The penthouse was unusually quiet that night. The kind of silence that pressed in on Amelia, making her aware of every rustle of the sheets, every faint hum of the city beyond the glass walls.
She lay awake in her bed, eyes fixed on the ceiling as her thoughts refused to settle. The gala replayed itself in fragments pearls and chandeliers, murmurs of envy, Adrian's sharp defense when the whispers grew cruel, and the steady anchor of his hand on hers.
Her lips pressed into a thin line. No matter how she tried to reason with herself, the memory clung. She shouldn't feel this. She couldn't. Adrian Kane wasn't some fairytale savior; he was her billionaire boss, bound to her by a contract, not a promise. A man who was used to getting what he wanted no matter the cost.
And yet… her heart betrayed her, skipping each time she remembered the quiet intensity of his voice when he'd spoken in her defense.
Amelia turned onto her side with a groan, shoving the blanket down as though that could suffocate the thoughts plaguing her. Sleep wasn't coming. Not tonight.
With a reluctant sigh, she slipped from bed. Maybe water would help clear the chaos in her chest. Her bare feet whispered against the polished floor as she padded through the dim hallway.
That's when she noticed it, a faint glow spilling from beneath the door of the study. She paused. At nearly midnight, what was Adrian doing awake?
Curiosity tugged at her, harder than caution. Quietly, she drifted closer and pressed her palm against the doorframe, peeking through the small gap.
The sight stole the breath straight from her lungs.
Adrian sat behind his desk, not the untouchable titan she was used to seeing but something far more disarming. His jacket was tossed carelessly over a chair, his tie abandoned in a crumpled heap on the floor. His shirt sleeves were rolled up, revealing forearms tight with strain. A glass of whiskey sat forgotten by his hand.
And his head was bowed, his palms braced against his face, shoulders rigid as though he were holding back an avalanche.
For the first time since meeting him, Adrian Kane didn't look untouchable. He looked human. Wounded. Alone.
Something in Amelia's chest twisted. She should walk away. She knew she should. But her feet carried her inside before reason could catch up.
"Adrian?" Her voice was soft, uncertain.
His head snapped up instantly, storm-dark eyes locking on hers. "What are you doing here?" His tone was sharp, a blade against the quiet.
She shifted under his gaze. "I… couldn't sleep. I saw the light."
His expression shuttered, the mask sliding back into place as quickly as it had cracked. "You should be in bed."
But Amelia didn't move. She stepped closer, heart in her throat. "You're upset."
For a fleeting second, something flickered in his eyes, but then he smirked, bitter and cold. "You assume too much."
Her arms crossed instinctively, a small shield against the distance he tried to put between them. "You think that makes you strong? hiding behind walls. But it doesn't. It just makes you… lonely."
The word lingered in the air like a match struck in the dark.
Adrian's gaze pinned her in silence, and Amelia braced for the inevitable order to leave. Instead, he exhaled a low, humorless laugh.
"Lonely," he echoed, the word tasting foreign on his tongue. "You think you know me, Amelia? You don't. You have no idea what it takes to keep everything standing."
Her heart squeezed. "Then tell me."
His jaw tightened, the muscles working as though the truth resisted clawing its way out. His fist curled on the desk, knuckles paling. For a long moment, the only sound was the steady tick of the clock on the wall. Then his voice broke the silence, rougher, rawer than she'd ever heard.
"Every deal I make, every risk I take...it isn't just about me. Thousands of people depend on Kane Industries. Their jobs. Their families. If I fail, they suffer. That's the weight I carry. Every. Single. Day."
Her breath caught. Beneath the arrogance, beneath the steel control, Adrian carried a burden she had never considered.
She moved closer, until she was right in front of the desk, the space between them charged and fragile. Her voice softened. "And when it gets too heavy… who carries you?"
His head snapped up, eyes locking onto hers, unguarded for the briefest heartbeat. And in that look raw, searching Amelia felt the walls between them tremble.
Her hand lifted before she could stop herself. Tentative, trembling, she brushed her fingers across his fist.
Adrian inhaled sharply, his body stiffening at the touch. But then… slowly… his hand relaxed beneath hers. Warm. Human. Real.
"Careful, Amelia," he murmured, voice low, dangerous in the way it caressed her skin more than her ears. "You don't know what you're playing with."
Her pulse thrashed, but she didn't move her hand. "Maybe I'm not playing."
The words hovered between them, fragile and daring.
Adrian rose from his chair, deliberate and slow, until he stood towering over her. His presence engulfed her, heat rolling off him, the air itself thick with something she could hardly name. His hand lifted, stopping just short of her cheek, fingers trembling in restraint.
For one stolen second, she swore he would close the gap. Her lips parted in anticipation.
Then, with a strangled curse, he tore himself away. His hand dropped, his back turning to her like a shield.
"You should go," he said, voice hoarse. "Before I forget the rules."
Her heart twisted, but she obeyed. She turned, each step away from him heavy, her pulse still frantic with the echo of what almost happened.
Back in her room, she leaned against the closed door, breathing hard, her lips tingling with the ghost of a kiss that never came.
Something had shifted tonight. She had seen Adrian Kane's cracks, his humanity and it was dangerous.
Because the real risk wasn't the contract.
It was falling for him.