Chapter 1
"Not every tragedy begins with a gunshot. Some begin with a single glance."
Natalya
The bass pounded hard enough to shake the crystal glasses lining the bar .
Neon lights, painted the nightclub in shades of crimson and violet while expensive perfume mixed with whiskey and cigar smoke. The vip crowd laughed too loudly, pretending they weren't all watching each others.
I used to love places like this ,
Too many lies hidden behind designer suits and dresses.
Too many lies dangerous men wearing charming smiles.
I smoothed the black silk dress hugging my body before adjusting the earpiece hidden beneath my blonde waves .
" He's here."
Raphael's voice echoed through the tiny speaker .
" I know "
My heart beat betrayed how calm I sounded .
The ambassador.
The man everyone whispering about .
Some called him a diplomat .
Others called him the evil in a tailored suit .
No one seemed to know where the truth ended and the rumors began .
I scanned the room for the hundredth time .
Then .
I found him .
Everything stopped .
The music faded into nothing .
The conversation dissolved into silence.
It felt as though the entire nightclub disappeared, leaving only him and I standing beneath the flashing lights .
Silver streaks threaded through his dark hair making him look even more distinguished than photographs I'd seen. His charcoal suit looked as though it had been tailored on his body alone. Board shoulders, strong jaw. Calm eyes that held far too many secrets.
He wasn't simply handsome.
He was the kind of man mothers warned their daughters about .
The kind who smiled whole destroying lives.
For one reckless second, I blamed the whiskey I'd been nursing all evening.
Because surely alcohol was the only explanation for the strange ache setting beneath my ribs.
He looked directly at me .
Not around me.
At me.
Like he'd known exactly where to find me all along.
Then he smiled.
Small.
Confident.
Dangerous.
He crossed the room with measured steps, every movement effortless, commanding attention without asking for it.
He stopped close enough for me to catch the scent of cedar wood, leather, and something darker I couldn't name.
"I'm the one you're looking for."
My lips parted.
Nothing.
Not a single rehearsed line survived the moment.
His gaze lingered on my face, studying me with infuriating patience before a quite chuckle escaped him.
"You're not what I expected."
I recovered quickly, lifting one perfectly shaped eyebrow.
"I've heard so much about you ... Mr Ambassador."
The title carried enough sarcasm to make his smile deepen.
"Oh?" His voice dropped lower. " Only good things, I hope."
" I wouldn't know." I shrugged. " I never believe rumors."
"And yet" His eyes traveled over me—not rushed, not vulgar, simply deliberate enough to make me painfully aware of every inch of exposed skin."..here you are."
Heat crawled up my neck.
I refused to let him notice.
He stepped closer.
Much closer.
I suddenly realized just how tall he was.
I had to tilt my head back to meet those impossibly calm brown eyes.
Without asking, his hand lifted.
Slowly.
Giving me every opportunity to stop him.
I didn't.
His fingers brushed a loose strand of my blonde hair behind my ear.
His knuckles barely grazed my cheek.
Cold.
Infuriatingly gentle.
The touch lasted only a heartbeat.
Yet my pulse reacted as though he'd touched far more than my skin.
"So..." he murmured, his gaze never leaving mine."You've heard of me."
" I hear a lot of things."
" Ans what they say?"
" That you're dangerous."
A flicker of amusement crossed his face.
" They are observant,"
For the first that evening I smiled.
Not because he amused me.
Because I refused to let him think he had already won whatever silent game he was playing.
I stepped around him, creating just enough distance to breathe agaim.
" Raphael is waiting for you."
I started waling towards the private hallway leading to the VIP area.
My heels clicked against the marble floor with practiced confidence.
I didn't look back.
I wouldn't give him that satisfaction.
But I could fell him behind me.
Every measured step.
Every glance burning into the bare skin along my back.
Like a promise.
Or a warning.
Somehow deep inside, a voice whispered the truth I wasn't ready to admit.
Walking into the VIP area wasn't the begging of a meeting.
It was the begging of a war.
And I had no idea that the most dangerous man I'd ever meet would become the one person I could never escape.
The moment we stopped inside the VIP area the noise from the club became nothing more than a dull vibration behind the heavy oak door.
Raphael rose from the leader sofa with a grin spreading across his face.
"Michael ... man long time no see."
The two men exchanged a firm handshake before Raphael smirked.
"I made sure no one came in here. Thought I'd give the so called ambassador some privacy."
Michael's eyes swept arrow the room,.
Slowly.
Calculating.then they lane on the two men standing silently near the entrance.
His security detail.
Raphael let out an exaggerated sigh.
"And yet you still brought your guards."
Michael did't answer.
He simply picked up the crystal glass resting on the table and took a slow sip of his whiskey.
His gaze never left mine.
Not even a second.
The amber liquid rolled across the glass while those brown eyes studied me with quite curiosity.
I shifted my weight, suddenly aware of every breath I took.
"Who's your lady friend?" He asked, finally breaking the silence.
Raphael laughed.
"OH... Natalya."
His arms slipped comfortably around my shoulders.
"We've been best friends for years. Life got in the way, we lost touch for a while, but now we're back together."
He squeezed my shoulders proudly,
"She's the best. My ride or die."
Michael's expression didn't change.
If anything...
It became more unreadable.
He looked at Raphael.
Then back at me.
His eyes wandered over my face as though he were searching for sometime no one else could see.
"I never imagined you'd have a friend like...her."
The words were calm.
Almost polite.
But they landed like an insult.
My eyebrows shot up.
"I'm sorry?"
Both men looked at me.
I folded my arms across my chest.
"Excuse me?"
Michael titled his head slightly.
"I didn't mean it as an insult."
" Really?" I replied, my voicce dripping sarcasm. "Because it sounded exactly like one."
The corner of his mouth lifted.
Not a quite smile.
More like he was entertained by the fact that I challenged him instead of shrinking beneath his gaze.
Raphael chuckled awkardly.
"Easy, tiger."
I ignored him.
My eyes never let Michael's.
"You don't know the first thing about me."
"No." He admitted calmly.
"I don't."
Another sip of whiskey.
"But I'd like to."
Silence settled between us.
Heavy.
Electrics.
Dangerous intimate.
I hated the way my pulse quickened.
And I hated even more...
That he noticed.
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