Chapter 32 Chapter 32
Chapter 32 Chapter 32
We left the restaurant side by side, the cool night air brushing against my skin as the valet brought Adrian’s car around. The city lights reflected off the polished black exterior, sharp and intimidating—just like him.
Adrian opened the passenger door for me.
“Thank you,” I murmured as I slid in.
He didn’t respond immediately. His eyes lingered on me for a second too long before he closed the door gently and walked around to the driver’s side. When he got in, the scent of his cologne wrapped around me again—clean, dark, expensive. It made my thoughts stumble.
As the car pulled away, the city blurred past us. I watched the lights streak across the window, my reflection faintly visible. For a moment, I barely recognized the woman staring back at me.
“You didn’t have to do all that,” I said quietly.
“All what?” he asked.
“The restaurant. The attention. The way you looked at me like I mattered.”
He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he slowed at a red light and turned his head toward me fully.
“You do matter,” he said simply.
My throat tightened. “You barely know me.”
“I know enough,” he replied. “And I’m learning the rest.”
The light turned green, and he drove on, but the weight of his words stayed with me.
After a few minutes, I broke the silence. “So… was tonight business or personal?”
He smiled faintly. “That depends on how honest you want me to be.”
“I’ve already lost everything,” I said. “You won’t scare me.”
“That’s what worries me,” he replied.
I frowned. “Why?”
“Because fearless people don’t always know when they’re falling.”
My heart skipped. I looked away quickly, pretending to be fascinated by the passing buildings.
“We agreed on rules,” I reminded him. “No feelings.”
“Yes,” he said calmly. “We did.”
“And you’re breaking them.”
“No,” he corrected. “I’m acknowledging temptation.”
The word settled between us, dangerous and intimate.
The car eventually slowed—not toward my apartment, but toward his private residence. I turned to him, confused.
“Adrian?”
“You’re not staying alone tonight,” he said. “Not after everything. I won’t touch you. I won’t cross a line. But you won’t be alone.”
I studied his face, searching for control, manipulation—anything that felt unsafe.
I found none.
“Just for tonight,” I said carefully.
“That’s all I’m asking.”
As we drove through the gates of his estate, something shifted inside me. This wasn’t just about revenge anymore. It wasn’t just strategy.
And that realization terrified me more than Daniel ever had.