those three hours?”
“No.”
“Enough to legally qualify as a coffee machine.”
A small smile tugged at Alyce’s lips.
“And yet I solved the entire issue in thirty seconds.”
Clara groaned.
“That’s exactly the problem.”
Alyce smirked.
“Work smarter, not harder.”
“I hate when you’re right.”
“You must hate me often.”
“Every single day.”
Despite her words, Clara smiled.
The truth was that nobody knew Alyce better than she did.
To the world, Alyce White was an untouchable queen made of ice.
To Clara, she was simply Alyce.
A stubborn, sarcastic genius with an alarming tendency to solve problems through intimidation.
The elevator reached the executive floor.
The doors opened.
Instantly, the atmosphere changed.
The laughter disappeared.
The warmth vanished.
Alyce’s expression transformed so quickly it was almost frightening.
The playful smile disappeared.
Her eyes turned cold.
Sharp.
Commanding.
Within a second, the legendary Ice Queen returned.
Employees immediately lowered their heads.
Conversations stopped.
The entire floor fell silent.
Clara leaned closer and whispered,
“And just like that, the Ice Queen returns.”
Alyce continued walking.
“I have an image to maintain.”
“You were laughing ten seconds ago.”
“No one can prove that.”
Clara snorted.
“Right. I’ll make sure the security footage mysteriously disappears.”
“Good.”
“You’re not even joking.”
“I’m really not.”
Clara stared at her.
Alyce stared back.
Neither spoke.
Three seconds later, Clara burst out laughing again.
For the first time that day, Alyce laughed openly.
The sound was soft.
Genuine.
Beautiful.
Several nearby employees nearly dropped the files they were carrying.
One young intern almost walked directly into a wall.
Another employee accidentally deleted an email.
Everyone looked horrified.
Not because they were scared.
Because they had just witnessed something nobody believed existed.
Alyce White laughing.
The legendary Ice Queen.
Smiling.
Actually smiling.
If they told anyone, nobody would believe them.
Unfortunately for them, Alyce noticed.
Her expression immediately turned cold again.
“Back to work.”
The commanding tone in her voice sent everyone scrambling.
Within seconds, the employees returned to their desks.
The floor became silent once more.
Not a trace of the previous chaos remained.
Clara sighed dramatically.
“You know, if you keep acting like this, you’re never going to get married in this lifetime.”
Alyce didn’t even look at her.
“Who wants to get married?”
The two women continued walking toward Alyce’s private elevator.
Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating the luxurious executive floor.
The city stretched endlessly beyond the glass.
Everything Alyce could see had been earned through years of hard work.
Years of sacrifice.
Years of determination.
She had everything she needed.
Everything she wanted.
Or at least that was what she told herself.
“I already have everything I could ever want,” Alyce said casually.
Clara crossed her arms.
“Here we go.”
“I have loving parents.”
“True.”
“Wealth.”
“Very true.”
“This God-given beauty.”
Clara rolled her eyes so hard it was a miracle they didn’t fall out.
Alyce placed a hand dramatically over her heart.
“And a bunch of unwanted but caring monkeys.”
Clara stopped walking.
Slowly.
Very slowly.
She turned toward Alyce.
“Monkeys?”
Alyce nodded.
“Monkeys.”
“By monkeys, you mean us.”
“Of course.”
Clara looked offended.
Deeply offended.
“After everything we’ve done for you?”
“Yes.”
“After years of friendship?”
“Yes.”
“After supporting you through your workaholic tendencies?”
“Especially because of that.”
Clara gasped dramatically.
“You wound me.”
Alyce smiled.
A genuine smile.
The kind only a handful of people ever saw.
The kind reserved for family and friends.
“Besides,” Alyce continued, “why would I waste my time looking for a man when I already have someone who wants to marry me?”
She casually winked.
Then continued walking.
The world stopped.
At least for Clara.
Her brain completely shut down.
For several seconds she simply stood there.
Frozen.
Processing.
Rebooting.
Error.
System failure.
The tablet slipped from her hands.
CLATTER.
The sound echoed across the entire lobby.
Employees jumped.
Several people looked over.
Alyce didn’t even turn around.
“The company will deduct that from your salary.”
Clara ignored her completely.
Her eyes were wide.
Her mouth hung open.
Then—
“YOU HAVE SOMEONE WHO WANTS TO MARRY YOU?!”
The entire executive floor froze.
Every employee looked up.
Someone accidentally spilled coffee.
Another employee dropped an entire stack of documents.
Clara didn’t care.
“AND WHY AM I HEARING ABOUT THIS FOR THE FIRST TIME?!”
Her voice echoed through the building.
Alyce simply waved a hand dismissively.
“Because watching your reaction is far more entertaining.”
Clara looked personally betrayed.
“Alyce White!”
The employees immediately pretended to work.
Nobody wanted to get caught listening.
Unfortunately, every single person was listening.
Rumors were already spreading.
The Ice Queen had a secret admirer?
Impossible.
Who was brave enough?
Who was foolish enough?
Who was rich enough?
Most importantly—
Who was still alive?
Meanwhile, Alyce calmly stepped into her private elevator.
She pressed the button for her office floor.
Clara rushed toward her.
“Wait!”
The doors began closing.
“Alyce!”
The gap narrowed.
“Alyce White, get back here right now!”
Alyce’s amused face was the last thing Clara saw.
Then the elevator doors closed completely.
Cutting off her outraged scream.
Inside the elevator, silence returned.
Alyce leaned against the wall.
For a moment, the cold CEO mask slipped away.
A soft chuckle escaped her lips.
She could already imagine Clara spending the entire day investigating.
The woman would probably interrogate half the company before lunch.
By evening, she’d likely create a conspiracy board connecting random people together.
The thought made Alyce laugh again.
The truth was, there wasn’t actually anyone.
At least not yet.
But teasing Clara was far too entertaining to resist.
As the elevator ascended, Alyce stared at her reflection in the polished steel doors.
Successful.
Powerful.
Feared.
Respected.
She had achieved everything she had ever dreamed of.
Yet for some reason, Clara’s words lingered in her mind.
Marriage.
Love.
A future with someone.
Alyce shook her head.
What nonsense.
She didn’t have time for such things.
Her life belonged to her company.
To her family.
To the people she cared about.
That was enough.
Or at least that was what she believed.
Little did Alyce White know that somewhere far away, fate had already begun moving its pieces.
And very soon, without her knowing a certain man would enter her life and turn her perfectly organized world upside down.
Completely.
And at that moment she won't be able to do anything but surrender in front of the fate
