Chapter 2 Scarred Hands

CHAPTER TWO

Anika didn't sleep much that night.

She kept replaying his voice in her head-low, rough, with that calm edge that didn't quite fit a stranger loitering in the rain. That line: "I didn't think I was staying long enough for it to matter." Like he was always ready to disappear.

By morning, she'd convinced herself it was a one-off encounter. A weird, fleeting blip in an otherwise uneventful week. People passed through the city all the time. Strangers came and went. No big deal.

Still, she couldn't help glancing twice at every tall man on the street that day. None of them were him.

It wasn't until late afternoon, when she stepped into the glossy, marble-floored lobby of Lennox Development Group, that her world shifted again.

"Miss Cole," said the receptionist, standing. "Mr. Lennox is ready for you."

She smoothed her blazer, tossed her curls over one shoulder, and walked into the boardroom like she owned it-even if her stomach flipped. Lennox was a high-end developer. Big money. Big risk. The kind of client that could triple her portfolio if she impressed them.

"Ms. Cole," said a tall man at the head of the table. "We've been following your work. Minimalist but bold. We like bold."

Anika gave a professional smile. "Then you'll love what I've designed for your Bellmore Estate property."

He gestured for her to begin. She launched into the presentation: mood boards, materials, color schemes. She barely noticed the others entering the room halfway through.

Until her eyes snagged on him.

Leaning casually against the far wall. Same dark hair, slightly longer now. Same unreadable eyes.

Elias.

He wasn't in the rain this time. He was in a tailored black sweater and jeans, arms crossed, watching her.

She faltered.

Lennox didn't seem to notice. "This is Elias Black. He'll be overseeing the Bellmore property on our end."

She blinked. "Overseeing-as in the caretaker?"

"Security and maintenance, yes. The estate's been empty for years. He keeps things... functioning."

Anika's throat tightened. "We've met. Briefly."

Elias didn't react. Just nodded once in acknowledgment.

The rest of the meeting passed in a blur. Anika kept her focus, but inside, everything spun. She hadn't imagined him. He was real. And now they were working together.

When it ended, she packed up her tablet with forced calm. He didn't say anything. Just waited until the others filtered out. Then, quietly, he approached.

"You didn't mention you were an interior designer."

"You didn't mention you were a security ghost for luxury estates," she shot back, standing.

His lips twitched-maybe a smile, maybe not.

"Do you always stand in the rain staring at women's offices?"

"Only when the view is worth it."

Her breath caught, but she covered it with a dry laugh. "You have a strange idea of flirting."

"I wasn't flirting."

That made her eyes lift to his.

He held her gaze. Silent. Intense.

Then he reached for something on the table-her sketchbook, which had slipped from her folder.

His hand brushed hers.

She flinched. Not from the touch-but from the scars.

Deep ones. Across his knuckles, up the side of his palm. Jagged, raw, old. Like he'd fought things you couldn't see. Or maybe tried to claw his way out of something he never wanted to enter.

She pulled her hand back. "What happened to your hands?"

Elias looked down, then slowly closed his fingers into fists.

"I survived," he said.

Just that. No details. No invitation for more.

Anika nodded slowly. "Well. Let's keep it professional."

"Of course."

As she turned to leave, she felt his eyes on her.

He wasn't the type who talked much.

But his silence said plenty.