As she takes a seat at the marble island, I open the fridge and see what the chef left.
“Salmon on a bed of vegetables and wild rice. Is that okay?”
She rests her face in her palms, smiling. “Healthy. I like that.”
I plate the food, and we go to the terrace, the mild fall allowing us to enjoy the outdoors some more.
“If I were you, I would never leave my home,” she says wistfully.
“You haven’t seen it all.”
Her eyes bug out. “There’s more?”
I nod, captivated by her intrinsic innocence. One I will end up corrupting, like there’s an unwritten rule that life turns even saints into sinners.
We eat in comfortable silence, and while I can’t stop looking at her, she steals glances, smiling under her breath every time I catch her.
Once we finish, I drag her onto my lap, where she makes herself at home. No questions asked, as if our hearts have already had a deep soul conversation and our bodies follow their lead.
Snuggling into me, I wrap my arms around her, holding her as we look at the New York skyline. My solitude vanishes, the drive to chase another goal, set a new one, dims. Hussle. Hussle.Hussle. Occupy every waking moment not to think about things lacking.
With her in my arms, it’s clear there’s no amount of money that could fulfill me. I have fucking billions. No amount of respect I can get. People in the underworld fear me; people in the business world revere me. Yet, the serenity of this moment can’t be bought. Can’t be won. Holding this woman in my arms is everything.
The fall should bring with it decay; for me, it ushers in a new beginning. With that soothing thought, I carry her to bed.
I can ask her about her place tomorrow. I don’t need it tonight to know she’s mine and she’ll be moving in.
But when I wake up after the best night of my life, only to discover she left, anger swiftly turns to determination, steeling my spine.
I will find her.
And after I find her, I won’t ever let her go.
Oh, Viviana, you should never have run.
Predators love a good chase.
You thought you could indulge without consequences?
No, baby.
Not in my world, where I am fucking king.
5
VIVIANA
One month later, I recount that night every few minutes, stuck in a loop. My brain remembers every moment, my heart latching onto every memory.
Sometimes I debate whether it actually happened. It did, feeling him in every breath I inhale, in every beat of my heart, in every step I take, as if he put me through a metamorphosis and altered my essence.
I don’t know who he is. Maybe that’s a blessing in disguise while I am cursed to relive his ardent kisses, our bodies molded together in fiery passion. My first time was everything I dreamed it would be and nothing I expected.
“Still thinking about the mystery guy?” Evie asks, coming from the shower.
I shrug, peeling at my cuticle. Chasing him away from my thoughts is a feat—hijacking my attention. No amount of classwork or learning helps.
Once I returned, I studied even harder as if that would help me forget the mistake I made. A mistake I am incapable of regretting, even though it might cost me everything. That’s an issue I’ll postpone for later, so I don’t lose my mind for good.
