Background Music
Artist: Rihanna
Title: Needed Me ✅
The first time Elena stepped into Lorenzo's private office, she realized the city outside wasn't even real or at least, it didn't matter here. Marble floors, soft amber lighting, the faint scent of expensive cologne mingling with leather chairs. He didn't rise from his desk, didn't offer her a seat, yet she felt the weight of his gaze like gravity pulling her toward him. Every instinct screamed caution, but curiosity dangerous, stubborn curiosity pushed her forward.
"You're late," he said, voice calm, almost bored, but every word carried an unspoken warning. She straightened, heart hammering, refusing to appear intimidated. "Traffic," she replied, voice steady despite the fluttering in her chest. He tilted his head, studying her as if she were a puzzle that might bite back.
"I like stubborn," he said, and for a fleeting second, there was something almost approving in his tone. Then the calm returned. The dangerous calm of a man who owned everything — and everyone. She swallowed. "Why am I here?" she asked. His lips curved into the faintest smirk. "To understand the rules," he said softly. "And to learn which ones you'll break."
She took a step closer, trying to maintain her composure, noticing the way his fingers lightly tapped the desk, the subtle tension in his posture, the precision in every movement. His presence was overwhelming, suffocating, yet strangely magnetic. She wondered how a man like him could dominate a room and make someone feel completely exposed at the same time.
"Are you testing me?" she asked, a hint of defiance threading through her voice. He raised a brow, as if he had expected this answer. "I'm not testing you. I'm measuring you," he replied, eyes dark and calculating. "Every decision, every hesitation — it tells me what you're capable of. And what I might need to control."
Elena's stomach tightened. There was danger in his words, yes, but also… a strange reassurance, a promise of protection in the most twisted way. He was dangerous, intoxicating, and impossible to read, yet she felt herself pulled toward him, even as every rational thought screamed to run.
"Why me?" she asked quietly, almost to herself. Lorenzo's gaze softened just enough just enough for her to notice before the familiar coldness returned. "Because you have fire," he said simply. "Because you're stubborn. Because the world underestimates you, and I don't. That's… dangerous."
Her pulse quickened. She wanted to hate him for the way he made her feel, but she couldn't. She wanted to run, but her feet betrayed her. Every instinct warned her to keep her guard up, and yet curiosity gnawed at her dangerous, irresistible curiosity that made her lean in closer, risking too much.
For a long moment, neither spoke. The office felt like its own universe, removed from the rest of New York, where only power, danger, and desire existed. Lorenzo stood slowly, closing the distance between them with deliberate steps. She could see the sharp cut of his jaw, the dark glint in his eyes, the almost imperceptible shift that suggested a man who could destroy everything she thought she knew and protect her at the same time.
"You think you're ready for this world?" he asked, voice low, almost a whisper that pressed against her eardrum. Elena's mind raced. "I… I want to understand it," she admitted. "I need to." He smirked, a dangerous curl of lips that made her heart ache. "Be careful what you wish for," he murmured. "Because once you enter, there's no leaving. Not really."
Elena shivered part fear, part anticipation. She was being drawn into something bigger than herself, a dark world ruled by a man she couldn't predict, a man she couldn't resist. Yet, despite it all, she held her ground, even if just barely. This was the beginning of their dangerous dance, a collision of wills, desire, and unspoken rules that neither could