Chapter Two: The Billionaire’s Terms

The next morning, I woke up in a penthouse suite I didn’t remember booking, in silk pajamas I definitely hadn’t packed.

There was a note on the bedside table:

“Wardrobe is in the closet. Car picks you up at 7. Don’t be late. ...K.”

I checked the time. 6:02 p.m.

I scrambled out of bed, heart pounding. The last thing I remembered was stepping out of Lennox Global the day before and walking down a street that glowed like a sci-fi movie. Now I was here, high above the city, with a skyline view reserved for royalty.

The closet was the size of my old apartment. Inside: a designer red gown with a thigh-high slit, Louboutin heels, and a black envelope.

Inside the envelope: an invitation.

Lennox Global Private Gala

Location: The Obsidian, Aurelia Tower

Dress code: Absolute elegance.

I barely had time to breathe. Whoever had done my hair while I was unconscious (or just dead-tired?) had curled it into soft waves. A makeup kit lay open on the vanity, everything unused but brand new.

At 6:55, a knock sounded. A chauffeur in a black suit waited with the car. I slipped into the vehicle, heart slamming.

By 7:12, I was standing at the edge of a rooftop unlike anything I’d ever seen.

The Obsidian wasn’t a building. It was an empire in the clouds. Glass ceilings, holographic lighting, waiters in tailored tuxedos, and a guest list full of people I’d only seen in magazines.

And then I saw him.

Killian Lennox.

Black velvet suit. Open collar. No tie. The kind of look only men born with arrogance and a custom tailor could pull off. He turned, eyes locking on me like a laser.

He walked over slowly, the crowd parting like waves.

“You clean up well,” he murmured, offering his arm.

I stared. “What is this?”

“A test. And a trap.”

“Great. Just what every girl wants on a Wednesday night.”

He smirked. “Smile. We’re being watched.”

Then he turned to the crowd and raised his glass.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” he said, voice smooth and commanding. “Thank you for being here. I have a personal announcement to make.”

My stomach dropped.

“I’d like you to meet my fiancée, Ava Monroe.”

The crowd clapped.

I nearly dropped my champagne.

“Fiancée?” I whispered through gritted teeth.

“Temporary,” he said without missing a beat. “Smile wider.”

“But...”

“A leak is threatening the merger. I need them distracted. And nothing distracts like a scandalous engagement.”

“I didn’t agree to this.”

“You signed the contract.”

“That was for a job!”

“This is part of it.”

The cameras flashed.

Killian wrapped an arm around my waist, pulled me close, and pressed a kiss against my cheek.

Too close.

Too warm.

Too real.

“Play along,” he murmured. “Or walk away.”

I was too stunned to speak. And somewhere deep inside… a part of me didn’t want to walk.

Because every brush of his hand against my back made my thoughts blur.

Because I hated how right it felt.

The rest of the gala passed in a dreamlike daze. Men in suits clinked glasses with Killian. Women in diamonds smiled too hard. A woman named Celeste cornered me by the bar and whispered, “You’re braver than most.”

I didn’t ask what she meant.

By midnight, the party had thinned. Killian and I rode the elevator down in silence.

When the doors closed, I spun on him. “You ambushed me.”

“I tested you.”

“I’m not your pawn.”

“No,” he said, voice lowering. “You’re my equal. That’s why it worked.”

I didn’t know what to say.

He leaned closer. “Do you know what people do when they think I’m vulnerable?”

“They attack.”

“Exactly. You’re my shield. My signal to the vultures that they’re too late.”

“And if I catch feelings?” I shot back.

His gaze dropped to my lips. “Then you’d better be ready to lose.”

I pushed past him, heels clicking.

But the truth hit me hard.

I wasn’t playing his game.

I was already in it.

And worse… part of me wanted to win.