== Ava ==
Three Years Ago
I wasn't the kind of girl who said yes to strangers in bars. I was the type who planned things, color-coded calendars, and stayed within safe, well-drawn lines. But that night... everything about him felt inevitable.
It started under low golden lights at The Carlton's rooftop lounge, where the city skyline shimmered like a promise. My best friend, Kennedy, had dragged me out, determined we celebrate the offer I'd just received—an internship at Grayson Tech. It was the dream, the one I'd burned myself out chasing.
"Ava, you've been playing it safe forever. Live a little!" Kennedy clinked her glass against mine, champagne bubbles fizzing over the rim.
I grinned and tipped my head back, savoring the sweetness, the freedom, the reckless edge of celebration. My dress was tighter than I was used to, my heels higher than my comfort zone. But I felt alive. Unapologetically feminine. Unburdened.
Then I saw him.
He was at the bar alone. Dark suit. No tie. Broad shoulders. Clean-shaven jaw with just enough shadow to tempt. And those eyes—smoky gray, focused, unreadable. The kind of eyes that held danger and desire in the same glance.
He noticed me noticing him.
And he smirked.
I looked away, heat crawling up my neck. But when I looked again, he was already beside me, as if the universe had conspired to bridge the space between us.
"Celebrating something?" His voice was low, rough velvet. The kind that made promises and broke rules.
"Internship," I replied, lifting my glass. "Grayson Tech."
His lips quirked, amused. "Big deal."
"I'm a big deal," I said with a mock toss of my hair.
That grin—slow, wicked—was my undoing. "Prove it."
We laughed. Talked. Flirted. One drink turned to two, then three. The world blurred at the edges, but his presence remained sharp. He asked about my dreams, and I told him about my mother's illness, how hard I'd worked. He listened like no one ever had. Then told me about loss, about building something from nothing. We didn't share names. Just truths.
He held out a hotel key card. "Come with me."
And I did.
Room 2407.
The second the door clicked shut behind us, everything shifted. He turned, and before I could speak, his mouth was on mine. His kiss wasn't gentle—it was claiming. A promise and a threat.
He pressed me against the door, his hands exploring as if memorizing every curve. My dress slid off like silk through fingers. His mouth moved down my neck, over my collarbone. I moaned when he found the spot behind my ear, my fingers tangling in his hair.
"God, you're beautiful," he whispered, lifting me like I weighed nothing. My legs wrapped around him as he carried me to the bed. He made love to me like a man possessed. Every movement was fire—deliberate, primal, addictive.
He pinned my wrists above my head, his lips brushing over my skin. He murmured filthy things that made my core clench, made me beg. We lost ourselves in the storm of it—no names, no stories, just two strangers trying to forget everything else.
After, our bodies tangled in damp sheets, he kissed the inside of my wrist.
"I needed that," he whispered, as though it surprised him.
I fell asleep in his arms, lulled by the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.
When I woke, the other half of the bed was cold. Empty.
He was gone.
No name. No note. Just silence—and a key card.
***
Present Day
"Mommy, do robots poop?"
I blinked back to the present. Eli sat in his booster seat behind me, his teddy bear squished between his knees, his eyes wide with mischief.
I smiled in the rearview mirror. "Only if you program them to."
He giggled. "Then I'll make one that poops spaghetti!"
I laughed, even as my heart squeezed. He looked just like him.
Same storm-gray eyes. Same determined little jaw. Same cheeky smile that made strangers stop and stare.
Three years. I still didn't know his name. But I had Eli. That night gave me everything—and took just as much.
I pulled into the underground garage at Grayson Tech. Nerves fluttered in my stomach like birds trying to break free. This was it. My second chance. I'd finished school online. Built a career as a freelance strategist. And now, I was finally stepping into the role I'd always wanted.
Only now, I wasn't just Ava Sinclair, honor student. I was Ava Sinclair, mother, survivor, warrior.
"Be good for Aunt Kennedy," I told Eli as I helped him out of the car.
He kissed my cheek. "You too, Mommy."
Inside, the receptionist smiled. "Executive floor. You're being placed directly under Mr. Grayson's confidential division."
Mr. Grayson.
I didn't recognize the name—not yet.
But fate was already rolling the dice.
I rode the elevator alone, watching my reflection in the chrome walls. Ivory blouse. Pencil skirt. Neat ponytail. I looked the part.
Fake it till you make it, I whispered to myself.
The elevator doors opened to a world of glass and silence. A tall, sharp-featured woman greeted me with a clipped smile. "Miss Sinclair? This way."
She led me down a sleek corridor and into a corner office. The man inside stood facing the window, hands in his pockets.
Then he turned.
I froze.
No.
Gray eyes. Broad shoulders. That mouth.
It was him.
He didn't flinch. Didn't blink. Just offered his hand.
"Ava Sinclair," he said. "Welcome to Grayson Tech. I'm Liam Grayson."
The room tilted. My heart stuttered.
He didn't recognize me.
I forced a smile, my hand sliding into his. "Thank you. I'm honored."
"You'll report directly to me. This initiative is high-level, confidential. I expect full discretion."
Discretion. I almost laughed.
"I understand."
He reviewed my resume. "Impressive work. You vanished for a while."
"I had personal matters. I'm ready now."
"Good. We leave for Shanghai next week. Prepare a strategic brief on the AI prototype."
My throat went dry. "I'm… going too?"
"You're part of the team. This deal matters. I need your best."
I nodded. "You'll have it."
As I turned to leave, I collided with a blonde woman in stilettos and a thousand-dollar dress.
She gave me a once-over. "You must be the new girl. Cute. Word of advice—don't get too comfortable."
I smiled tightly. "Thanks for the tip."
She leaned in. "Some of us earned our spot."
"So did I."
***
That night, I watched Eli sleep, his little chest rising and falling.
I opened the drawer beside my bed. Pulled out the old keycard.
Room 2407.
The night that changed everything.
He didn't remember me. Didn't know about Eli.
But fate brought us full circle.
And secrets? They never stay buried for long.