Chapter 3 A night with a stranger

Lena's pov

Kate's voice echoed through her spacious bedroom apartment.

"Wait... what do you mean Adrian did what?"

I sank deeper into the fluffy duvet, trying to disappear. "You remember Maya? The one who used to torment me back in high school?" I paused, the bitterness on my tongue unmistakable. "Turns out she's not just Adrian's ex... she's pregnant with his baby."

Kate's eyes widened, mascara smudged with disbelief. "No way, that girl? The same one who stomped on his heart before vanishing like a puff of smoke?"

I nodded, lips pressed together to stop the sting behind my eyes. Kate had been my rock since college. She was blunt, fearless, and beautiful in that effortless, leggy, blonde kind of way. She could've passed for a model if she hadn't hated following rules.

"I'm going to kill him," she growled, hands clenched into fists. "Rich CEO or not, he doesn't get a free pass."

I gave a weak smile. "Too bad murder's illegal."

"So what now?" she asked, crossing her arms. "You just... what? Work under him and pretend this never happened?"

"I doubt that'll be a problem much longer," I muttered. "He hasn't fired me yet, but it's only a matter of time. Maybe I'll finally be able to afford a new apartment with the severance."

Adrian had given me the role of Associate Marketing Director at the Huntley Corporation. It wasn't charity, I had qualifications but being around him every day had been torture. Work was the only thing keeping my sanity stitched together.

Kate clapped her hands like she'd just discovered the cure for heartbreak. "Okay, enough brooding. We're going out tonight."

"What?"

"We're going to dress like goddesses, drink like pirates, and maybe, just maybe let a tall, dark stranger ruin us in the best way."

I groaned. "Kate..."

"Nope! You need a reset and I've got two VIP passes to Velvet Inferno, the hottest club in L.A. It's time."

---

A few hours later, I stood outside the glowing doors of Velvet Inferno, heels biting into the pavement, dress hugging every curve I'd forgotten I had.

Inside, the place pulsed with energy, electric blue lights, intoxicating music, and the dizzying mix of perfume and desire in the air.

"You want to be boring or badass?" Kate shouted over the bass as we slid into plush bar stools.

I reached for a tequila shot before she could tease me. One, then two. "Badass," I said with a smirk.

"That's my girl."

Kate was off within minutes, dragging a stranger into the crowd. I stayed at the bar, watching the neon swirl in my glass.

"Your usual, sir?"

The bartender's voice caught my attention, but it was the voice that replied that made me freeze.

"Yeah," the man said, voice rich and deep like sin.

I turned.

He was tall, dressed in a crisp shirt with the top buttons undone, revealing abs like carved marble. Midnight-black hair, a chiseled jawline but it was his eyes that hooked me, icy blue with flecks of gold and green, eyes that had seen too much and felt too little.

"You're staring," he said, tone unreadable.

"Am I?" I blurted, alcohol already stripping away my filter. "Sorry... you're just... wow."

A small, knowing tilt of his lips. "You like what you see?"

"I didn't say that," I lied.

He leaned closer, the scent of leather and something smoky clinging to him. "But your eyes did."

The tension cracked like lightning. He sipped his drink, gaze never leaving mine. "Follow me."

I hesitated... then stood.

---

The green Lamborghini purred like a wild beast as we reached it. He opened the door for me with a flick of the wrist.

Inside, the heat between us exploded.

His mouth found mine, hot, urgent, desperate. My hands tangled in his hair as he pressed me against the leather seat.

"Tell me to stop," he rasped, but I didn't, I couldn't.

The night blurred into a fever dream, his touch, my moans, his name I didn't even know.

---

Morning sunlight stabbed through kate's bathroom blinds like judgment.

I blinked at the mirror, wincing. My hair was a mess, my lipstick gone, and hickies painted down my neck like bruised roses.

"Damn!" Kate shrieked, barging in behind me. "Girl, did you get hit by a truck or just blessed by a Greek god?"

I laughed, weakly. "Somewhere in between."

Reality returned fast. I opened my phone to find an email from Adrian's secretary.

Subject: Termination of Employment.

Just like that. No meeting, no explanation. He couldn't even look me in the eyes.

Still, I had one last hope, a job interview scheduled Next week.

---

The upper week, the day of the interview.

I dressed with care, every thread of my blazer a kind of armor. I needed this, a fresh start.

The building was sleek, modern, intimidating. As I approached the front desk, a girl barely glanced up from her laptop.

"Yes?" she said coldly.

"I have an interview for the marketing Director position."

"Top floor. Left."

I bit my tongue, nodded, and took the elevator up. My hands trembled slightly as I adjusted my skirt and took a breath. No turning back now.

At the top, was only one office. I knocked.

"Come in," said a voice cold and commanding.

I stepped inside... and my world spun.

Those eyes. Those same damn blue-and-gold eyes.

Sitting behind the desk, was the man from the club.