Chapter One: The Engagement
The Grand Royal Ballroom gleamed like a cathedral of glass and gold, drenched in light and lavish decor. Crystal chandeliers spilled diamonds across the marble floors, while violet orchids bloomed in silver vases at every table. Laughter rang like bells, echoing off the high ceilings. Waiters in black uniforms moved with military precision, offering champagne in tall flutes and canapés that looked like tiny works of art.
Ava Carter stood at the center of it all, a porcelain figure in a storm of wealth and admiration. Her gown shimmered like liquid moonlight — custom-made silk, cinched at the waist, sleeveless, with delicate beading down her back. Her hair was swept into a soft updo, strands curled perfectly to frame her face. Around her neck, a diamond choker from the Cross family collection glittered under the lights. It weighed more than it sparkled.
She smiled. She laughed. She waved. But inside, she was counting the seconds.
"You look like royalty," someone murmured as they passed her.
"You're a lucky man, Daniel."
Her fiancé, Daniel Cross, nodded graciously, his hand firm on the small of her back. Daniel — the prince of the city's most powerful dynasty. Perfectly styled blond hair, gleaming white smile, tailored tuxedo sharp enough to slice glass.
And eyes like ice.
Ava felt them tracking every guest, every camera angle, every toast. Not because he cared, but because perception was everything.
"She's the real prize," he whispered in her ear as they stepped onto the center floor for their engagement dance. "Just don't forget who gave you the crown."
Ava's spine stiffened under the silk. She tilted her head up, smiled at the ceiling lights as the orchestra began to play.
She had been trained for this moment. Trained to walk in heels that cost more than rent, to speak without offense, to smile even when her stomach twisted.
But no one trained her for regret.
Later, after the toasts and the speeches, after the clink of crystal and endless photos, Ava excused herself from the table. Daniel was already deep in conversation with a senator's son and the CEO of a hedge fund, trading jokes about billion-dollar deals and media powerhouses.
She slipped onto the balcony.
The night air hit her like a splash of cold water, washing away the heaviness of the ballroom. Below her, the city pulsed — neon, restless, alive. It reminded her that the world still spun beyond designer walls.
She gripped the stone railing, breathing in.
"You don't strike me as the party type."
The voice came from behind, smooth and low — like velvet drawn across broken glass.
She turned, heart skipping a beat.
A man stood in the shadows — tall, broad-shouldered, dressed in a black suit that clung like second skin. His shirt was open at the collar, tie loosened, like he'd walked out of a fashion magazine but didn't care to stay in it. He looked maybe thirty, with dark hair swept back and stubble that gave him a permanent five o'clock edge.
But it was his eyes that held her — gray, stormy, dangerous.
"Excuse me?" she said, straightening.
"You don't like crowds," he said simply, stepping forward. "You looked like you were holding your breath back there."
"Do I know you?" she asked, cautious.
"No," he said with a flicker of a smirk. "But you will."
Ava narrowed her eyes. "You weren't on the guest list."
"You're right. I wasn't invited."
Her pulse quickened. "Then why are you here?"
He moved closer, hands in his pockets, like he wasn't afraid of anything — not security, not her, not even Daniel Cross. "Maybe I came to see what kind of woman agrees to marry the most ruthless man in New York."
She should have walked away. Called a guard. Gone back inside.
But instead, she asked, "And what did you find out?"
He tilted his head. "Still figuring that out."
Silence stretched between them. The air thickened. Ava's heartbeat was louder than the city below.
He was beautiful in a dangerous, ruinous way. A man who didn't care about power because he already had his own. A man with secrets.
"Who are you?" she whispered.
His eyes sharpened. "Liam. Liam Blackwood."
The name hit her like a slap.
Liam Blackwood.
Daniel's nemesis. The man who'd stolen a million-dollar contract right out from under Cross Enterprises. The man who'd built his tech empire without a drop of inherited wealth. The man the press called "The Wolf of the Underdogs."
Daniel hated him. Feared him.
And here he was — on her balcony.
"You should leave," she said, her voice suddenly hoarse.
Liam didn't move. "Is that what you want?"
She hesitated. "Yes."
But she didn't mean it. And something in his eyes said he knew.
He leaned forward just enough that she could smell him — cedarwood, spice, danger. His voice dropped.
"You don't belong to him."
Her chest ached. "You don't know anything about me."
"Then why do you look so sad when no one's watching?"
Ava froze. For a second, she wasn't Ava Carter the debutante fiancée. She wasn't wearing borrowed diamonds or holding someone's future in her palm.
She was just a girl. Lost. Angry. Afraid.
"I have to go," she said quickly, brushing past him.
But before she could step inside, the door swung open.
Daniel.
His eyes zeroed in on Liam instantly.
"What the hell is this?"
"Daniel—"
"Security!" Daniel barked, stepping in front of Ava protectively, though his body language screamed possessiveness.
Liam didn't flinch. He didn't even blink.
"I was just leaving," he said coolly, brushing past them both.
But before he disappeared down the marble hallway, he paused and turned to Ava.
"I'll see you again, Ava. That I promise."
And then he was gone.
Daniel slammed the door behind them when they reached their private lounge.
"What the hell was he doing here?" he growled.
"I don't know," Ava said, still shaken.
"Don't lie to me."
"I'm not lying! I stepped out for air and he was already on the balcony."
Daniel's jaw clenched. "What did he say?"
Ava hesitated. "Nothing important."
He grabbed her arm. Not roughly — but not gently either.
"If he ever speaks to you again," he said in a low, icy voice, "you walk away. Immediately. Do you understand?"
She stared at him, suddenly seeing the cracks beneath the polish. The control. The arrogance. The anger.
"I'm not a child, Daniel."
"You're my fiancée," he snapped. "Which means you're part of the Cross family now. And that man is a threat to everything we've built."
Ava pulled her arm free, spine straight. "Then maybe you should ask why he's willing to risk everything just to talk to me."
Daniel's face darkened.
Ava turned and left the room before he could answer.
She didn't sleep that night.
Every time she closed her eyes, she didn't see diamonds or chandeliers.
She saw Liam Blackwood.
And for the first time in a long time, she felt alive.