Chapter 2 The Empire of Jason Jae

The moment Jason Jae stepped into the ballroom of the Astoria Grand, the air changed. Conversations faltered. Heads turned. Some pretended not to notice him, but their glances betrayed them-quick, hungry flickers in his direction.

Jason had seen it countless times, in cities across the globe, under chandeliers just as lavish. The ripple his presence caused wasn't vanity-it was inevitability. He was Jason Jae: heir to Jae Corporation, CEO in his own right, the man who built an empire on hostile takeovers and deals sealed in boardrooms where the weak never walked out the same.

The carpet beneath his polished shoes felt like familiar territory, not just because the Astoria Grand was the playground of New York's elite, but because rooms like this belonged to him the moment he entered them.

He didn't smile. He rarely did. Smiles were for men who needed to charm their way into power. Jason had never needed to.

At his side, Bobby adjusted his bow tie, muttering, "You enjoy this too much."

Jason slid him a glance, lips curving faintly. "Enjoy what?"

"This." Bobby gestured to the sea of glittering gowns and tuxedos, the practiced laughter, the handshakes disguised as power plays. "You walk in, and suddenly, everyone's either ready to kiss your hand or slit your throat."

Jason's eyes scanned the room, noting the clusters of ambition disguised as conversation. "That's the game. You either crush or get crushed."

Bobby let out a humorless chuckle. "And you think you'll never be on the other side?"

Jason accepted a glass of champagne from a passing waiter. The liquid glimmered pale gold under the chandeliers. "If you get crushed, it means you weren't strong enough. I don't play to lose."

His friend shook his head, sighing. "You make it sound like it's a sport. These are people's lives, Jason. Their families, their futures. You don't even think about what you destroy."

Jason tipped the glass slightly, studying the champagne as though it might hold an answer. "Destruction is the cost of progress. Weak foundations collapse. Strong ones adapt."

Bobby muttered something under his breath, but Jason had already tuned out, focusing instead on the parade of greetings heading his way.

Senator Hart, his tie too tight and smile too wide, reached out to shake Jason's hand. "Mr. Jae, it's an honor. We must speak soon about potential opportunities in infrastructure development-your influence could mean so much for-"

Jason shook his hand firmly, his expression polite but empty. "Have your office send the details. We'll see if it fits our vision." Translation: Don't waste my time here.

Next came a socialite draped in jewels heavier than her frame, her perfume cloying as she brushed his arm. "Jason," she purred, "you must let me introduce you to my niece. She's studying economics at Columbia, a brilliant girl, perfect match for a man like-"

"I'm not here for matchmaking." His tone was sharp enough to cut, and the woman flinched before covering it with a brittle laugh.

On and on it went-pitches, flattery, desperate smiles. Jason indulged some, dismissed most. They all wanted something: his money, his signature, his empire aligned with theirs. He could read them like ledgers, their greed and desperation written in every syllable.

And yet... for all the noise, something tugged at the edge of his attention.

He drifted toward the edges of the gala, where the lighting was softer, where the art pieces displayed for charity hung like silent observers. And there she was.

A woman.

She stood alone, her back straight, her head tilted ever so slightly as she studied a canvas. Unlike the others, she wasn't looking around to see who noticed her. She wasn't performing. Her focus was wholly on the painting, as if the rest of the gala barely existed.

Jason's steps slowed.

She wasn't dressed for spectacle-her gown was elegant but understated, her jewelry minimal. In this sea of glittering competition, she should have blended into the background. Yet Jason noticed her.

It wasn't her beauty, though she had it in quiet abundance. It was the way she carried herself. Detached, thoughtful. As if she were present but untouched by the circus of ambition around her.

While others craved the spotlight, she seemed comfortable in her own shadow.

Jason narrowed his eyes slightly. People rarely slipped his radar in these rooms. He knew the players, the sharks, the ones clawing their way to relevance. But her? She wasn't playing the game at all.

"Jason," Bobby's voice interrupted, quieter this time. "Senator Hart's daughter is waiting to introduce herself. You should-"

Jason ignored him. "Who is she?"

Bobby followed his gaze, frowning. "The brunette? No idea. Doesn't ring a bell."

Jason tilted his head. Interesting.

He watched as another woman approached her, all painted smiles and exaggerated gestures. Jason recognized the typeinstantly, eager, pretending warmth while feeding on proximity.

The first woman-his anomaly-responded with polite patience, but Jason noticed the tension in her shoulders. The kind you only carried when standing beside someone you didn't trust.

His lips curved faintly, though not with humor. A fake friend and someone too gracious to call her out. The dynamic was obvious.

For a man who thrived on reading people, this woman was becoming more intriguing by the second.

Bobby caught his look and groaned under his breath. "Don't. Don't even think about it. You don't need another distraction, especially not here."

Jason finally tore his gaze from the women long enough to give his friend a sharp look. "That's exactly why I'm interested."

"You're impossible."

Jason's expression didn't change. His attention drifted back toward the woman by the painting, but by then, the crowd had shifted. She and her companion were already weaving away, disappearing into the throng of sequins and champagne.

For a moment, Jason stood still, the echo of her laughter-light, unforced-lingering in his ears. He realized something unsettling: it had been years since anything in a ballroom like this had caught his interest.

It wasn't an attraction, not yet. It was curiosity. Obsession, even. The one person in this room who hadn't looked at him once hadn't angled herself to cross his path.

Jason Jae didn't like being invisible. And he never ignored an anomaly.

He set his untouched champagne on a table, his decision already made.

By the end of the night, he would know her name.