CHAPTER 2

By seven the next evening, I had changed outfits four times.

I hated myself for caring this much.

It wasn't a date.

It wasn't even my dinner.

It was my mother's engagement dinner with a man I'd never met.

A man who happened to be one of the richest people in the country.

And apparently, my future stepfather.

I stood in front of the mirror wearing a black dress my mother had bought for me months ago and never once asked about.

It was elegant.

Simple.

The kind of dress that made me look like I belonged in rooms I had never been invited into.

I turned sideways.

The back was mostly covered.

Good.

My mother's warning from the night before came back to me.

"Alexander notices everything."

I didn't know why that sentence had stayed with me.

I picked up my purse before throwing my vibrator and lube inside.

Just because i was meeting them didn't mean i was going to stop my life .

The gifts had covered my rent and groceries, but the tuition was lagging and i needed to clear it.

My phone buzzed.

I glanced at the screen.

A notification from my private account.

Anonymous had sent another gift.

I stared at it.

He'd been unusually active since yesterday.

Another message appeared.

Beautiful.

I swallowed.

I should have felt flattered.

Instead, I felt uneasy.

I locked my phone and shoved it into my purse.

Tonight wasn't about him.

Tonight was about Alexander Black.

The man who was about to marry my mother.

The restaurant was the kind of place I would normally walk past without even looking at the menu.

The entrance alone probably cost more than my monthly rent.

A valet opened the car door.

I stepped out and immediately spotted my mother.

She was standing beneath a chandelier, wearing a designer gown that probably cost more than everything in my apartment combined.

She looked happy.

No.

She looked victorious.

She rushed toward me.

"You came."

"You told me to."

She looked me up and down.

Then frowned.

"Your dress is fine."

"Thank you."

"Turn around."

I sighed.

"Mom."

"Just turn around."

I did.

She inspected the back of my dress.

"Good."

I rolled my eyes.

"You've been obsessed with my back since yesterday."

"I told you Alexander notices things."

"He's a billionaire, not a detective."

She gave me a strange look.

"You'd be surprised."

Before I could respond, she reached for my arm.

"Come on."

We walked inside.

The room was filled with people who looked like they had never checked the price of anything in their lives.

Men in tailored suits.

Women covered in diamonds.

Waiters carrying champagne.

Everything smelled expensive.

I immediately felt out of place.

Then my mother whispered,

"He's here."

I followed her gaze.

And forgot how to breathe.

Alexander Black stood near the far end of the room.

I had seen photographs of him before.

Photographs hadn't prepared me.

He was taller than I expected.

Broad shoulders.

Dark hair.

A perfectly tailored black suit.

His expression was calm, almost unreadable.

He wasn't smiling.

He didn't need to.

People moved around him like he was the center of gravity.

Then his eyes lifted.

They found mine.

And stayed there.

Something strange happened inside my chest.

I looked away first.

Absolutely not.

This was my mother's fiancé.

My future stepfather.

I couldn't be attracted to him.

That would be insane.

"Alexander," my mother called.

He turned toward her.

His expression softened.

He walked over.

My mother immediately slipped her arm through his.

"Alexander, this is my daughter, Ava."

His eyes moved to me.

Slowly.

Carefully.

I extended my hand.

"It's nice to meet you."

He looked at my hand for half a second before taking it.

His grip was firm.

Warm.

"Ava."

The way he said my name made me look at him.

"What?"

"Nothing."

He released my hand.

But he didn't stop looking at me.

My mother smiled.

"Isn't she beautiful?"

"Yes."

The answer came too quickly.

I noticed.

So did my mother.

A strange silence followed.

Alexander cleared his throat.

"I mean, you look very nice."

"Thank you."

He nodded.

Then his eyes flickered briefly toward my shoulder.

My stomach tightened.

I instinctively adjusted my dress.

He noticed.

Of course he did.

Something unreadable crossed his face.

Recognition?

No.

Impossible.

He had never seen me before.

At least, not like this.

"Have we met?" he asked.

My heart stopped.

"What?"

He stared at me.

"I said, have we met before?"

I forced a laugh.

"No."

His gaze remained on me.

"You're sure?"

"Pretty sure."

My mother laughed.

"Alexander, you haven't met her before."

He finally looked away.

"You're right."

But something about his expression told me he wasn't convinced.

Dinner was worse.

Or better.

I couldn't decide.

Alexander kept asking me questions.

What was I studying?

What year was I in?

Did I enjoy university?

What did I do in my free time?

Normal questions.

Except he listened too carefully.

Most wealthy people I'd met barely listened when someone spoke.

Alexander remembered everything.

When I mentioned a subject I hated, he remembered it twenty minutes later.

When I said I preferred coffee to wine, he quietly asked the waiter to bring me coffee.

When I mentioned that I hated crowded places, he moved his chair slightly so I had more space.

It was irritating.

Because I noticed.

And the more I noticed, the more attractive he became.

I hated that.

My mother, meanwhile, looked happier than I'd seen her in years.

She kept touching his arm.

Laughing at everything he said.

Watching the other guests watch her.

This was exactly what she wanted.

The name.

The status.

The attention.

She wasn't marrying Alexander Black because she needed his money.

She was marrying him because she wanted his world.

I looked across the table.

Alexander was staring at me again.

I quickly looked down.

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

I nearly choked on my coffee.

My mother laughed.

"Alexander!"

"What?"

"You can't ask her that."

"Why not?"

I wiped my mouth.

"No."

He tilted his head.

"No?"

"No boyfriend."

"Why?"

I shrugged.

"Because I don't."

His eyes held mine.

"Interesting."

I frowned.

"What's interesting about it?"

"Nothing."

There was something about the way he said it.

Like he was comparing me to something he already knew.

My phone buzzed inside my purse.

I ignored it.

It buzzed again.

Then again.

I finally glanced down.

My private account.

Anonymous.

Another message.

I miss you.

My stomach flipped.

I immediately locked the screen.

Across the table, Alexander was watching me.

"Everything okay?"

"Fine."

He didn't look convinced.

Neither was I.

Later that evening, my mother disappeared with some of her friends.

I stepped outside for air.

The terrace overlooked the city.

I rested my hands against the railing.

"Beautiful view."

I turned.

Alexander.

Of course.

"Yeah."

He walked toward me.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Then he stopped beside me.

"You don't like me."

I looked at him.

"What?"

"You've barely spoken to me all evening."

"You're marrying my mother."

"And?"

"And that's weird."

He smiled slightly.

"Fair."

I laughed despite myself.

He looked at me.

Really looked at me.

Then his expression changed.

His gaze dropped toward my back.

I immediately became aware of the small strip of exposed skin above my dress.

His eyes narrowed.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"You're staring."

"I noticed something."

My heart began pounding.

"What?"

He looked at me for another second.

Then he shook his head.

"Nothing."

He turned away.

I frowned.

"Alexander."

He stopped.

"What?"

"What did you notice?"

He looked back at me.

For a moment, his expression was almost disturbed.

Then he said quietly,

"I thought I recognized something."

My stomach dropped.

"From where?"

He didn't answer.

Instead, he smiled faintly.

"Goodnight, Ava."

He walked back inside.

I stood there watching him disappear.

My phone buzzed.

I pulled it from my purse.

Another anonymous message.

This time, only four words.

I know that mark.

My blood ran cold.

I stared at the screen.

Then slowly looked through the glass doors toward Alexander.

He was standing inside.

Looking directly at me.

He couldn't know anything ,he was just trying to assert dominance i assured myself as i moved to my assigned room .