"The strongest chains are made in pleasure."
That's what his father taught him just before he vanished.
The city lights bled through the windows in neon splendor, and there, Adrian leaned against the glass of his penthouse, his shirt half-open, and his fingers absently circling the rim of his glass. His eyes weren't on the skyline...
They were on her.
Eva Sinclair, red dress, bare shoulders, and eyes that said she was a dangerous person before she even spoke; the type of woman who'd destroy kingdoms with nothing but a whisper. And yet, here she was... sitting on his couch like prey pretending to be a predator.
"Why'd you invite me here?" she asked... one leg crossing over the other with a click of her heel.
Adrian smiled ; Calm, patient, and calculated.
"You want to know," he said... then continued after a brief moment, "why your pulse spiked when I said your name."
Her brow twitched before speech. "Excuse me?"
"You felt it. A pull." He stepped forward with one step, and certainly unhurried. "It's not love, not even lust. It's... curiosity pretending to be control."
She shifted not away, but forward, just closer to the edge of the couch.
Adrian's voice dropped an octave.
"Look into my eyes, Eva."
She heard perfectly, but still hesitated.
"Don't resist," he said softly like silk wrapping around the brain. "Don't try to win...just listen."
His gaze wasn't just intense; it moved hearts,It flowed hypnotically. Gold shimmered in his irises like liquid promise. She stared into his eyes and couldn't blink.
"Breathe in," he whispered. "And let go."
Her chest rose, doing as told.
"Good girl."
Her shoulders relaxed, and her fingers, which had been gripping her clutch now hung loosely. The world seemed to had dimmed around her edges.
"I'm not doing this," she said, her voice soft but unsure.
"You already are," Adrian replied.
He knelt beside her, his mouth near her ear.
"I don't steal minds, my girl, I loosen them. Whatever you're hiding, I'm just... showing you how much you crave it. The only person who can give you what you covet...is me"
She whimpered, a sound she didn't mean to make.
"You've been pretending to be in control for too long, Eva. Let someone else drive... just for tonight."
The city roared outside. Inside, silence had dominated the space. Almost...hypnotic.
Adrian stood and turned away leaving her in her trance, his eyes half-lidded, and lips parted slightly. That is when everything fell to silence, scenes fading into a darkness so profound, it soothed the woman's heart.
One woman down, or is she? Would others come soon? The game had just begun and all it needed were players.
Midnight... Eva stood in the mirror, smudged lipstick and wide eyes, and struggling to remember how she got home.
The only thing she remembered was his voice.
"Good girl."
Eva tried to resist the aftereffects of Adrian's hypnosis, if it is hypnosis, even hiring a private investigator to dig into his past but found herself fantasizing about him instead. Meanwhile, Adrian was already setting his sights on a certain woman, Irene Moreau ; a cunning heiress from a rival family. For what reasons? Only Adrian knew.
As he walked into her charity gala ... masked and charming, Eva received a mysterious envelope at her doorstep... Inside: a photo of her under hypnosis, or Adrian's clutches.
And a note for final touches.
"You weren't the first."
Eva's hand trembled and she turned the photo over only to see one word written in red ink..."Next."
Eva's voice dropped low, still trembling beneath her breath,
"I will not forget this, I will come for you. One way or another."