The invitation was strange. A sleek black envelope. No assistant, no signature—only a single handwritten line in gold ink:
"Poweranswers toinstinct. – D.A."
Inside was a time, a place, and nothing more.
Ava arrived at the rooftop of the location.The place oozed wealth—glass panels, private fire pits.
But her eyes found him immediately.
Dante Ashcroft stood alone at the edge, city skyline behind him, his silhouette sharp.
He turned before she even stepped fully onto the terrace, as if he'd sensed her.
Her heels clicked against the tiles as she approached. "You're dramatic."
"You're late," he said smoothly.
She sat without being asked. "So, what's so urgent you had to stalk my office door?"
Dante studied her for a long moment, eyes a strange amber that flickered in the firelight. He unnerved her. Ava couldn't look away—and for a second, her pulse betrayed her.
"I'm offering you protection," he said.
"I didn't ask for your help."
"Not yet," he murmured.
He laid a folder on the table between them. Inside were evidence. Sterling board members taking bribes. Shell companies. Whispers of a hostile takeover.
Ava barely blinked. "How do you have this?"
"I see everything," Dante said.
"I want a partnership," he continued. "Six months. We merge our empires in the public eye. I'll stabilize Sterling. You'll be untouchable."
"In return?" she asked.
"You attend galas with me. Appear by my side. Make it look real."
"And after that?"
"You decide what's next ."he replied.
" Fine," she said.
She studied him, trying to read between the lines. There must be something he wanted from this but she couldn't pinpoint what it was, she was torn and yet, every time she met his gaze, her body reacted before her mind could.
Heat rose up her spine. Her skin prickled.
She felt… drawn.
Dante tilted his head slowly, gaze burning into hers. "You feel it too, don't you?"
Ava's breath caught. "Feel what?"
His voice was low, almost reverent. "The bond."
She stood. "What bond?, you're crazy."
"Maybe," he said, rising too. "But instinct doesn't lie."
As she turned to leave, his voice followed her like a whisper on the wind.
"You're mine, Ava. Even if you don't know it yet."
And deep down—beneath all logic and betrayal, she couldn't refute it