Chapter 1 - The Croissant & The Curse
Kay Kliffe sat in the corner of Brewed Magic, her favorite coffee shop, staring blankly at her untouched latte. The remnants of her breakup with Leo still clung to her like a shadow, no matter how hard she tried to shake it. She was supposed to be packing for college, starting a new life far away from this town—far away from the memories. But something deep inside her whispered that leaving wasn’t the answer.
A smooth, velvety voice broke her thoughts.
“That croissant looks lonely. Mind if I give it a home?”
Kay looked up, startled. Towering over her was a man with piercing hooded eyes—dark, hypnotic, as if they could see right through her. His smirk was confident, almost arrogant, but there was something undeniably magnetic about him.
Adrian Star.
She hesitated. “No, thank you. I just got out of a really bad relationship.”
His smirk deepened. “I’m not trying to be your boyfriend, Kay. I’m just trying to do something nice.”
Her breath hitched. How does he know my name? She wonders.
Before she could question it, he slid the plate toward her, his fingers brushing against hers—just for a second—but it sent an electric jolt up her arm.
She should have walked away.
She should have said no.
But she didn’t.
And that was her first mistake.
