Zara left before the night fully ended. She politely walked out during the final toast, ignoring Lucien's lingering glance. She requested a ride through her phone, after declining the Blackwood chauffeur's offer… she would not take that. Without hesitation, she quietly took a private cab back to her apartment in Brooklyn.
She didn't speak much during the ride. Her mind was loud enough replaying every word, every smile, every calculated move. She got home, locked the door behind her, and leaned against it, heels still on, heart still at war.
She was falling… but the mission was not about that. She was determined to keep it rolling till she was done with him.
Days have passed and everything seemed to be cooling off so fast. But thoughts of revenge still lingered in her heart. On a certain morning in her office, her assistant, Clara, knocked once before stepping in, holding a silver-trimmed envelope. "This came for you, Zara. No return address."
Curious, Zara accepted it, her fingers gliding over the weighty cardstock. Inside was a crisp invitation- simple, elegant, and unmistakably Blackwood. A private meeting. No details. Only date, time and venue. Her pulse quickened. "What could this invitation be about?". Yeah, she was hoping for her plans to pull through but she still seemed confused at this untagged invitation.
Later that afternoon, she dressed so sweetly in beige and with confidence. Zara arrived at the soaring glass tower that loomed like a sentinel over Manhattan. The lobby was all sharp edges and curated silence-power in architecture. She was led to the 58th floor, where Lucien awaited her in a sun-drenched room lined with abstract art and the scent of sandalwood.
He rose as she entered, impeccably dressed, his presence as commanding as the building itself. "Zara," he greeted, wearing a faint smile
"Thank you, Zara, for coming."
She took a seat across from Him. Crossing her legs with the same precision she used to cut patterns. "I came for the curiosity," she said plainly. "What is it you want?"
Lucien did not waste time. "A collaboration. Your designs, your brand-partnered with Blackwood Lux. Full creative control. Global exposure and a wide range of significant deals. The kind of reach most designers only dream of."
Zara raised a brow, processing the whole thing. The offer was...Monumental. But with Lucien Blackwood, nothing came without layers. " Why me?"
She asked, her voice calm but guarded.
He leaned forward slightly, his gaze steady. "Because you're brilliant. You see the world differently, and I invest in vision. Not just trends."
There it was again -that mix of administration and calculation. Zara felt the familiar stir of caution rise in her chest. Yet, beneath lies, something else flickered. A hunger to rise. To reclaim. And this deal might just be the launchpad.
She tilted her head. "I'll need everything in writing. No fine print. No surprises."
Lucien smirked faintly, as though he expected nothing less. "Of course."
As they stood and shook hands, the air shifted. Her skin tingled where their fingers met. He held her gaze a heartbeat longer than necessary, and for a moment, the business veneer slipped. There was something almost magnetic there -dangerous, unspoken.
That night, back in her apartment, trying to connect the dots, she opened her window and let the cool breeze fill the space. The city pulsed beneath her, alive with secrets. Her phone buzzed. An unknown number. Just a sentence:
"Be careful. The Blackwoods destroy everything they touch."
She stared at the screen, heart tightening- but her eyes hardened.
Well, let them try.