Ariana wasn't a believer in fate, but she was in timing. Sharp, deliberate, dangerously perfect timing. And tonight, as she walked into the grand ballroom of the Orion Hotel, every heartbeat in her chest boomed with the certainty that something-something other than her usual flirtations and midnight thrills-was about to move.
Her red dress clung to her body as if it had been poured onto her skin. Not worn-claimed. And she loved it. Men stopped talking in mid-sentence. Women looked with narrow smiles that said only lip-deep the thickness of envy. But Ariana strode down the shimmering hall as if she owned it, long dark hair swinging to her waist in a provocative curtain flow.
She didn't come searching for a man, but to bask in the glory of being chosen.
Until she sees him.
He's standing at the far end of the ballroom, removed from the cacophony, yet holding the entire room with a tacit rule that knots her breath. Tall, well-dressed, with eyes that contain the darkness people only speak in hushed tones about - Christian Hale, billionaire CEO, alleged to seduce as well as ruin in the same breath.
She'd seen men. Plenty. She'd never seen a man that looked like a secret waiting to ruin her.
Their eyes met for just a second or maybe less, but it felt as if he had reached into her mind and touched something she never let anyone touch.
A smile lit up his face, sly and slow, as if he knew what she wanted before she said it.
Ariana's throat bobbed as she swallowed hard.
She tried to turn her head aside.
She failed.
Christian walked toward her.
Each of his steps cleaved through the bustling crowd. Women turned to look. Men shifted uncomfortably. And Ariana's legs fought, wanting to run straight to him and wanting to bolt.
He stopped just inches from her. His voice was deep, smooth, the kind that wrapped around her spine like velvet dipped in sin.
"You're causing a scene," he said.
Ariana lifted her chin. "Or you're imagining things."
That made him smile. His eyes sparked. "Maybe so. But you came striding in here like trouble in silk."
"And you look like trouble with a wallet."
Christian laughed – low, dark, and amused. "Would you like a drink?" "No." She cocked her head. "But you want me to say yes." He looked at her, interested. "You're not like the others." She half-smiled. "And you're used to others begging for your attention." His silence was an answer in itself. Except there was a flicker in his eyes now – something curious, something intent. "Who are you?" he asked softly.
"Ariana."
He tasted the name like it held heat. "Ariana." His voice dropped. "You're going to be a problem."
She laughed, a soft, low sound that made his jaw tense. "Only if you're weak."
For a moment, neither of them found words. Breaths. Mixed. Bodies did the speaking-Leaning closer, unconsciously drawn, tangled in an invisible pull neither could break.
Then-
"Ariana?"
"Her sister's voice sliced through the moment like ice water thrown on fire." Carla, standing farther back, tensed instinctively. Christian's eyes narrowed at the interruption, irritated and at the strange glimmer of recognition that crossed her sister's face. "Carla?" Ariana said to her. "What are you doing here?"
Her sister flashed a smile that looked forced. "I was invited. And you... you look busy." She slid her eyes to Christian, keeping them on him a moment too long, a shade too boldly. Something ugly sparked in them-so small it almost eluded Ariana.
Christian gave another polite nod. "Nice to meet you."
Carla flushed. Deeply.
Ariana's stomach turns, though she doesn't know why.
Christian turns back to Ariana. "Join me as I walk."
She had touch her waist before she could register it in her mind-not in a possessive, polite way but somewhere between command and invitation. It sent a shiver up her spine.
Carla stared, jaw tight.
Ariana let Christian lead her away.
They walked out onto the balcony, the cool night enfolding them. Beyond the railing, the city lights shimmered.
Christian stood close enough so she could feel the heat of his body. "Your sister... she didn't look pleased."
Ariana scoffed, "Carla is never pleased when someone notices me more than her." Christian's eyebrows lifted slightly, intrigued and... something else. Something unreadable. "Is that so?" Ariana shrugged. "She likes attention. I just take it better." He laughed again-low, sinful. "You're dangerous." "You keep saying that." "Because it keeps getting truer."
Silence curled around them. Tense. Electric.
She felt him approach from behind without looking. He was not touching her but was very close to where she stood.
"What do you do, Ariana?" he asked.
"I solve problems."
"Whose problems?"
"Anyone who pays."
He hummed, impressed. "You're far more interesting than you look."
She turned to him. "And you are exactly as I expected."
"Meaning?"
"You are a beautiful warning."
His breath caught for a fraction of a second. Then he stepped forward, closing the distance until there was barely room for air. "Tell me you want to walk away," he whispered, his lips a heartbeat from hers. Ariana didn't. She couldn't. Instead she whispered, "You're the one who should walk away."
Christian lifted her chin, touching it gently. "I won't."
Just as his lips were about to touch hers-one
Big vibration broke the moment. Ariana's phone.
She scowled. "Who's-?" She grabbed it out, believing a friend.
The screen froze her blood, though.
UNKNOWN NUMBER: I know what you did last night. Nice video, Ariana. ;)
Attached video thumbnail.
Ariana's heart stopped.
Instantly Christian saw her face change. "What is it?"
Her voice came out tight. "Nothing."
But it was not nothing.
Her phone buzzed next.
More from where that came from.
Tell your billionaire buddy I said hi.
Ariana snapped her head up.
Somebody knew.
Somebody was watching.
Somebody already had something on her.
And they were threatening her before anything even started.
Christian noticed her shaking hands. "Ariana-"
She flashed a smile, panic buried. "I need a minute."
She turned and walked quickly away.
"Christian!" he called after her, but she wouldn't stop,
Because this wasn't random,
This wasn't a coincidence.
It was a warning
And deep in her gut
She already knew whose jealousy was capable of sending something like that.
Carla.
But she didn't want to believe it.
Not yet
Withou
t proof
Yet, one thing was certain–
The night didn't end with a kiss.
It ended with a threat.
The game was just getting started.