Axel's POV:
Going to this awards night was never part of my schedule.
My calendar had been full weeks in advance—meetings stacked on meetings, contracts waiting for signatures, decisions that couldn't be delayed. Events like this were usually delegated, smiled through by people who enjoyed small talk and cameras. I didn't.
But tonight, attendance wasn't optional.
It was responsibility.
From the head table where I sat, everything was visible. The entire hall stretched out before me, glowing beneath chandeliers and carefully placed lights. Every detail screamed money, power, influence. The kind of place where reputations were built—or destroyed—with a single conversation.
People looked exactly how they were supposed to look.
Elegant.
Polished.
Predictable.
I watched them through a detached lens, nodding when spoken to, lifting my glass when required, listening just enough to be polite. Years of experience had taught me how to exist in rooms like this without truly being present.
Then I saw her.
She didn't demand attention.
She didn't command the room.
She simply existed—and somehow, that was enough.
There was something tender about her, something soft that felt out of place among sharp suits and practiced smiles. Her lips caught my attention first—full, natural, the kind that curved into a smile without effort. Then her eyes. Observant. Alert. Slightly overwhelmed.
And her smile.
Genuine.
That was rare here.
She laughed at something someone said, a quiet, unguarded sound, and for a brief moment the noise of the room faded. I found myself studying details I had no business noticing—the way she moved her hands when she spoke, the gentle confidence in her posture, the way her dress hugged her curves without looking forced.
I didn't recognize her.
Which meant she was new.
That realization alone was enough to intrigue me.
My gaze followed her without conscious permission—and that was when I noticed whose arm she was holding.
Orion.
Her hand was locked with his as they moved through the crowd, and something about the sight unsettled me. Not because of jealousy—at least, not immediately—but because it didn't make sense.
I knew Orion.
He was professional to a fault. Careful. Strategic.
He didn't bring random companions to events like this.
They weren't dating. I was sure of that.
Which meant she was either an acquaintance… or an employee.
Interesting.
I leaned back slightly in my chair, eyes narrowing just a fraction as I watched them interact. The dynamic between them was subtle—respectful, slightly awkward, not intimate enough to suggest romance.
Good.
That meant I could ask questions later without crossing lines.
The event soon began in earnest.
Music softened. Conversations lowered. Glasses clinked in celebration as hosts took the stage. Applause rolled through the room in waves, polite but enthusiastic.
Awards nights always followed the same rhythm.
Speeches filled with gratitude.
Names announced with dramatic pauses.
Smiles stretched just a bit too wide.
Yet, despite having seen it all before, my attention kept drifting back to her.
She listened closely, clapping when appropriate, eyes shining with something that looked like awe. Not entitlement. Not boredom.
Wonder.
That alone told me she didn't belong to this world.
Not yet.
And for reasons I couldn't explain, that made me want to know her name.
To understand how someone like her ended up here.
As another round of applause echoed through the hall, I made a decision.
Before the night ended, I would find out exactly who she was.
Because some things—some people—were impossible to ignore once they caught your attention.
And she had caught mine.