Selene Caelisborne stood in front of the tall window, staring at Selvarys as if the city might offer her answers. The glass was cold beneath her fingertips, colder than the air behind her. The skyline glittered with confidence. She didn't feel any.
She heard soft footsteps before she saw the reflection.
"Selene…?" Amira stepped into the room, hugging a tablet to her chest. Her voice always sounded gentle, like she worried too much for everyone else. "Father wants you in the boardroom."
Selene closed her eyes for half a second. "Already?"
Amira nodded nervously. "He… didn't look pleased."
"When does he ever?" Selene muttered, smoothing the front of her blouse and forcing her expression into calm neutrality.
She followed Amira down the corridor. Selene's heels echoed lightly on the polished floor, each step a reminder of who she was supposed to be: the perfect Caelisborne heiress. The composed one. The reliable one. The one who made no mistakes.
When she entered the boardroom, the atmosphere felt frozen. Her father stood at the head of the table, expression carved from stone.
"You're late," he said without looking at her.
"Apologies," Selene replied, taking her seat. Maya and Kira exchanged smirking glances, clearly enjoying the tension.
A large holographic display lit the wall. Words appeared in crisp blue letters:
Varyncliff Global Medical Holdings
Fellowship Representative: Ryan Aster Varyncliff
Selene felt her spine straighten involuntarily.
Ryan.
She had heard the name more times than she cared to count. Cold. Brilliant. Unreachable. The Varyncliff heir who balanced entire negotiations with one expressionless stare.
Her father continued speaking. "The fellowship begins next week, and you will handle the Caelisborne representation. Stay focused. We will not tolerate missteps."
Selene nodded quietly.
Her tablet vibrated. She checked it discreetly.
From: R. Varyncliff
Dr. Selene Caelisborne. Orientation in Averion. Be prepared.
That was it. No greeting. No polite phrasing. Just clean instruction.
Selene closed the message with a calm she did not feel.
Leaving the boardroom felt like escaping. But when she reached the lobby, she froze.
A group of men in black tactical suits stood lined in formation. Varyncliff security. Their presence alone turned heads. They moved with silent precision, like a single organism.
At the center stood a tall man with an unreadable expression.
Hanzen Valyr Varyncliff.
Selene didn't know him personally, but everyone in the corporate world knew of him. Ryan's right hand. A man who rarely spoke, rarely smiled, and never failed.
He bowed his head slightly. "Dr. Caelisborne."
Selene kept her voice measured. "Why is Varyncliff security here?"
"Escort duty."
"I didn't request an escort."
"Ryan did," Hanzen said simply. "He said you attract unnecessary chaos."
Selene's jaw tightened. "I. Do. Not."
Hanzen blinked once, as if the argument amused him. "That's what he implied."
Before Selene could retort, Amira appeared at the top of the staircase, breath slightly short from hurrying. The moment her eyes met Hanzen's, her footsteps faltered.
Hanzen's gaze flicked toward her for a fraction of a second before returning to Selene. The brief glance shouldn't have meant anything, yet it felt acutely noticeable.
Selene felt her protective instincts flare.
"Amira, go upstairs," she said quietly.
"Right," Amira whispered, cheeks warm, eyes lingering on Hanzen longer than she meant to.
Selene exhaled slowly. Trouble. She could already feel it forming.
The Averion Fellowship Gala drew the city's elite like moths to a flame. Crystal chandeliers sparkled above the crowd. Journalists hovered at the edges. Conversations rose and fell like soft waves.
Selene stepped into the hall wearing a silver gown. She looked composed. She hoped it was convincing.
Then she felt a shift.
The kind of shift that made the whole room adjust without realizing why.
He had arrived.
Ryan Aster Varyncliff walked through the entrance with the quiet confidence of someone who didn't need attention to get it. The black suit he wore fit with surgical precision. People instinctively moved aside, parting like water around him.
Selene felt his gaze before she met it. When she finally did, something inside her pressed uncomfortably against her ribs.
He walked straight toward her. No hesitation.
"Selene," he said.
She kept her chin up. "Ryan."
His eyes studied her for a heartbeat too long. Then he leaned in slightly.
"Be careful tonight."
Selene blinked. "Do you think I need your warnings?"
His voice was low, even. "I think you need control."
"Yours?" she asked, before she could stop herself.
There was a subtle pause. "If necessary."
Her breath hitched. She hated that he could get a reaction out of her so easily.
Brandon approached behind him, grinning. Liam stayed back, scanning the crowd. Mira slipped to Selene's side, her voice low.
"Don't let him get under your skin."
"I'm not," Selene whispered, though her racing pulse disagreed.
Ryan straightened, his expression unreadable. For a moment it felt like the room had narrowed to just the two of them.
Selene turned away first, but she felt his gaze linger on her like a hand not quite touching her skin.
She exhaled slowly.
She wasn't fragile.
She wasn't careless.
But something told her this man was going to turn her carefully constructed world into something she couldn't predict.
And for the first time in a long time, Selene wasn't sure she wanted to stop it.