The soft clink of silver against china, the ambient jazz floating through the high-ceilinged restaurant, and the glittering chandeliers hanging like frozen stars above did little to calm the storm churning in Aria's stomach.
She sat at a private corner table of Delmare, the most exclusive fine-dining restaurant in Manhattan—the kind of place that didn't even list prices on the menu. The kind of place that saw more million-dollar handshakes than actual meals.
And across from her, like a king at his throne, sat Dominic Blackwood.
He hadn't said much since she arrived. Just a soft nod of approval when she entered wearing the red dress he had clearly chosen for her. His gaze had lingered. Slowly. Thoroughly. She could still feel it on her skin like a brand.
Aria shifted in her seat, struggling to suppress the awareness building inside her. The whispers of other diners, the weight of stares from people who recognized him, didn't faze Dominic. But she was drowning in it.
A server appeared, poured wine she couldn't pronounce, and vanished like smoke.
Still, Dominic said nothing.
Until the silence became unbearable.
"So..." she began, forcing her voice to sound casual. "Is this a business dinner, or..."
His lips curved slightly. "Do you want it to be?"
She stiffened. "I'm trying to understand the purpose of being here."
"Purpose," he echoed, eyes gleaming. "I wanted to see how you handle pressure. You're doing moderately well."
Aria arched a brow. "You brought me here to test me?"
"You're not the only one with a past," he said, lifting his wineglass. "I don't trust easily."
Her pulse stumbled. His tone was calm, but the words felt like a blade beneath velvet.
"And you think dinner is the best way to expose someone?" she asked.
He set the glass down. "I think intimacy reveals more than interrogation."
That word — intimacy — hovered between them like smoke.
She met his gaze, steady. "What is it you want to know, Dominic?"
"Everything."
He didn't blink. And neither did she.
But the tension in her spine snapped the moment her phone buzzed in her clutch.
She glanced at it.
1 New Message
Unknown Number: "Still pretending you're someone else? Ask Dominic what really happened to his brother. Or shall I?"
The blood drained from her face.
Dominic noticed.
"Problem?"
She forced a smile. "Just… spam."
But Dominic was already reading her.
"You're lying," he said, casually cutting into his steak. "Your eyes twitch slightly when you do."
She set her fork down.
"Why are you doing this?" she asked.
He paused. "Doing what?"
"Pushing. Testing. Watching me like I'm your next acquisition."
He leaned in slightly. "Because the world I live in is filled with snakes in silk. Everyone has a mask. Even you."
"I'm not hiding anything," she lied.
"A shame," he murmured. "Because I find secrets far more interesting than honesty."
She took a shaky sip of wine.
Then his next words made her nearly choke.
"What happened in Chicago, Aria?"
Her glass clinked sharply as she set it down.
"You did a background check on me?"
"Of course I did," he said, tone icy smooth. "You think I let anyone into my world without knowing what they've done? Or who they've destroyed?"
Aria's hands balled under the table.
"I didn't destroy anyone," she whispered.
Dominic tilted his head. "Then why did your last boss resign two days after promoting you?"
She looked away.
He continued, quietly: "Why did your apartment burn down three days later?"
Her throat tightened. "You don't know anything about that."
"Don't I?"
Aria stood abruptly. "Thank you for dinner, Mr. Blackwood."
Dominic rose with her, his tone unreadable. "If you walk out now, don't bother returning to the office tomorrow."
She froze.
He took a slow step forward.
"I know you're not who you say you are. But I also know you're not finished running."
Her eyes flared. "You don't get to play puppet master with my life."
"Then stop being predictable," he said coolly. "Sit. Finish your wine. And tell me the truth."
She stared at him.
Then slowly, she sat.
But in her clutch, her fingers hovered over her phone.
Because that message… the one about his brother?
She hadn't said a word about that to anyone.
Not even Dominic.