Lily didn't believe in fate.
But she believed in warnings.
And Ethan Vale was screaming red.
She stared at the sleek black business card on her nightstand. No logo. No number. Just his name, printed in silver. It was so… him. Mysterious. Arrogant. Dangerous.
She should've thrown it away.
Instead, she put it in her purse.
Veloria's mornings came with headlines and hangovers. Lily sat in her penthouse kitchen, a coffee in one hand, her tablet in the other, scrolling through the media buzz.
"The Glass Room Opens With a Bang: Fashion, Power, and One Ice-Queen Behind It All."
Her name was there. So was a picture—her profile lit by rooftop lighting, half her face shadowed.
But in the background, someone had caught Ethan staring at her. Like she was the only woman in the city.
Lily's stomach twisted.
She hated that look. That heat.
Because it wasn't just desire. It was interest.
And interest meant risk.
---
She met her assistant, Naomi, at the agency's downtown office three hours later, already planning her next move.
"You okay, boss?" Naomi asked, glancing at her from behind a mountain of emails.
"I'm fine." Lily's tone was clipped. "Focus on the Marcelli gala. I want every media outlet talking about us."
But even as she tried to bury herself in work, Ethan lingered—like the aftertaste of something forbidden. She could still feel his fingers brushing her wrist. Hear his voice threading into her ear.
Lily hated distractions.
So when his name lit up her phone with a single message—"Lunch. Today. You pick the place."—she didn't reply.
She told herself she wouldn't.
An hour later, she was sitting across from him at a corner table in one of the city's most exclusive rooftop cafés.
"You move fast," she said, sipping her espresso. "I'm not used to men being this... persistent."
"I'm not used to women pretending they're not curious."
Ethan leaned forward, elbows on the table, dark eyes scanning her like she was something to be unwrapped slowly.
Lily leaned back. "What makes you think I'm curious?"
"You're here."
Touché.
She hated that he was right. Hated even more that part of her liked it.
He wore a different suit today—charcoal gray, with no tie. A scar peeked just beneath his collarbone. She shouldn't have noticed. But her eyes kept drifting. He didn't speak like the spoiled rich. He had stories in his silence. Ones she wasn't sure she wanted to hear.
"You're a contradiction," she said suddenly.
"And you're a fortress," he replied without missing a beat. "But I like puzzles."
She tilted her head. "You'll lose."
He smirked. "You say that like I'm here to win."
Their food arrived—unnecessary, really. Neither of them touched it.
"I looked you up," Lily said, sliding her fork through untouched salad. "Your father was a politician. Your brother overdosed five years ago. You vanished for two."
He stilled.
"I do my research," she added coolly.
"So do I," he said, lifting his glass. "Daughter of a luxury hotel tycoon. Turned her back on the family business. Rebuilt her name from the ashes. Broke her engagement. Twice."
Her smile faltered.
"I'm not ashamed of my past," she said.
"Good. Because I'm planning to be part of your future."
Silence.
Then Lily laughed—low, sharp. "You're insane."
"No. I'm interested."
"And I'm uninterested in men who think they can own me."
Ethan's voice dropped. "I don't want to own you, Lily. I want to unravel you."
The words hit her like a whisper with claws.
She stood suddenly. "This was a mistake."
He stayed seated. "No. This was inevitable."
Her heels clicked away on the stone floor. She didn't look back.
But God, she could still feel him watching.
---
That night, her dreams burned.
Veloria blurred around her in flashes—city lights, heated touches, Ethan's mouth against her neck, the promise of surrender wrapped in danger. When she woke, tangled in silk sheets and sweat, her heart was racing.
She didn't do this.
She didn't lose control.
Yet something about him cracked her rules—one by one.
A message buzzed on her phone at 3 a.m.
Ethan: You'll come back to me. They always do.
She stared at the words. Deleted them.
But her hands were shaking.