Chapter 1
The break
Lianna Chen sat across from Ethan park in the quite corner of the rooftop cafe, her fingers curled tightly around the steaming cup of green tea she had ordered but hasn't touched. The view of the glittering city skyline stretched behind him, but tonight it felt cold, distant just like him. Ethan's eyes once warm and filled with mischief, avoided hers he tapped his thump against the the table as though the silence was suffocating him, though he had been the one who asked her to meet. "Lianna"He finally exhaled, the sound heavy with something final. "We can't do this anymore." Her breath caught."do what?" "This" gesturing vaguely between them. "US.i ... I've fallen in love with someone else." The words landed like a blade to her chest. For a moment, she thought she hadn't heard him correctly."what do you mean?" Her voice trembled. " You- you're joking right?" Ethan's jaw tightened. He still wouldn't meet her eyes. " I'm sorry. I didn't plan it , but it happened. It's not fair to you if I stay when my heart is somewhere else." Her tea trembled in her hands. She set it down quickly before she spilled it. "After everything, Ethan? After three years - you're just walking away? Just like that?" " I didn't mean for it to be like this," he muttered, his voice low but firm. " It's better this way. You'll understand eventually." Lianna swallowed hard, fighting back tears that Burned in her eyes. She wanted to scream, demand who the girl was, demand why, demand if she had done something wrong. But her pride was louder. She refused to fall apart in front of him. " Fine" she whispered. "If you've already made up your mind, I won't beg ." That finally made him look at her - guilt flashed in his eyes, quickly smothered by resolved. "I'm sorry Lianna." She didn't answer. She simply stood, her heels clicking against the floor as she walked away, her head held high even though her heart was breaking into pieces with every step. The city lights blurried through her year, and she wrapped her coat tighter around her body as if it could hold her together. She didn't notice the sleeck black car parked across the street, not the man sitting inside with a perfect view of her retreating figure. Adrian Park's hands rested on the steering wheel, his expression unreasonable as he watched Lianna disappear into the night. His nephew's foolishness didn't suprise him - Ethan was careless, impulsive, too shallow to see what he was throwing away. But Adrian saw. He had always had seen. Lianna Chen was more beautiful she was resilient, graceful even in pain, the kind of woman who could silence a room without even trying. And now, she was free. The thought ignited something dangerous in him. Everyone in the city feared Adrian park - the ruthless CEO, the man whose presence made boardrooms fall silent and and competitor crumble. Even his own family treaded carefully around him. He was power personified, a man who never lost. And for years, he had stayed silent, suppressing the quite, forbidden yearning every time he saw her smile at Ethan. But tonight, As he watched her walk away from heartbreak, something inside him shifted. His chance had come. And Adrian park was not a man who let opportunities slip away. Lianna stumbles into her apartment an hour later, kicking off her heels before collapsing on the couch. Her chest ached as if Ethan's words had carved straight through her. Her phone buzzed with a message from her best friend, Maya Li
Maya: how did it go? Are you okay?
Lianna's fingers hovered over the screen before she typed back:
Lianna: he ended it.
The reply came instantly:
Maya Li: I'm coming over. Don't move.
Lianna dropped her phone onto the couch, pressing her face into her hands. She wanted to forget the look in Ethan's eyes, the finality of his voice. She wanted to believe she could move on. But somewhere in the city, in a penthouse office that overlooked the glowing skyline, a man was already thinking of her - not with guilt or regret, but with absolute certainty. Adrian park had waited long enough. And soon, Lianna would no longer remember the name Ethan park with pain. She would remember Adrian - with fear with fire, with love.