The city never slept.
Lights flickered endlessly across towering skyscrapers, expensive cars gliding through the streets like silent predators. Laughter spilled from high-end restaurants, while somewhere in the shadows, deals were being made—dangerous, powerful, unseen.
This was a city of two worlds.
And Aurora Romano belonged to neither.
A sharp knock echoed through the small apartment.
"Aurora! You're going to be late again!"
"I'm coming!" she called back, her voice slightly breathless.
Inside the cramped room, clothes were scattered across the bed as she hurriedly pulled on a fitted cream blouse. Her fingers trembled slightly as she buttoned it wrong the first time."Ugh…" she groaned softly, quickly fixing it.
Today mattered.
No—today had to matter.
She stepped back, grabbing a simple black skirt and slipping it on. It hugged her figure just enough to look professional without trying too hard. Her long dark hair fell over her shoulders in soft waves, slightly messy from rushing.
Aurora paused in front of the mirror.
For a moment, she just stared.
Not at her reflection… but at everything behind it.
The peeling paint. The small space. The life she was trying so hard to escape.
Her lips pressed together.
"You can do this," she whispered to herself.
Grabbing her bag, she rushed out.
The company building stood like a statement of power.Tall. Imposing. Untouchable.
The martini holdings
Aurora slowed down as she reached the entrance, her heels clicking nervously against the polished ground. People walked in and out confidently, dressed in expensive suits, their conversations sharp and purposeful.
She swallowed.
Then stepped inside.
The air was different.
Cold. Controlled. Perfect.
Aurora approached the front desk, forcing a polite smile.
"Good morning, I'm here for an interview—"
The receptionist didn't even look up at first.
"Name?" she said flatly, clearly uninterested.
"Aurora Romano."
Now the woman looked up—slowly.Her eyes scanned Aurora from head to toe.
Once.
Twice.
And the judgment was obvious.
"Interview?" she repeated, her tone laced with disbelief. "For this company?"
Aurora's fingers tightened around her bag.
"Yes."
The receptionist let out a small, unimpressed hum before tapping lazily on her keyboard.
"You're early. Sit over there and wait."
No smile. No courtesy.
Just dismissal.
Aurora nodded anyway.
"Thank you."She turned, walking toward the waiting area, pretending she didn't feel the weight of the woman's gaze still on her back.
Then suddenly—
The atmosphere shifted.
It wasn't loud.
It wasn't obvious.
But it was there.
Like the air itself had tightened.
Aurora felt it before she saw it.
A quiet tension.
A presence.
People near the entrance straightened slightly. Conversations lowered. Even the receptionist quickly adjusted her posture, her expression changing in an instant.Aurora frowned, her curiosity pulling her eyes toward the glass doors.
And then—
He walked in.
Tall.
Sharp.
Dressed in a perfectly tailored dark suit that seemed to command attention without effort.
His face was calm… almost cold. But it was his eyes—
Dark.
Intense.
The kind that didn't just look at you… but through you.
Aurora's breath caught for a second.
She didn't even realize she was staring.Until—
His gaze shifted.
And for the briefest moment…
Their eyes met.
Something strange flickered in her chest.
Unfamiliar.
Unsettling.
And then just as quickly—
He looked away.
Like she didn't exist.
Aurora blinked, her heart beating a little faster than it should.
"…Who is that?" she whispered softly.
The receptionist's voice came from behind, quieter now—almost respectful."That," she said, "is the CEO."
Aurora turned slightly, her eyes drifting back to the man disappearing into the private elevator.
She didn't know why…
But something told her—
This wasn't the last time their paths would cross.