MAYA'S POV
The kettle whistled, and Maya hurried to lift it from the stove before it woke the entire apartment building. She poured the hot water over a bag of tea, breathing in the calming scent as if it could chase away the memory of dark, unreadable eyes that had been haunting her since last night.
Adrian Blackwall.
She rolled the name around in her head again, half-annoyed at herself for even remembering it. Men like him belonged in glossy magazines, on headlines that spoke of empires and scandals untouchable, worlds apart from hers. She had no business letting him occupy space in her thoughts. And yet, the look he had given her lingered, Intense, Curious, Almost… searching.
The sharp knock on her door startled her, and she nearly spilled the tea.
"Maya! Open up before I freeze to death!"
She blinked, then broke into a grin. That voice. She rushed to the door and swung it open.
"Kim!" Oh my God!
Her best friend practically leapt into her arms, suitcase trailing behind. Kim smelled like sunshine, her laugh loud and unrestrained as always. "God, it feels good to be back. Do you know how much I missed you? And your special delicacies? God, I missed your cooking but you know I missed you more right?
They both roared with laughter, "Trust you to start with food. When did you land?"
"Just an hour ago. Straight from Korea, and my Uber driver thinks I'm insane because I kept asking him about life in London."
They dissolved into laughter the apartment suddenly brighter, fuller, more alive. Kim's energy was like a spark where Maya was thoughtful, quiet, Kim was bold, unfiltered. It was why they worked, why they always had.
"So," Kim said, dropping onto the couch and patting the seat beside her. "Tell me everything I missed. Start with the juicy stuff. Who's the guy?"
Maya froze mid-sip of her tea. "What guy?"
Kim raised a brow. "Please. I know that look. You've been thinking about someone. Spill."
Heat crept up Maya's neck. She shook her head quickly. "It's nothing. Just… I saw someone I never thought I'd ever see yesterday. That's all."
Kim's grin widened. "Maya, the way you're avoiding eye contact tells me it's definitely not just someone. Who is he?"
Maya hesitated, torn between telling the truth and protecting herself from the inevitable storm Kim's curiosity would unleash. "He's… complicated. The kind of man who doesn't belong in my world."
Kim leaned forward, eyes sparkling. "Which makes him exactly the kind of man I need to hear about. Come on. Details."
Maya bit her lip. Images of Adrian flooded her mind the expensive suit, the calm authority in his voice, the strange way he had looked at her like she wasn't invisible. "His name's Adrian," she admitted softly.
Kim gasped, clutching her chest dramatically. "Finally! Maya meets a man who isn't a walking disappointment. Okay, what's the catch? Rich? Married? Both?"
Maya laughed, though it came out nervous. "Rich. Very rich."
Kim's grin faltered just a little, her sharp instincts kicking in. "How rich are we talking? Like CEO rich?"
Maya lowered her voice. "Like… billionaire heir rich."
Silence. Then Kim whistled low. "Oh, girl. That's either the beginning of a fairytale… or a disaster waiting to happen."
Maya sighed, leaning back against the couch. "Exactly. Which is why I'm pretending it never happened."
But deep down, she knew pretending would be impossible.
What she didn't know was that at that very same moment, across the city, Adrian Blackwell sat in his glass tower, turning her name over in his mind the way she turned his.
And neither of them realized they were already entangled in something neither could escape.