"Airam, you'll be going with the boss for the bidding," Jeff announced it like it was good news. Airam turned sharply.
"What? Why me? Why not someone else? I'm not going anywhere with anyone."
Jeff sighed, rubbing his temples like he already knew this battle was coming.
"Airam… come on. Everyone is afraid of the boss." He lowered his voice.
"But the boss is afraid of you. We need this deal. If the competitors get that land, Acacia is gone. You're our charm, our fire, our lucky sign. Please."
Around them, the entire team stared at her like she was their only hope. Airam swallowed. The project mattered. Her dream mattered. Her future and the future of her family depended on this project.
And avoiding Harry forever… Well, that was impossible. She exhaled slowly.
"Fine. But I'm doing this for the project. Because it means a lot to me."
Jeff grinned. "We know."
When Airam finally stepped out of her hotel room, the hallway froze.
She wore a fitted black gown, looking elegant, dangerous, and entirely unforgettable. Her hair fell in soft waves, makeup subtle but striking.
She looked like she owned the entire hotel building.
Even though Harry was already waiting downstairs, he looked up from his phone and stared. Not a casual glance, and it was not a professional acknowledgment.
It was a full, startled, slow stare that he couldn't hide. He walked toward her, offering his hand.
Airam didn't even blink. She swept right past him and slid into the Rolls-Royce like she was born there.
Harry stood there for half a second, jaw tightening, impressed, frustrated, and a little amused.
Then he got in beside her.
The car felt too quiet. Too soft. Too intimate.
The space between them buzzed with something neither wanted to name.
Airam kept her eyes forward, pretending she didn't notice every time Harry's gaze drifted to her. Harry sat still, pretending he wasn't… affected. No words. Just silence.
And the weight of everything he wasn't saying.
The moment the car stopped at the event center, the driver rushed to Harry's side, opening his door.
Airam reached for her own handle, but nothing. She tried again, but it was stuck.
She frowned, trying every button she could find. Behind the car, Harry let out the softest, smug sigh.
Then in that gentle, deep voice that made her spine tighten, he said,
"Easy, fire flower."
Airam snapped her head his way, but before she could complain, he was already there. Harry opened her door himself, smoothly, elegantly, the way a man opens a door for someone he respects. Or… someone who affects him.
He extended his hand again.
"Please, Miss Airam. People are watching. I'm just being a gentleman."
His voice was so calm, so controlled, like he expected her to burn him, but he didn't mind the flames.
Airam stared at his hand. At the door. At all, the faces that were turning toward them.
She inhaled slowly.
Then she stepped out without taking his hand, her posture tall, her heels clicking against marble like a challenge.
Her gown shimmered, and her presence demanded attention.
People whispered. Who is she? Is she the CEO's partner? Is she royalty?
Harry walked one step behind her, eyes fixed on her back, face unreadable.
But inside?
He looked like a man fighting hard not to smile.
And losing.