Chapter 2 The Man Who Didn't Leave

Irene shot her a sharp glare.

Rachael grinned. Traitor.

Ryan, still holding her gaze, lifted a brow challenging.

For a brief moment, the room faded. The music, the laughter, the glittering chandeliers...all of it dulled.

It was just him.

Him and his ridiculous persistence.

Irene could walk away.

She could pull her wrist free, step past him, and disappear into the night like she always did.

She should.

But for reasons she couldn't explain she didn't.

Her fingers twitched.

Her lips parted.

And before she could stop herself, the words slipped out.

"Fine."

Ryan's expression didn't shift.

No victorious smirk. No teasing remark.

Just a quiet, knowing nod as if he had already known she would say yes.

And somehow, that irritated her more than anything.

Because for the first time in a long while someone wasn't playing by her rules but will she give up? Of course no. She thought to herself.

Ryan wasn't surprised at first.

Irene agreeing to dance with him so easily didn't sit right, but he had let it slide. Maybe she was just different from what he expected. Maybe Rachael was exaggerating when she said Irene never let anyone in.

But then

She turned away.

"Excuse me," Irene said, her voice as indifferent as ever.

Ryan frowned slightly as she scanned the crowd, her eyes searching for something or someone.

"Irene?" Rachael called, confused.

Then Irene's gaze landed on a girl in a pastel pink dress standing near the edge of the dance floor. She was young, maybe in her early twenties, with an eager look in her eyes clearly waiting for someone to ask her to dance.

Irene strode toward her without hesitation.

Ryan and Rachael watched as Irene reached into her clutch, pulled out a few crisp bills, and pressed them into the girl's hand.

"Take my place," she said flatly.

The girl blinked. "What?"

"You heard me," Irene said, already stepping back. “Dance with him."

Ryan stiffened.

He had expected her to pull something maybe a sarcastic remark, maybe a cold rejection at the last second but this?

He hadn't expected this.

The girl stammered, looking between Irene and Ryan. "I...I...don't understand, I mean"

"You don't have to understand," Irene cut in smoothly. "Just take the money and dance."

Ryan let out a sharp breath, amusement flickering in his eyes.

Rachael, on the other hand, burst into laughter. She clutched her stomach, barely able to breathe. "Oh my God, I knew you'd pull something, but this? This is golden!"

Irene didn't even acknowledge her. She turned on her heel, walking away as if none of this concerned her.

The girl still stood there, awkwardly clutching the money. She peeked up at Ryan nervously. "Um... so should we?"

Ryan ignored her.

Instead, his gaze followed Irene's retreating figure.

He wasn't mad.

If anything he was intrigued.

No woman had ever discarded him like that before. They chased, they clung, they played coy but never this.

Rachael wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. "Wow. I told you she was different."

Ryan's lips curled slightly. "Yeah."

His dark eyes never left Irene.

"You did."

Ryan watched as Irene disappeared into the crowd, unbothered, her posture carrying the same quiet arrogance as before.

His lips twitched.

Interesting.

"Ryan," Rachael nudged him, still chuckling, "that was brutal. She just tossed you aside like spare change."

Ryan rolled his shoulders, his gaze locked on her retreating form. "She thinks that was enough to get rid of me."

Rachael's laughter softened as realization dawned. "Wait...are you actually interested?"

It wasn't a question.

Ryan's smirk deepened.

"Oh, I knew it." Rachael clapped her hands. "I mean, you're usually so indifferent when it comes to women, but Irene she's a different breed entirely."

"She doesn't care about impressing me," Ryan murmured. "She doesn't even care if I exist."

"That's what makes it fun, doesn't it?"

Ryan exhaled, shaking his head with a small chuckle. "Maybe."

Then, without another word, he started moving.

Rachael blinked. "Wait where are you going?

He didn't look back. "To find Irene."

Rachael bit her lip to keep from laughing again. She had never seen her brother take an interest in anyone like this.

Irene, of all people, had unknowingly caught the attention of the one man who didn't take rejection lightly.

And Ryan?

Ryan was a man who never lost.

Meanwhile

Irene walked briskly toward the exit, the night's cold air already calling to her.

Louis followed closely, his sharp eyes scanning the crowd. "You really are something else."

Irene smirked. "It worked, didn't it?"

Louis sighed. "You always do this."

"And they always leave," she replied smoothly, stepping into the dimly lit corridor that led to the main doors.

"Maybe not this time."

Irene turned slightly, giving him a questioning glance, but before Louis could elaborate

A voice cut through the air.

"Leaving so soon?"

Irene's steps halted.

She turned fully this time, and there he was Ryan, hands in his pockets, his expression unreadable.

She expected to see disappointment. Maybe annoyance.

But no.

Ryan looked amused.

Like she had just made things more interesting.

Irene met Ryan's gaze with the same cold indifference.

"Yes," she answered simply. "I am leaving."

Ryan tilted his head slightly. "Already?"

She arched a brow. “I never planned to stay long."

Before he could respond, Ryan's gaze shifted to the man beside her. He had noticed him earlier but hadn't paid much attention until now. The man stood close, comfortable, as if it was second nature to be by her side. His presence wasn't territorial, but there was something settled about it. Familiar.

And Ryan didn't like that.

Irene caught his lingering stare and, as if sensing the unspoken question, said, "This is Louis. A friend."

A friend.

Ryan had no idea why that word tugged at something deep inside him. It was such a simple thing, yet it irritated him more than it should.

Louis simply nodded. He didn't bother extending a hand, and Ryan didn't expect him to. There was an air of quiet understanding between them, something that spoke of history. Trust.

Ryan wasn't used to feeling anything about such things, but for some reason, the thought of Irene being close to another man even as just a friend felt...unsettling.

He masked it well.

"A friend?" Ryan repeated, his tone unreadable.

Irene's expression didn't waver. "Yes. A close one."

She said it as if daring him to question it.

Ryan didn't.

Instead, he let out a small chuckle, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Interesting."

Irene didn't ask what he meant. She had already turned, stepping past him with Louis by her side.

Ryan watched them leave, his smirk still in place, but his mind was already elsewhere.

She had dismissed him easily, uninterested, just as she had with every other man.

But for the first time in a long time...

Ryan felt challenged.

And Ryan Winthrop never walked away from a challenge.

Ryan remained where he was, watching as Irene and Louis disappeared through the grand entrance.

Rachael stepped up beside him, arms crossed. "So?"

Ryan exhaled sharply, his smirk returning. "So what?"

"Oh, don't play dumb," she said, nudging him with her elbow. "You just got tossed aside for the first time in your life. How's that feel?"

Ryan rolled his shoulders, unaffected. "She didn't toss me aside. She just doesn't know me yet."

Rachael gave him a long, knowing look. "Ryan...."

"What?"

Her voice softened, but there was something serious in her tone. "Are you actually interested in her? Or is she just another one of your amusements?"

Ryan glanced at his sister, his expression unreadable.

"You never cared about women before," Rachael continued."You've always said relationships are just distractions, so what is this?"

Ryan was quiet for a moment before he chuckled. "I don't know yet."

Rachael frowned. "Ryan, she's not someone you just mess with. Irene is... different."

"I know," he said simply.

"No, I mean really different," Rachael pressed. "She's not just some cold-hearted woman who doesn't care about love. I don't know why, but she's guarded for real.

Ryan's smirk faded slightly. "And that's why you stopped talking?"

Rachael hesitated before nodding. "I tried, but we lost contact. She disappeared after our first year of college. I didn't know what happened to her."

Ryan absorbed this, his gaze darkening slightly. "She's hiding something."

"Maybe," Rachael admitted. "But Ryan, if this is just a game to you, don't do it."

Ryan's smirk returned, but it was slower, more calculated. "Who said anything about a game?"

Rachael sighed, shaking her head. She didn't believe him yet. But she knew her brother.

If he had set his sights on something on someone he wasn't going to let go.

And that worried her.

Because for the first time, she wasn't sure if Ryan was chasing Irene out of curiosity...

Or if he was serious.

Meanwhile....

Irene leaned back in the car seat, arms crossed, as Louis drove through the quiet streets.