Chapter 3 Declined

Ace Wolfe – POV

She didn't even flinch. Didn't cry. Didn't hesitate. Just squared her shoulders, locked those defiant eyes on me, and said- "You need an heir? Find someone else to breed your dynasty, Mr. Wolfe. I'm not for sale-not even in crocodile leather." Then she turned on her heel-velvet dress swaying like defiance wrapped in silk-and walked right out of my office. No begging. No questions. Just fire in her eyes. I should've let her go. But I didn't. Because the second the door clicked shut behind her, I was already replaying last night. The rooftop party. The flash of gold lights on her skin. The way she looked over her shoulder like she felt me watching before she even saw me. I hadn't planned on noticing anyone that night. Hell, I hadn't even wanted to attend. Clark Maddox's father had called in a favor-one of the very few people I still owed something to. A campaign donation. A long-forgotten deal. Whatever it was, I owed him enough to show up. That was it. One drink, a few fake smiles, and I'd be gone. And then I saw her. Alara Grey. In a velvet dress too tight for comfort and too perfect to forget. Standing alone like she didn't belong, and yet somehow stealing the entire skyline's attention. She didn't know the power she held. Not yet. But I did. And now-she was in my head. Uncooperative. Unbending. Undeniably... tempting. She said no. Which only made me want her more. ⸻ Alara Grey – POV The coffee shop was quieter than usual-late afternoon light spilling through the windows, casting gold over the pastries in the case. Percy was in the back taking inventory, which gave me a moment to pretend I was fine. But I wasn't. Ace Wolfe offered me marriage. And a baby. And money I desperately needed. And I walked away. I didn't know if that made me strong... or stupid. I was still replaying every second in that glass fortress of his when the bell above the door jingled. Clark Maddox swept in like the world was a runway and she was the finale. Her coat was designer. Her hair in a silk ribbon. And she carried an energy that made heads turn when she walked. "Tell me you've been keeping secrets," she said, sliding into the stool across from me. "Because I just heard something insane from my driver's girlfriend's cousin." I blinked. "That's... oddly specific." She leaned in. "Is it true you were seen getting out of a Wolfe Empire Benz?" I bit my bottom lip. "Okay, yes. But it's not what you think." Clark's eyes doubled in size. "You know Ace Wolfe?" "Not know him. More like... had a strange conversation with him. Twice." "Twice?! Bitch, that man is the city's most elusive bachelor. He makes CEOs cry and models beg. He hasn't been seen in public with a woman since Eve." I stilled. "Eve?" Clark nodded. "Eve Montgomery. My cousin. You've probably seen her-supermodel, Vogue cover, leggy and lethal. She and Ace dated a while back. No one really knows what ended it, but... it got ugly." I swallowed. So that was her. The woman who once had his attention. Clark narrowed her eyes, suddenly more serious. "Why did you meet with him?" I looked down. "He made me an offer." "What kind of offer?" I hesitated. Clark was my best friend, but saying it aloud would make it real. And I wasn't ready for that. "Something I turned down," I whispered. "But I'm not sure for how long." She reached across the counter and squeezed my hand. "You're not a girl who sells her soul," she said. "No matter how expensive the devil's suit is." I smiled softly. "You make that sound noble." She grinned. "Dramatic's kind of my thing." But even as I laughed... my chest tightened. Because I wasn't sure how many more choices I had left. And I had a feeling Ace Wolfe wasn't finished with me yet.