Oscar was tired of this.
The woman clinging to his arm had been following him for weeks. His parents' idea of a "suitable match" - someone from their circle, someone they could approve before leaving for their long-awaited world tour. But she was clingy, shallow, and exhausting. He'd rather be with a stranger than spend another minute with her.
He'd returned from the US a year ago, business degree in hand. His father, an only child himself, had waited decades to hand over the company. Oscar was the sole heir, it was expected. But he'd never been one to follow expectations blindly.
As a child, he was bold and intelligent, but terribly lazy. He scored passing marks in school because writing long answers felt like torture. Then came higher education with multiple, choice questions, and suddenly, he topped every exam. His intelligence was never the problem, just his patience.
In the US, bored with classes, he'd started his own business. Pocket money became capital. Experimentation became profitable. By the time he graduated, he was earning thousands monthly. Small compared to his family's empire, but entirely his own.
Now his father had finally handed over the reins and was planning a world tour with his mother. But first, they wanted to secure his future, hence the clingy woman.
Tonight, he'd had enough.
"I won't marry you even if you're the last woman on earth," he told her flatly, and walked away.
He didn't expect her to follow him into the elevator.
When she shrieked and threw her coffee at him, he dodged on instinct. Only afterwards did he realise there was a person behind him.
The sound of dripping coffee snapped him back.
He turned and froze.
She stood there, coffee dripping from her clothes. Greyish-blue eyes glistened brightly beneath blonde hair cut sharp at the neck. A droplet slid down her cheek and fell.
Her blazer hung from her hand, soaked. Her shirt clung beneath it, revealing more than intended.
Oscar's face heated. He quickly pulled off his own blazer and wrapped it around her shoulders.
"I'm so sorry," he said. "That was completely -"
She cut him off by removing his blazer and handing it back. Then she pulled on her own damp blazer, stepped past them both, and disappeared down the stairs without a single word.
Oscar stared after her.
The clingy woman was still talking, still demanding attention, but he couldn't hear her. He could only see those greyish-blue eyes. That cold expression. The way she'd dismissed him like he didn't exist.
He shook off the woman's hand and ran down the stairs.
Too late. He burst outside just in time to see her slide into a car and vanish like wind.
Victoria drove home, irritated.
What a ridiculous evening. First the hospital, then the long drive, then the cafe where she'd almost felt human again, and now this. Coffee thrown by a crazy woman, dodged by a careless man, splashed all over her.
Neither of them left a good impression. Just strangers. Not worth thinking about.
She went home, changed into comfortable clothes, and worked in her study until midnight. Then she went to bed.
It took a while, but eventually, sleep came.