CHAPTER ONE: THE NEW CONTRACT
The rain did not stop for three days after the safehouse incident.
It poured endlessly against the massive glass windows overlooking the dark forest below, turning the world outside into blurred silver shadows and restless fog.
Sophia barely slept.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw red emergency lights.
Gunshots.
Blood.
That hooded stranger whispering:
You’re too late.
And somehow—
What terrified her most wasn’t the intruder.
It was Salis’s reaction to the flash drive.
Because for the first time since meeting him—
The man who never seemed afraid of anything had looked genuinely shaken.
The entire atmosphere inside the safehouse changed afterward.
Security doubled.
Phones disappeared.
Eric spent most of his time arguing quietly with armed guards near the entrance.
And Salis?
Salis became distant.
Not cold.
Not cruel.
Just… unreachable.
Like part of him had disappeared somewhere Sophia could no longer follow.
Which hurt more than she wanted to admit.
Sophia sat curled beneath a blanket near the fireplace while her laptop rested across her knees.
The screen displayed unfinished footage from one of Salis’s older interviews.
Millions of views.
Thousands of comments.
Women obsessing over him openly.
Sophia scrolled through them numbly.
The way he looks at the camera should be illegal.
I would ruin my life for this man.
His voice literally feels expensive.
Whoever films him is lucky as hell.
That last comment made Sophia pause.
Whoever films him.
Her.
She stared at the paused frame onscreen.
Salis leaned lazily against a leather chair during the interview, dark shirt partially unbuttoned, tattoos visible beneath soft lighting while his deep voice answered questions with dangerous calmness.
Even through a screen—
The man had presence.
Not celebrity presence.
Something worse.
The kind that made people stare too long.
Sophia hated how attractive she found him sometimes.
Especially recently.
Especially after living in the same house with him.
Because cameras changed things.
Before becoming his camera girl, Salis felt untouchable.
Like fantasy.
Like someone carefully designed for screens and headlines and obsession.
But now—
Sophia knew too much.
She knew he drank coffee without sugar late at night when he couldn’t sleep.
She knew he rolled his sleeves whenever stressed.
She knew he quietly checked whether Kael locked his bedroom door before going to bed.
And worst of all—
She knew how gentle his hands could become when touching her.
That part ruined her completely.
A floorboard creaked softly upstairs.
Sophia looked up instinctively.
Footsteps followed seconds later.
Slow. Heavy. Familiar.
Her pulse reacted before her brain did.
Then Salis appeared at the top of the staircase.
Black sweatpants.
Dark long-sleeve shirt.
Messy hair.
Still devastatingly attractive somehow.
Sophia immediately looked back at her laptop pretending concentration she didn’t actually feel.
Too late.
She already felt him noticing her.
Salis descended the stairs quietly while adjusting the sleeve around his wrist.
Sophia tried not to stare.
Failed immediately.
Because exhaustion somehow made him look even more dangerous.
Sharper.
More real.
The soft firelight caught across the angles of his face while shadows darkened his already tired eyes.
He looked like the kind of man people wrote songs about after ruining their lives.
Salis stopped near the couch.
“What are you watching?”
Sophia glanced toward the screen awkwardly.
“One of your old interviews.”
His gaze shifted toward the laptop.
Then back to her.
“You hate those.”
“I hate the comments.”
That unexpectedly made the corner of his mouth twitch slightly.
Not quite a smile.
Close enough to make her stomach betray her.
Sophia quickly looked away again.
Dangerous.
Everything about this man felt dangerous lately.
Silence stretched comfortably afterward while rain tapped softly against the windows.
Then Salis finally spoke again.
“You should sleep.”
Sophia almost laughed weakly.
“You first.”
His expression changed subtly.
Like she accidentally touched something deeper beneath the surface.
Because neither of them slept much anymore.
Not after the safehouse attack.
Not after the flash drive.
Sophia slowly closed her laptop.
“You still haven’t told me what was inside it.”
Salis became still instantly.
There it was.
The invisible wall again.
He looked toward the fireplace quietly before answering.
“Nothing you need to worry about.”
Sophia frowned immediately.
“I hate when people say that.”
“Good.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means you’re smart enough to know when someone’s lying.”
Her chest tightened unexpectedly.
Salis looked back toward her then.
And suddenly—
The room felt smaller.
Warmer.
Too intimate.
Sophia became hyperaware of everything.
The rain outside.
The fire crackling softly nearby.
The way his voice always deepened late at night.
God.
This was becoming a problem.
Then Salis moved toward the kitchen.
Sophia watched him automatically.
Again.
Always again.
He opened a cabinet before grabbing two glasses.
Sophia blinked.
“You’re drinking?”
“No.”
He poured water into both glasses calmly.
Then walked back toward her.
Sophia stared as he handed her one silently.
Close enough now for his cologne to reach her.
Clean. Dark. Dangerously masculine.
Sophia’s thoughts instantly became embarrassing.
She accepted the glass too quickly.
Their fingers brushed accidentally.
Tiny contact.
Completely harmless.
Yet heat still rushed painfully through her chest.
Salis noticed.
Sophia knew he noticed.
Because his eyes lingered on her slightly longer afterward.
The silence changed.
Not awkward.
Something worse.
Aware.
Sophia swallowed carefully before looking away first.
Coward.
“You’ve been avoiding me,” she whispered finally.
The honesty escaped before she could stop it.
Salis remained quiet for several seconds.
Then:
“No.”
Sophia looked at him immediately.
“You literally disappear every time I walk into a room lately.”
“That’s not avoiding you.”
“Then what is it?”
Another pause.
Too long.
Then finally—
“You’re tired.”
Sophia stared at him in disbelief.
“That’s not an answer.”
His jaw tightened slightly.
Which somehow answered everything.
And suddenly—
Sophia understood.
Oh.
That realization hit harder than expected.
Because she recognized this behavior.
Distance. Control. Careful restraint.
Salis wasn’t avoiding her because he disliked her.
He was avoiding her because something between them was changing.
And he knew it too.
Sophia’s heartbeat became uneven instantly.
The fire cracked softly nearby.
Rain continued pouring outside.
Neither of them moved.
Then quietly—
Almost carefully—
Sophia asked:
“Are you scared of me?”
Salis looked directly at her.
The intensity in his gaze nearly destroyed her on impact.
“No.”
The answer came instantly.
Certain.
Dangerously sincere.
Sophia forgot how breathing worked for a second.
Then Salis slowly continued:
“That’s the problem.”
Her pulse stumbled painfully.
The room became too warm.
Too quiet.
Too full of things neither of them knew how to say aloud yet.
Sophia’s voice came out softer now.
“What changed?”
Salis stared at her for several endless seconds.
Then his eyes dropped briefly toward her mouth.
Tiny movement.
Tiny.
Yet Sophia noticed it instantly.
And suddenly—
Everything changed.
Because no man had ever looked at her like that before.
Not casually.
Not politely.
Not professionally.
That look felt intimate.
Hungry without being vulgar.
Restrained.
Which somehow made it worse.
Sophia physically felt heat rise into her face.
Salis noticed that too.
Of course he did.
His voice lowered slightly afterward.
“You should stop looking at me like that.”
Sophia blinked.
“Like what?”
“Like you forgot we’re supposed to behave professionally.”
Her stomach flipped violently.
Professional.
Right.
Because technically—
She worked for him.
Filmed him.
Followed him everywhere with cameras.
Edited his content.
Managed private footage.
She was supposed to remain objective.
Not think about his hands at two in the morning.
Not wonder what it would feel like if he touched her waist.
Not replay every accidental moment of tension inside her head before sleeping.
This was bad.
Very bad.
Sophia forced herself to stand from the couch quickly.
“I’m going to bed.”
Smart decision.
Necessary decision.
Salis stepped slightly aside to let her pass.
Too close.
Way too close.
Sophia brushed past him carefully—
And immediately regretted it.
Because his hand instinctively moved to steady her waist.
Gentle. Warm. Possessive without realizing it.
Sophia froze completely.
So did he.
Neither of them breathed.
His fingers remained against her waist for one devastating second too long.
Then two.
Sophia slowly looked up at him.
Big mistake.
Because Salis already looked wrecked.
Not emotionally controlled anymore.
Not distant.
Not untouchable.
Just a man staring at a woman like he wanted to forget every logical reason he shouldn’t.
Sophia’s heart nearly stopped.
The air between them became unbearably intimate.
And for one terrifying moment—
She thought he might kiss her.
But then footsteps echoed upstairs suddenly.
Kael.
Reality crashed back instantly.
Salis released her waist immediately.
Sophia stepped backward too fast.
Neither spoke.
Neither looked normal anymore.
Kael appeared sleepily near the staircase railing rubbing one eye.
“Why are you both standing like that?”
Sophia almost died on the spot.
“No reason!”
Too fast.
Too defensive.
Kael narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
Salis looked away first.
Which somehow made everything worse.
Kael stared between them slowly.
Then unexpectedly smiled faintly.
“Oh.”
Sophia panicked instantly.
“Oh what?”
“Nothing.”
Dangerous child.
Kael yawned afterward before disappearing back upstairs casually.
Sophia remained frozen in humiliation.
Meanwhile Salis quietly dragged one hand down his face like he regretted existing.
The silence afterward became impossible.
Sophia grabbed her laptop quickly.
“I’m seriously going to bed now.”
Smart.
Necessary.
Survival.
She turned too quickly—
Then accidentally dropped the laptop charger onto the floor.
Wonderful.
Sophia crouched immediately to grab it.
At the exact same time—
Salis bent down too.
Their heads nearly collided.
Sophia laughed nervously.
Salis exhaled softly beside her.
And somehow—
That tiny exhausted sound affected her more than it should have.
Their eyes met again.
Closer now.
Way too close.
Sophia’s pulse became unbearable.
Then quietly—
Very quietly—
Salis said:
“Sophia.”
The way he said her name should honestly be illegal.
Low.
Rough.
Careful.
Like he was already losing control of something.
Sophia forgot every intelligent thought she ever had.
Then his gaze dropped toward her lips again.
And this time—
He didn’t look away.
