The late afternoon sun bled gold across the rooftops as students poured out through the school gate. Laughter and chatter filled the air, fragments of gossip clinging to the warm breeze. Lila kept her head down, her bag slung over one shoulder, her face carefully blank. She had perfected that mask of indifference, the one that concealed the storm boiling beneath her skin.
Just as she reached the quiet stretch beyond the noise, she felt it—a stare. Heavy, unrelenting, familiar in a way that made her muscles tense before her eyes even lifted. Years of training whispered a warning. Slowly, she turned.
A black luxury car was parked across the street. The man leaning against it drew the eye instantly. Sharp suit. Sharper gaze. He wasn't waiting—he was hunting.
Nathaniel Vanderlyn.
Their eyes met, and for a moment the world stilled. He smiled faintly, almost as if he had been waiting for this exact second. His voice, low and steady, carried across the space between them.
"Found you."
The words landed like a blade against her spine. Lila's breath caught, but she forced her face into cool indifference. "Sorry. I don't think I know you."
His eyes lingered on her with unnerving patience, peeling back her composure. Then, as if amused, he stepped away from the car.
"Perhaps I was mistaken," he murmured, though his tone suggested the opposite. His hand brushed the door handle, and he paused. "Come to the banquet tonight. You'll understand."
Before she could answer, he slipped into the car. The door shut, and the vehicle vanished into the traffic, leaving only the echo of his words.
Her hands clenched around her bag strap. Banquet? Why her? Danger pulsed in every syllable, yet curiosity rooted itself deeper than she cared to admit.
By the time she reached home, her mind was still circling the encounter. She barely heard her brothers squabbling in the living room or her mother humming in the kitchen. Retreating to her room, she sat on the bed and pressed her palms to her face. Go, or don't go? Logic told her to ignore him. Instinct told her to be wary. But another voice, the one she hated most, whispered: What if…
When she rose, her decision had already been made. She grabbed her bag again and headed for the door.
Her mother's voice trailed from the kitchen. "Lila? Where are you off to at this hour?"
"I won't be long," she called back, forcing a reassuring smile before stepping outside.
The Vanderlyn mansion glowed like a jewel against the night. Rows of expensive cars lined the driveway, security sharp-eyed at every entrance. Music spilled through the windows, mingling with laughter and clinking glasses. Inside, chandeliers blazed over a hall packed with power—politicians, magnates, celebrities. At the center sat Nathaniel, flanked by his parents. His father laughed too loudly, his mother smiled too gracefully, but Nathaniel remained still, detached, sipping his wine as though nothing around him mattered.
It took little effort for Lila to slip past the guards. She moved like a shadow, merging with the throng inside. Whispers followed her almost immediately.
"Isn't that the girl from school?"
"What's she doing here? She doesn't belong."
"She must have lost her mind."
The words brushed off her like rain. She took a glass from a passing tray, leaned against a pillar, and let her gaze fix on Nathaniel. He ignored the simpering daughters pushed forward by their ambitious parents, his cold detachment only making him seem more untouchable.
Then, without warning, he rose. The room hushed. His deep voice carried effortlessly.
"It's time I chose my bride."
Gasps rippled through the hall. Daughters straightened their gowns. Mothers held their breath. Fathers exchanged greedy looks.
Nathaniel descended the grand staircase slowly, deliberately, his eyes cutting through the crowd. And then, to everyone's shock, he walked straight toward Lila.
He stopped before her. Without hesitation, he took her hand and declared, "This is my bride."
The room erupted.
"What?!"
"She must have bewitched him!"
"A nobody like her?"
Even his parents rose from their seats, their smiles erased. "Nathaniel," his mother hissed under her breath, "think carefully. She isn't worthy—"
He ignored them. His grip on Lila's hand only tightened.
Lila's mind reeled, though she kept her face composed. What game was he playing?
She slipped away the first chance she had, weaving through the guests toward the exit. But Nathaniel was already there, blocking her path.
"You're mine now," he said evenly. "You'll stay."
Her eyes narrowed. "If you think you can keep me, try."
At his signal, guards stepped forward. A mistake.
Lila moved like a blade through water, swift and merciless. One by one, the men crumpled to the floor. Gasps filled the ballroom. Murmurs spread like fire.
Nathaniel's eyes gleamed with something dangerously close to satisfaction. He stepped forward, and she met him head-on.
Their fight unfolded in silence. Every strike she launched, he countered. Every feint, he anticipated. His precision was flawless, his movements too familiar. With every clash, shock rippled through her.
Her breath quickened. No one else fought like this. No one else could read her so completely.
And then it hit her.
She froze mid-strike, her heart slamming against her ribs. The word tore out of her before she could stop it.
"…Boss?"
The hall seemed to hold its breath. Nathaniel's gaze locked onto hers, cold and unreadable. He didn't speak. He didn't need to. In that silence, she knew.