Chapter 3 THE EYES IN THE DARK

We stopped at the mall to grab a sexy, badass dress - Eli practically dragged me in.

I liked him. He was so easy to talk to - bright, radiant, and full of life. He could easily pass as the gay best friend I never had, and the thought made me smile. My last best friend? Yeah, I caught her screwing my boyfriend. And instead of apologizing, she spread a stupid rumor about me.

"You look gorg, Tessa!" Eli said, eyes running down my dress but not in a creepy way. "Girl, you could pull a man or two if you tried."

I laughed, dry and sarcastic. "Haha. Sure."

We got to the club around 8 p.m. - probably not my smartest move, considering I had work tomorrow. But I told myself, YOLO. I needed this. I just wasn't going to drink... no matter how tempting. No fun there, but hey - we've got a job to keep.

The disco lights flashed, bass thumped through the floor, and the air reeked of smoke, sweat, and expensive perfume. It was wild. Loud. Alive.

Pretty impressive for a small-town club.

The crowd was wild - bodies moving to the beat, laughter blending with bass. I was just starting to relax when Eli froze beside me, his glass halfway to his lips.

"What?" I asked, leaning closer.

He didn't answer at first. His eyes were fixed on the entrance. Then he leaned toward me, voice almost a whisper.

"That's him. He never comes out-especially not here."

I followed his gaze.

The moment our eyes met, everything around me seemed to fade. The music dulled, the crowd blurred, and for a brief second, it felt like the air between us shifted - heavy, electric, familiar.

His gaze locked on mine for a second-long enough for my breath to hitch. Then he looked away, speaking to someone at his side, and the spell broke.

"Relax," Eli said, "you're fine. He's not even looking at-"

"Miss Morgan," a deep voice cut through the music.

Eli's mouth dropped. "Oh my God, he is."

I froze.

That voice.

Low. Commanding. Impossible to ignore.

I turned around slowly-and there he was. Lucian Vale. The man I was supposed to work for tomorrow. Standing inches away from me, his dark eyes unreadable under the flickering club lights.

"Mr... Mr. Vale," I stammered.

His expression didn't change. "Interesting place for my new PA to be spending the night before her first day."

"I-uh-I was just-"

"Celebrating? You think Wolfe Enterprises hires assistants to party before work?"

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.

Eli cleared his throat awkwardly. "She wasn't even drinking-"

"I didn't ask for your contribution, Eli." Lucian's gaze shifted to him for barely a second, and that was enough to make Eli stop talking.

"Get some rest, Miss Morgan," Lucian said finally. "You'll need it."

He leaned closer-not to flirt, but to make sure I heard him over the bass. His breath brushed my ear, calm but cold.

"Tomorrow, I expect you on time. And dressed like someone who works for me, not someone I found in a nightclub."

Lucian turned to leave, and just like that, the air shifted again - lighter, colder. He disappeared into the crowd before I could even blink, swallowed by the sea of bodies and flashing lights.

"What the actual hell was that?" Eli hissed, grabbing my arm. "Do you realize you just got caught clubbing by your boss?"

"I didn't plan this!" I said defensively, still staring at where Lucian had vanished. My heart was racing so fast it hurt. "He wasn't even supposed to be here!"

Eli shook his head, muttering something about bad luck and hot men with authority issues.

I tried to laugh it off, but I couldn't. Because even as I danced halfheartedly to the next song, even as Eli pulled me toward the bar for one last drink, I could still feel him.

His eyes.

His voice.

That calm authority that made my pulse do things it shouldn't.

By the time I got home, my heels in one hand and regret in the other, I couldn't stop replaying it in my head. The way he said Miss Morgan-like it meant something.

I kicked off my shoes and fell onto the couch, staring at the ceiling.

I should've felt embarrassed. Terrified even.

But what I felt was... something else.

A pull.

Unexplainable. Dangerous.

Like the moment our eyes met, something deep inside me woke up.

"Get a grip, Tessa," I whispered to myself.

I'd met him twice. Twice.

So why the hell couldn't I stop thinking about him? His voice echoed in my head, deep and calm, every word cutting through the music.

"Dressed like someone who works for me." I mimicked him. Arrogant bastard. And yet...my chest tightened just at the thought of seeing him again tomorrow.

The wind outside howled against the window, almost like a warning.

But in the woods beyond the cottage, something moved.

And if I'd looked outside just then, I might've seen them - those same golden eyes watching from the dark.