05 Beautiful Stranger

Natalie

The moment the door clicked shut behind Uncle Michael, I felt like I could finally breathe. But the pressure in my chest didn’t lift. It sat there—heavy, unmovable—like something had cracked inside me and hadn’t quite healed right.

I spent the rest of the day packing in silence. Folding clothes, stacking books, zipping up my life with mechanical precision. I didn’t cry. I didn’t speak. I just moved.

It wasn’t until dusk draped the room in amber and shadow that my phone buzzed from the nightstand.

Lisa.

Relief bloomed in my chest at the sight of her name.

“Come out with me,” she said as soon as I picked up. Her voice was light, teasing—but with an undertow of concern. “There’s a club in town. You need a night out, and I need my favorite partner-in-crime.”

I hesitated. My heart was still raw. The last thing I wanted was a blur of flashing lights and fake smiles. But another part of me—tired, reckless, aching for escape—was already reaching for my closet.

“I’ll be there,” I said, slipping into a black dress before I could talk myself out of it.

By the time we pulled up to the club, something close to anticipation had replaced the dull ache in my chest. The low thrum of music seeped into my veins. I felt something stir. Not joy, but maybe the memory of it.

Until we hit a wall.

Literally.

A bouncer stepped in front of us, solid as a mountain, arms crossed.

“No pass, no entry,” he said, not even looking us in the eye.

Lisa blinked. “A pass? Since when do we need a pass?”

I sighed, folding my arms. Of course. The night was already turning on us. I tried to catch a glimpse of the inside by looking past the bouncer down the hall of the entrance.

While looking my eyes caught someone- him.

He moved through the crowd like the sea parted for him. Tall, effortless, magnetic. His presence pulled everything toward him—eyes, attention, air.

And then he looked at me.

Time faltered. The bass dulled to a heartbeat. The crowd blurred.

His gaze locked with mine and held.

Like he’d been looking for me. He had saved me from the ‘wolf-on-steroids’ in the woods and here he was again. Looking Dark handsome and mysterious.

I forgot the cold, the bouncer, the ache of earlier.

All I could see was him.

He moved like he belonged—shoulders squared, steps effortless, the dim club lights dancing across his features like they were drawn to him.

There was something undeniable about him. Not just attractive—devastating. Unlike our brief encounter in the woods, I saw him better now.

Sharp cheekbones, a mouth carved with infuriating precision. A face too perfect to feel accidental. The kind that made you wonder if the universe really did have favorites.

And the way people parted for him—subtly, instinctively—like gravity bent around him.

He wasn’t just someone. He was somebody.

I wanted to look away. I should’ve. But I couldn’t.

I was caught, completely, my eyes tracing every inch of him like I was afraid he might disappear.

Those eyes—green, intense, had locked on me like they already knew something I didn’t.

Something shifted.

Like he felt it, too.

His presence hit me in waves—warm, woodsy cologne, rich and masculine, wrapping around me before he’d even spoken.

The air seemed to bend around him, charged, like he carried his own atmosphere. He hadn’t said a word, but somehow, he owned the space.

And me?

God help me—I couldn’t look away.

Then he smiled.

Slow. Devastating. The kind of smile that didn’t just disarm you—it dismantled you.

My heart slammed so hard against my ribs, I was sure Lisa could hear it.

His eyes never left mine.

The bouncer, suddenly all respect and submission, stepped aside with a quick nod.

“Mr. Adrian—right this way.”

But Adrian didn’t move. He just stood there, still watching me.

And I was already gone.

I knew his names now—Adrian.

Lisa let out a sharp breath beside me, pinching my arm hard enough to snap me out of the trance.

“Holy hell,” she whispered, eyes wide. I could practically feel the excitement radiating off her like heat.

And it wasn’t just her.

Every woman in line—VIP or general—was watching him. Watching us.

But Adrian didn’t even glance their way.

His eyes stayed on me.

“You know him?” Lisa asked, leaning close, voice barely audible over the thumping bass.

Before I could even begin to answer, Adrian turned to the bouncer with a quiet authority that felt second nature.

“They’re with me.”

That was all he said. Four words.

But they hit like a command.

The bouncer, previously immovable and disinterested, straightened immediately. His face shifted from bored to respectful in seconds.

“My apologies, sir,” he said quickly, stepping aside and nodding at both of us like we were royalty.

I swallowed hard, a rush of questions crowding my mind.

Who is this man?

Lisa and I exchanged a look. Hers was pure disbelief. Mine? A messy storm of adrenaline, curiosity, and something dangerously close to thrill.

We followed Adrian inside, past velvet ropes and watchful eyes, through a door that seemed to open just for him.

If Uncle Michael thought I wasn’t allowed a good life, then maybe tonight… I’d prove him wrong.

Because this wasn’t about tradition.

Or duty.

Or what my father would've wanted.

This was about me.

And maybe—just for tonight—I wanted to feel like I had a choice.

To hell with the Pierce family.

To hell with arranged futures.

Tonight, I was choosing mine.