Chapter 1
Chapter 1 — The First Encounter
Amelia Carter hated charity galas.
They were always the same—rooms filled with people pretending to care, glasses of expensive champagne clinking under golden chandeliers, and conversations that sounded polite but felt hollow.
She adjusted the strap of her black dress and forced a polite smile at a passing guest.
This night was supposed to be simple.
Smile.
Network.
Leave early.
That was the plan.
But plans had a strange way of falling apart.
Especially when he walked into the room.
Amelia didn’t notice him immediately. It wasn’t the sound of the doors opening that caught her attention. It was the silence. The strange, subtle shift in the atmosphere — like the air itself had grown heavier.
Conversations softened. Heads turned. And suddenly everyone seemed… aware.
Curious, Amelia glanced toward the entrance.
That was when she saw him.
Tall. Broad-shouldered. Dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit that looked like it belonged in a magazine.
But it wasn’t the suit that made people stare.
It was him.
Ethan Hayes.
