The Verlane Contract meeting was brutal. Livia had spent weeks preparing, but now she found herself cornered across the long glass table from Valen Lark. The city's elite were present, yet all she could focus on was the dangerous predator leaning slightly forward, eyes never leaving her.
Valen's smirk was effortless, like he owned not just the room, but her every reaction. He leaned back, fingers steepled. "I hope you're ready, Livia. I'd hate to see you embarrass yourself in front of everyone."
She met his gaze without flinching. "I didn't come to embarrass myself. I came to win."
A faint chuckle escaped him, low and amused. "Confident. Reckless. Dangerous. I like that."
The negotiation began, sharp words, clever maneuvers, and subtle power plays. Each time she countered his point, he leaned closer, eyes narrowing as if savoring the challenge. Livia's heart raced, part adrenaline, part fear.
By mid-meeting, a technical issue forced the room to a temporary lockdown. The glass doors wouldn't open. Everyone else evacuated; the room was theirs alone.
Valen's smirk deepened. "Well, isn't this cozy?" He stepped closer, deliberately shrinking the distance between them.
Livia straightened, refusing to back down. "This doesn't scare me."
He circled her like a wolf, slow, deliberate. "It should," he said, voice low, almost a growl. "Because tonight… you're trapped with me. And I don't let threats go easily."
Her pulse raced, her instincts screaming danger, yet some reckless part of her thrived on the challenge.
"You enjoy this too much," she spat, trying to sound defiant.
"Perhaps," he said, leaning so close she could feel his breath. "But you're worth the risk."
For the first time, Livia wondered if she wasn't just surviving Valen—if part of her was drawn to him, dangerously, irrevocably.
And he knew it.