Day two of the Asia-Pacific Technology Summit had begun positively for Aria. Her confidence held strong and she hadn't had to put her avoidance strategy to the test. She successfully avoided Xavier or any of his immediate team members on the previous day, picked up on some valuable intelligence regarding Knight Enterprises expansion efforts, and had managed Luna's school crisis to what she would call an acceptable resolution.
By 10:30 AM, that confidence was about to be thoroughly shaken apart.
"The regional partnership panel has been changed to Conference Room A," Wei Ling texted Aria. "Last-minute venue move, due to greater than expected attendance."
Aria checked her calendar. The panel was titled "Strategic Alliances in Emerging Markets," which was the very type of panel she was hoping to attend, given that several of Meridian Global's key partners were presenting and any intelligence she could gather would be useful for planning for the quarter.
Aria headed to Conference Room A, arriving a little early so she could find a seat with the best sightlines and also allow for a quick exit. The room was filling up quickly and corporate executives were positioning themselves in the most favorable seats as efficiently as an athlete claiming territory.
Just behind the front row, Aria took a seat where she had a clear view of the podium, but sufficient distance from the podium to go unnoticed by the speakers. She opened her laptop not so much to take notes but as a visual obfuscation to protect her anonymity.
The session began its predictable pattern of introductions and the obligatory market analysis presentations. Aria found herself enjoying the material and taking thoughtful notes about partnership capitalizations and market depth strategies that could benefit something like Meridian Global's planning.
Then a chilling moment established itself in the room when the moderator made a random announcement:
"We're happy to allow a last-minute addition to our panel. Xavier Knight, CEO of Knight Enterprises, is here with us today to share some thoughts about strategic partnerships in the Asia-Pacific region."
Aria's fingers froze in place when she saw Xavier walk into the conference center from the side entrance. Five years of distance collapsed as she was once again seated less than twenty feet from the man whose genetic legacy she had been secretly producing.
He was as imposing as she'd remembered, although his overall stature had shifted with time and stresses placed upon him. The gray in his hair was more pronounced now, his face etched with deeper creases that indicated years of laser-like focus. Before he even spoke, he commanded attention in the room. Corporate executives subconsciously straightened in their seats as he walked up to the podium.
Aria kept her head down and her eyes glued to her laptop screen. She hoped that the anonymity of a hidden head and screen would keep her out of sight. She could leave - she should leave - but leaving now would create noise. It was better to sit still, to be invisible, and hope his presentation was enough to keep his focus away from scanning the audience.
"Strategic partnerships require know your counterparty's fundamental motives," Xavier stated, and the resonance of his voice carried the same gravitas that commanded her attention at the Obsidian Lounge. "When you're successful, you will be identifying what they need the most and provide it to them better than any of their foreseeable alternatives."
Despite the anxiousness brewing around her body, she was drawn to listen to him with a professional way of reflection. His comment was clever; his analysis of regional market dynamics was sharp and complex. It was obvious that he had devoted time to studying the business culture of Asia and modifying his behavior accordingly.
"Western companies typically make the mistake of thinking aggressive acquisitions that happen in the American marketplace will automatically carry over to the Asia-Pacific territories.
"In truth, building a relationship and building a commitment over time is preferable to the instantaneous pressure of a financial call."
Aria took notes despite herself, gleaning useful intelligence about Knight Enterprises' shifting strategy. It was apparent that Xavier had learned from his first-moves mistakes made in scenic Singapore and was repositioning himself against them.
Then calamity struck in the form of audience participation.
"Mr. Knight," shouted a voice from the rafters, "what do you say to competitors who use collaborative partnership models successfully to block your acquisition targets?"
Xavier's eye-meandered across the crowd as he contemplated the question, his attention moving in a time-worn pattern, scrutinizing the seats in order to not miss anyone. Aria stared at her notes, typing out desperate, meaningless, rabbit-speak to distract herself, to stop eye contact from being established.
"Good, intelligent opposition is actually a wise choice," Xavier relayed with a familiarity that conveyed he relished wading into the waters of strategy. "Those who maneuver us to modify behavior, just strengthen us. I certainly respect a worthy adversary who really knows his markets and acts like he knows where we are going next."
Xavier was in fact still searching the crowd and Aria was horrified to think, if there was a systematic search being done, her row would be moved along eventually.
She couldn't just walk out without drawing attention. She couldn't hide forever. And she couldn't be sure what would happen when those steel gray eyes found her face.
"In fact," Xavier continued, "Singapore has done a tremendous job of illustrating this. Meridian Global consistently anticipated our expansion efforts and strategically aligned partnerships to take away our options. It's been... refreshing to face such potent competition."
As some in the audience turned to find representatives from Meridian Global, Aria felt vulnerable, despite her efforts to hide. To Xavier's praise, she could take little comfort. Together, they were compliments: recognizing her capabilities married with the knowledge that he had personally learned all her strategies.
"The executive responsible for Meridian's strategic alignment showed amazing insight into Knight Enterprises' operational patterns," Xavier continued, his eyes actively scanning the room until finally arriving at Aria's section. "I'd be curious to someday meet this individual and hear their perspectives on—"
That's when his words stopped, his expression fully engaged with Aria's face.
Recognition hit as an almost instant wave. Aria stood transfixed listening to Xavier move through a number of micro-expressions conveyed in his composed professional context: surprise, confusion, intense focus, as well as something that could have been anger.
The silence stretched far beyond what was comfortable. He gazed at her, having forgotten his presentation.
Aria could feel that every person in the conference room suddenly was aware of the strange tension in the air but had no idea what it stemmed from. She found herself looking directly at Xavier. There was no deception left now. Even a five-year escapade of avoidance had come to an end - publicly.
"I..." Xavier trailed off. It looked as though he was trying to reconcile the woman with whom he spent a brief time five years ago with the corporate strategist who had carefully outplayed every move of his expansion plans.
The moderator, who had clearly sensed but not understood the disruption, intervened. "Mr. Knight? Were you wanting to proceed with the same discussion on partnership development?"
Xavier blinked as if he remembered where he was. "Uh, yes. Strategic partnerships." Professionally, his voice was back on track, but his eyes only bore witness to Aria. "As I was saying, understanding your opposition is the key to a long-term win."
The panel continued, but the tone was still muted. Xavier clearly finished out the remaining components of his presentation and was capable of them, but Aria had the feeling that he kept returning attention to her.
She lingered, aware that to make a move now would only sharpen his attention, and risk an incident where they would draw attention to each other and both ruin each other's professional reputation.
At the end of the session, Aria darted toward the exits, hoping to become a part of the human traffic, as attendants left. Before she got halfway across the room and reached the exit, she heard her name being called.
"Aria Chen"
Not as a question, but as a statement, said with a tone that caught attention at the conference room. Some attendants turned to look at her, and a few colleagues even looked at her, wondering why the CEO of Knight Enterprises was addressing the strategic director for Meridian Global.
Aria turned slowly to make eye contact with Xavier through the quickly shifting room of now vacant seats. He was slowly walking toward her, with serious intent and with an expression on his face that she had not yet been able to read.
Mr. Knight, Aria answered, her voice steady, but with an increase in heart rate. An interesting presentation.
Indeed! He stops just out of comfortable conversation distance, while still close enough to make the moment feel intimate in this professional environment. I think we should have a private conversation soon.
It wasn't a suggestion, and Aria recognized the tone of his voice; it was the same commanding certainty from earlier in the night when he asked her to leave the club with him.
The difference was that this time, she couldn't just disappear afterward. "Maybe I can manage that," she answered cautiously, aware that the other executives were watching them with palpable curiosity.
Xavier produced a business card, wrote something on the back, and handed it to her. "This evening. Eight PM. The address is on the back," he said.
Aria looked at the card, accepted it, and shoved it in the portfolio without looking. "I'll think about it."
"No," he quieted, speaking with absolute assurance. "You will not think about it. You will be there."
The tension between them was heavy and laden with meaning that extended beyond their professional relationship. Aria assessed the risks carefully; there was a good possibility that allowing this conversation to take place would alter everything, including exposing secrets that she kept every day for five years.
But the look on Xavier's face said that there was no longer any avoiding this. He would have this confrontation; his determined appearance gave her the impression that he was going to acquire what was clearly going to be his.
"Eight PM," she confirmed, then turned away from him quickly before he could say anything else.
As Aria exited the conference room, the weight of five years of preparation crumbled around her.
The determined plot she'd created was within seconds of being completely destroyed by the one person who had the power to do that.
By the end of the day, Xavier Knight would have answers to questions he didn't even know to ask. And Aria would have to determine how much she was willing to divulge to defend the life she built with Luna.
The reckoning she'd successfully avoided for five years was upon her.