Chapter 1
The first thing Lore Deveraux noticed was the silence. The kind that hummed in her ears and pressed against her skull. Then came the headache, sharp, pulsing, and entirely undeserved. She groaned, rolling onto her back, blinking at the sterile brightness around her.
White walls. White sheets. White curtains that swayed lazily in the morning light. The place looked like a luxury clinic or a minimalist’s fever dream.
She squinted, shielding her eyes. “Who the fuck even lives here?”
“Me.”
The voice was smooth, low, and annoyingly composed. Lore turned her head and froze.
A woman stood by the doorway, tall and poised, dressed in loose white tailored pants and a matching shirt that looked like it had been made for her alone. Jet-black hair was pulled into a neat bun, not a strand out of place. Her blue eyes were sharp enough to cut glass, and the faintest smirk tugged at her lips as she lifted a cup of coffee to them.
Lore blinked. “You’re kidding.”
Sasha de Pax didn’t blink. “I rarely do.”
Lore sat up, clutching the sheet to her chest, her mind scrambling through fragments of last night....music, laughter, a bar, a dare, a kiss that turned into something far more dangerous.
“Right,” Lore muttered, rubbing her temple. “So I’m in your place. Great. That’s not awkward at all.”
Sasha took a slow sip of coffee, eyes never leaving her. “You were drunk. I wasn’t. You insisted on coming here.”
Lore arched a brow. “And you didn’t stop me?”
“I don’t stop adults from making their own decisions.”
“Charming.”
Sasha’s lips curved faintly. “You seemed to think so last night.”
Lore’s cheeks warmed, but she refused to look away. “You’re very sure of yourself.”
“Confidence is cheaper than regret.”
Lore snorted. “You sound like a motivational poster.”
Sasha tilted her head, studying her. “And you sound like someone who doesn’t know when to stop talking.”
The tension between them was sharp, electric. Lore swung her legs off the bed, realizing she was wearing one of Sasha’s shirts....crisp white, oversized, smelling faintly of cedar and coffee.
“So,” Lore said, standing and stretching, “what’s the protocol here? Breakfast? Small talk? Or do we just pretend this never happened?”
Sasha’s gaze flicked down, then back up. “We don’t do second fucks.”
Lore blinked, then laughed...a short, incredulous sound. “Wow. Straight to the point.”
“I don’t do attachments,” Sasha said simply. “Last night was… an exception.”
Lore crossed her arms. “You make it sound like a business transaction.”
Sasha’s phone buzzed on the counter. She glanced at the screen, her expression tightening. “Hold up. Gotta take this.”
Without another word, she stepped out onto the balcony, her voice low and clipped as she spoke into the phone.
Lore watched her go, irritation prickling under her skin. The woman was infuriating....beautiful, yes, but cold, distant, unreadable.
She wandered through the apartment, curiosity winning over pride. Everything was immaculate....white marble floors, glass furniture, not a speck of dust in sight. The kind of place that screamed control.
Then she saw it.
On the nightstand, beside her discarded heels, lay a neat stack of cash.
Lore froze.
For a moment, her brain refused to process it. Then the realization hit, hot and humiliating.
She stared at the money, her pulse pounding.
No. No way.
Her pride flared, sharp and furious. Sasha whoever the hell she was thought she was an escort.
Lore’s jaw tightened. She grabbed the cash, fingers trembling with anger.
“Unbelievable,” she muttered. “Absolutely fucking unbelievable.”
She paced the room, the insult burning through her. She’d been underestimated before, by men, by the board, by anyone who thought her beauty meant weakness....but this? This was new.
The balcony door slid open behind her.
Sasha stepped back in, phone still in hand, her expression unreadable. “I have to go. Something came up.”
Lore turned slowly, the cash clutched in her fist. “Oh, don’t worry. I was just about to leave too.”
Sasha’s eyes flicked to the money, then back to her face. “You found that.”
“Found it?” Lore’s voice dripped with venom. “You mean the payment?”
Sasha’s brow furrowed. “Excuse me?”
“Don’t play dumb,” Lore snapped. “You think I’m some kind of escort? That I came here for money?”
Sasha’s expression didn’t change, but something flickered in her eyes, surprise, maybe even guilt. “That’s not what....”
“Save it,” Lore cut in. “You don’t have to explain. I get it. You don’t do attachments, right? Just transactions.”
Sasha’s jaw tightened. “You’re making assumptions.”
“And you’re making insults.”
For a moment, neither spoke. The air between them was thick, charged with anger and something else neither wanted to name.
Lore stepped closer, holding out the cash. “Here’s your mistake back.”
Sasha didn’t take it.
Lore dropped it on the counter instead, the bills scattering like fallen pride. “Next time, maybe ask before you assume.”
She grabbed her heels, slipping them on with trembling hands.
Sasha watched her, silent.
At the door, Lore paused, forcing a smirk she didn’t feel. “By the way,” she said, glancing over her shoulder, “you’re not that good.”
It was a lie, and they both knew it.
Sasha’s lips twitched, the faintest ghost of a smile. “You’ll think about it anyway.”
Lore’s heart stuttered, but she didn’t look back. She slammed the door behind her, the sound echoing through the pristine apartment.
The door slammed, leaving silence in its wake.
For a long moment, Sasha didn’t move. The bills lay scattered across the marble like fallen snow.
A soft shuffle broke the stillness .....the maid, small and nervous, hurried in, eyes darting to the mess. She bent quickly, gathering the money with trembling hands.
Sasha’s gaze lingered on the door Lore had just stormed through. Her lips curved, slow and deliberate.
The maid froze mid‑movement, startled by the sight. No one ever smiled like that after crossing Sasha de Pax.
“Ma’am?” the maid whispered.
Sasha turned her head slightly, voice smooth as silk. “Leave it.”
The maid hesitated, clutching the bills.
Sasha’s smile deepened, eyes glinting with something unreadable. “Let her think she won.”
The maid swallowed hard, nodding, retreating as if from a predator.
When the door closed again, Sasha looked back at the empty space, her amusement softening into intrigue.
“Who are you, little dream?” she murmured.
Outside, the morning sun was blinding. Lore inhaled sharply, her anger cooling into something heavier.....something dangerously close to hurt. "Who the fuck does she think she is?" Lore muttered shoving her hands into the pockets like she could hold herself together.
