The storm hit without warning.
Rain pelted the windows of the Grand Royce Hotel, turning the city lights into a blur of gold and grey. Fini Aulianna clutched her long black coat tighter around her body as she stepped into the elevator, heels clicking softly against the marble floor.
She pressed the button for the 20th floor. Her father's voice echoed in her mind.
> "Be there by midnight, Fini. We sign the contract tonight."
Not that she had a choice.
A merger worth millions was being sealed with her name. A wedding contract, arranged between two tycoons — and she, the daughter of one, was the "gift" to be exchanged.
Married by midnight. That was the condition.
The elevator doors began to close — but just before they sealed shut, a hand slid in.
The doors opened again.
He stepped in.
Tall. Broad shoulders. Black coat, rain-drenched hair slicked back. His presence filled the space instantly — quiet, but intense. As if he carried secrets in his pocket and darkness in his smile.
Fini barely glanced at him. She had no energy for small talk, especially not with strangers.
But she could feel it.
His eyes were on her.
As the elevator moved upward, something shifted. A sudden jolt. A sharp mechanical grind.
Then — darkness.
The elevator stopped. Lights flickered, then went out completely. Only the red glow of the emergency lamp remained.
> "No signal," Fini muttered, checking her phone.
> "Typical," the man said beside her. His voice was low, smooth… too calm.
Fini turned, finally looking at him fully.
And for a second — just one — she forgot why she was even angry.
He had a face that shouldn't exist in the real world. Sharp jawline, high cheekbones, lips that looked both cruel and kissable. But it was his eyes that caught her breath — stormy grey, like he carried a hurricane inside.
> "You don't look like you enjoy being trapped," he said, leaning against the wall.
> "I don't enjoy being forced into anything."
> "Including elevator conversations?"
She gave a dry laugh. "Especially that."
There was a pause. A thick silence between them. Then he said something she didn't expect.
> "Is someone forcing you to be somewhere tonight?"
Her eyes snapped to him. "Excuse me?"
> "You look like a woman running away. Or about to."
Fini bit her lip. How did he see right through her?
> "I'm just attending a business meeting."
> "Wearing that dress?" His gaze drifted to her figure-hugging black dress, barely hidden beneath her coat.
Her cheeks warmed. "Not that it's your business."
He smirked. "Fair enough."
The power flickered on — for a second — then off again. He checked his watch.
> "10:42 PM. We've got time."
> "Time for what?"
> "To talk. To pretend this night is something else. That you're not being dragged into something you hate."
She blinked. "How do you know I'm not excited to get married?"
His eyes locked with hers, dark and unreadable. "Because your hands are shaking."
She quickly hid them behind her coat. "I don't even know your name."
> "You don't need to," he replied, stepping closer. "Sometimes the best conversations are with strangers."
The space between them grew smaller. The air thicker. Her heart beat faster — and not from fear.
In that tiny box, above a sleeping city, with a stranger who saw her too clearly… Fini forgot, for a moment, who she was.
And when the lights came back, and the elevator moved again, she stood frozen.
At the 20th floor, the doors opened.
> "You coming?" she asked, regaining her poise.
He just smiled. "Not yet. But I'll see you again."
She stepped out.
She didn't even ask his name.
---
But the next morning, the world knew hers.
> "BREAKING: FINI AULIANNA — SECRETLY MARRIED TO CALVIN SAHPUTRA?"
Her heart stopped.
And in the photo... standing beside her... was the man from the elevator.
---
🔚 END OF CHAPTER 1