Dominic's POV – continued
The next morning, Dominic sat in his penthouse office, skyscrapers bowing in the distance beyond the floor-to-ceiling glass. His suit was impeccable, every button precise, but his mind was... restless.
He stared at the espresso going cold beside him. A full inbox blinked on his monitor—shares shifting, mergers pending, funds climbing.
None of it mattered today.
His gaze kept drifting to the untouched napkin on the corner of his desk.
Black satin. Lipstick-stained.
She had left it behind when she was taken.
It wasn't his habit to keep personal items. But something about this made him pause. It was absurd—out of character.
But still.
He reached for it, letting the fabric slide through his fingers like a whisper.
"I let her go," he murmured. "Why?"
She could have been dangerous. Could have lied. Could've ruined his plan.
But he had believed her.
He never trusted strangers. Not since—
He clenched his jaw, cutting the thought short.
"Mr. Vale."
James's voice snapped through the intercom.
"What?"
"We've identified her. The woman from last night."
Dominic's hand stilled. "Go on."
"Her name's Ava Ellis. Runs a flower shop downtown on weekends. Comes from a normal middle-class family. Lives alone. Nothing out of the ordinary. But…"
"But?"
"She also works weekdays in a corporate firm. Seems like she's currently looking for a new opportunity. She applied for a position in ValeTech's R&D Strategy Division two weeks ago. Her resume's… quite solid."
Dominic raised a brow. "Qualified?"
The secretary nodded. "Yes, sir. Very."
"Do we know why she was at Parachute last night?"
"Her friends invited her," James said. ".. To overcome her....Breakup ."
There was moment of silence.
"And the reason behind her joining new company? " He asked raising his eyebrow and in plane tone.
"That... Her ex boyfriend works near her current company and she even has changed her apartment "
There was a silence but even suddenly it felt like the air had turned cold.
After a moment of pause he smirked and said "find out everything" in a cold and deep voice.
"Yes sir" James bowed and left the room.
He looked at the file in his hand, the photo attached. Black and white, professional. Nothing like the girl in that race. Nothing like the one tied to a chair.
What are you , Ava Ellis?
He wasn't sure yet.
But he would find out.
And next time, it wouldn't be by accident.
It would be deliberate.
___
Ava's POV – That Same Day
Ava stood in front of the full-length mirror at her shop, brushing through her tangled hair and still cursing under her breath.
"Dammit… bruised," she muttered, poking at her wrist. "I swear if I ever see that man again—"
The chime of the bell interrupted her.
She turned, expecting a customer.
Instead, Diana burst in with a gust of spring air, flanked by Leah.
"Ava!" Diana gasped. "We've been calling you all night!"
"Where were you?" Leah demanded. "We thought you ditched us!"
Ava opened her mouth. Closed it.
And then, for the first time since last night, she laughed.
A real one. Dry, borderline hysterical. "You… won't believe me."
Both women blinked.
"Oh no," Diana said slowly. "You did something."
"She definitely did something," Leah added, folding her arms. "What happened?"
Ava sighed. "I got abducted."
They stared at her.
"...What?" they said in unison.
She flopped onto a bench and rubbed her temples. "They tied me to a chair. Interrogated me. Thought I was someone else. Then this shadow-man let me go. And now I have no idea why I'm not panicking. It's like my brain's still buffering."
Leah slowly sat. Diana grabbed her hand.
"You're serious," Diana whispered.
"Yup."
"You okay?" Leah asked, tone softening.
Ava nodded. "Weirdly, yeah. Just bruised. A little shaken. But there's this… thing bothering me."
"What?"
"That man." She looked up. "I couldn't see his face. But I swear I knew him. From somewhere."
She paused, then added softly, "And for some reason… I didn't feel scared."
Dominic's POV – Same Evening
He was back in the surveillance room.
He shouldn't have come.
But he rewound the footage anyway—back to the moment she had looked directly into the camera and muttered "jerk."
He smirked.
Even tied up, she was composed. Angry, sure—but brave. Not afraid of him. Not begging. Not trembling.
She was different.
And Dominic Vale, the man who felt nothing for years, felt that difference like a spark on dry wood.
She shouldn't matter.
He had enough enemies. Enough messes. Enough shadows.
But her eyes—blue like glaciers with embers hidden beneath—had burned into him.
And he wasn't done watching.
He would find out more. About why she made him forget his rules.
And then—
Then he'd decide what to do with the chaos named Ava Ellis.