The elevator doors slid open with a soft ding.
Siena Laurent stepped into the thirty-seventh floor of Astor Enterprises like she belonged there—because she did. Her heels clicked against the marble, her hair tied into a sleek ponytail that bounced behind her with effortless elegance. Her aura wasn't loud, but it drew attention like gravity. She had that rare balance of beauty and quiet confidence, the kind that made you look twice without even realizing why.
Elias Raines, CEO of the multibillion-dollar empire, stood in his office just beyond the glass walls, holding a crystal tumbler filled with something amber and untouched. His eyes were fixed on her. Again.
He told himself he was just curious. She was a new hire in the marketing department. Bright. Sharp. Beautiful, of course. But that wasn't the reason he watched her.
It was something else.
Something deeper.
He'd dated before, casually, sometimes recklessly. But love? That had never touched him. Until now—until her.
The moment Siena first walked into the boardroom two weeks ago, Elias felt something punch through the cold wall he'd built around his life. And he hated that he couldn't shake her from his thoughts.
"Staring again?" his assistant Claire said with a smirk as she handed him a tablet with the latest acquisition numbers.
Elias didn't deny it. He just turned and said, "Have HR send me her profile again. I want to know more about her."
Claire raised an eyebrow. "You already know everything. NYU grad. Fluent in French. Interned at a media firm in Paris. Clean record, excellent reviews. She's here to work, not to fall in love."
But Elias wasn't listening anymore.
Later that afternoon, Siena sat alone in the breakroom, stirring sugar into her coffee when a shadow fell across the counter.
"You always take your coffee sweet?"
The voice was smooth. Confident. And entirely unfamiliar.
She turned.
The man wasn't wearing a company badge. In fact, everything about him screamed not from here—the black leather jacket, the tattoos peeking from under his collar, the cocky smirk on his lips.
"Who are you?" Siena asked, gripping the coffee cup a little tighter.
He smiled, and it was disarming.
"Call me Luca."
Luca D'Angelo.
She'd heard the name whispered in rumors on the street. His family ran one of the most dangerous mafia operations in the city. But seeing him now, so close, so intense—it didn't match the legends. He looked like a man who could destroy things without blinking, yet the way he was looking at her felt oddly… tender.
"You shouldn't be here," she said carefully, stepping back.
"I'm not here for the company." He leaned in, eyes flickering down to her lips. "I'm here for you."
That night, Elias watched security footage on his private monitor. He shouldn't have had access—technically, at least—but he always kept tabs on who entered his building.
And Luca D'Angelo had no damn business being near Siena.
The fire in Elias's chest wasn't just jealousy—it was rage.
He had done his research. Luca was dangerous. The type of man who broke rules, bones, and hearts without remorse.
Siena deserved better.
She deserved someone who respected her. Cherished her. Protected her.
Elias's jaw clenched.
That someone would be him.
The next morning, Siena found a single white rose on her desk.
No note.
Just a soft, perfect bloom with dew still clinging to the petals.
She picked it up, unsure who it was from—though part of her already knew.
Her heart had been doing strange things lately, especially when Elias passed by her office. He never said much. Never flirted. But there was something in his gaze that made her feel like she was the only person in the world.
But then there was Luca, who came out of nowhere like a thunderstorm. Passionate. Bold. Unapologetically drawn to her. A part of her was afraid of him—yet intrigued.
Two men. Two worlds.
And she was caught between them.
That evening, as Siena stepped out of the building, a sleek black Maserati pulled up in front of her.
Luca emerged from the driver's seat.
"Get in," he said smoothly. "Dinner. Just us."
Before she could reply, a second car—a matte gray Aston Martin—slid to a stop beside the curb. The back door opened.
Elias stepped out.
The contrast was staggering.
Luca in all black, dangerous and unfiltered.
Elias in a navy suit, crisp and commanding.
Siena froze.
Elias's eyes narrowed as he looked at Luca, then at her. "You don't have to go with him," he said, voice steady but edged with warning. "Come with me instead."
Luca let out a low chuckle. "You think money impresses her, CEO? You think suits and spreadsheets will make her heart race?"
"You think fear will?" Elias shot back. "You can't own her."
"No," Luca said, stepping closer. "But I can fight for her."
Their standoff crackled like a live wire.
And in the middle, Siena felt her heart pounding so loudly it drowned out the noise of the city.
She didn't choose that night.
She couldn't.
Instead, she turned and walked away from both.
Her heels clicked with determination as she disappeared down the sidewalk, leaving the two men watching her, caught between love and war.
To be continued