Chapter 2- Rising tension

Alex stood there, stunned.

For the first time in the history, something had thrown him off balance.

The woman who had just slammed into him was standing way too close, her face catching the soft light in the hallway. Dark waves of hair framed her sharp features, but it was her eyes that held him..

Wide, almond-shaped, and burning with a fierce intensity—like something he should know, but couldn’t place. Her gaze was like a storm, relentless and sharp.

She was beautiful. But it was more than that. There was something about her that felt… familiar. Something buried.

His pulse quickened, the rarest of reactions, and Alex hated it. He didn’t feel. He calculated, he controlled, but now, he was caught off guard. And he hated it.

"What the hell?" she snapped, clutching her nose, clearly pissed off. "Are you blind? What the hell were you doing standing there?"

The flicker of intrigue vanished as quickly as it appeared, replaced by the cold detachment he was used to. Did she just yell at him?

His eyes shifted to the phone on the floor between them. The screen was shattered, useless.

He didn’t say a word at first, just watched her. Anger radiated from her, every inch of her small frame filled with it. His gaze cut to her like a blade.

"Excuse me?" he asked, his voice low, almost dangerous.

She barely glanced at him before crouching to scoop up the broken phone. She hit the power button, then shook the lifeless device in frustration.

"Just my luck," she muttered under her breath. Then, lifting her gaze to him again, she snapped, "Do you know how many sleepless nights I spent to buy this damn phone?"

Alex stood silent, watching her, the fury in her eyes almost… amusing. Almost.

"I can replace it with ten new ones," he said, flatly. Casual. Dismissive.

Her eyes went wide, her mouth opening. "What did you say?"

"Or twenty, if you prefer," he added, his voice just as cold.

Her face twisted with outrage. "So just because you're rich, you think you can fix everything by throwing money at it?"

His gaze darkened, the mask of indifference slipping for a moment. Most women would have softened at the idea of being spoiled with his wealth. But this one? She was practically growling at him.

"Careful," he warned, his voice turning steel. "You’re treading dangerous ground."

Her eyes flickered with defiance. "Oh, please. You think I'm scared of you?"

Alex took a step forward, closing the distance between them.

She instinctively backed up, her breath hitching slightly as his large frame loomed over her. His eyes burned into hers, unwavering.

"You should be," he said, his voice dangerously low.

Her heart slammed in her chest. But she stood her ground, chin lifted in defiance.

"Why? Because you’re rich? Because you’re powerful? That doesn’t impress me."

A strange flicker of amusement passed through Alex’s expression, though it was gone before she could really catch it. He tilted his head.

"Then what would you prefer for compensation?"

Her eyes narrowed, sharp and biting. "An apology."

Alex blinked, caught off guard by her response. "An apology?"

"Yes," she spat. "Normal people apologize when they crash into someone and ruin their stuff."

He watched her for a long moment, his lips curving just slightly—not quite a smile, but enough to annoy her. "Why should I apologize? You were the one who slammed into me. Unless that was intentional, so you could throw yourself at me?"

Her breath hitched, a flare of anger lighting her up from the inside. He was too close—his scent, his touch, the way he leaned in, every inch of him pressing against her senses. Her hand brushed against the wall beside her head, his body caging her in.

"You—" Her words stuttered.

His eyes dropped to her lips, then back to her eyes, a silent challenge in the way he held her gaze. He lowered his head just a little, close enough that she could feel the heat radiating from him.

"Be careful what you wish for," he murmured, his voice low, almost a whisper.

Her breath faltered, but her glare didn’t waver. She forced herself to push past him, her shoulder brushing against his chest as she brushed him off.

"You’re unbelievable," she whispered, her voice thick with frustration.

Alex stood still, watching her go. Her retreating figure was burned into his mind. No one had ever dared speak to him like that. No one had ever looked him in the eye and refused to back down.

This woman was different. And that made her... interesting.

*****

In the locker room, Eve tossed her broken phone into her bag, her hands still trembling from the encounter.

"Evie, you’re almost late!" Kelly’s voice broke her out of her thoughts. "Manager Dunne wants us to serve food and wine to room 619."

"Got it," Eve replied, trying to shake off the anger and frustration rolling inside her as she quickly changed into her uniform.

Kelly didn’t seem to notice. She led the way down the hall toward the private boxes, and Eve followed, her mind still tangled in the memory of that arrogant bastard. The nerve of him.

She had barely made it through the door of room 619 before her gaze locked someone.

Her breath hitched in her chest, her heart skipping a beat.

He was sitting across from two other men. The same cold, calculating eyes from earlier locked onto her the moment she walked in that made her pulse spike.

Eve tightened her grip on the tray she was carrying, her nerves spiraling.

'Stay calm. You need this job. Don’t let him get to you.' she convinced herself in irritation.

"Be careful," Kelly murmured beside her.

Eve forced herself to stay focused, placing the tray down carefully. But the moment her hand released the bowl of soup, it wobbled dangerously.

"Oh no–"

The bowl tipped, spilling its contents right onto Alex’s pristine white shirt.

A shocked silence filled the room.

Eve froze, her breath leaving her in a strangled gasp. Oh, shit!

Alex slowly lifted his gaze from his ruined shirt, and his eyes turned cold. Colder than she could ever imagine.

"Oh my God, I’m so sorry!" she blurted, panic rising in her chest. She grabbed napkins and tried to dab at his chest, her hands shaking. "It was an accident!"

Almost immediately, his hand shot out, gripping her wrist, hard.

Her breath caught in her throat. His touch wasn’t painful, but it was commanding. His gaze drilled into hers, icy and unblinking.

"Stop," he said, his voice cutting through the room.

Her heart was racing hard. She couldn’t move. His grip on her wrist felt like iron, and every nerve in her body was screaming to pull away, but she couldn’t.

"I…" she tried to speak, but her voice faltered, useless.

He shoved her hand away, his voice steady and cold. "Get lost."

Her face burned with embarrassment, but her anger flared up right behind it. She took a step back, hands trembling.

"You arrogant—" she started, but her voice shook with a mix of frustration and fear. "I said I was sorry!"

Alex didn’t flinch. His face remained impassive, like she didn’t matter.

"You really are unbelievable," she spat, her voice thick with fury. "No wonder you’re so miserable—you think you can control everyone with that cold attitude of yours!"

The room was still. Alex’s gaze darkened, but he didn’t say a word.

Eve turned on her heel and stormed toward the door, Kelly hurrying after her.

The door slammed shut behind them.

Luke and Travis were both staring, wide-eyed.

"Did she just…"

"Scold Alex?" Travis finished, his jaw practically on the floor.

Luke whistled low, an impressed grin on his face. "She’s dead."

But Travis wasn’t looking at Luke. He was watching Alex, whose face was still stone, but his eyes? There was something in them—an edge, a flicker of something else. Something dangerous.

"Or…" Travis smirked. "This just got interesting."

Alex didn’t say anything. His hand brushed over his ruined shirt, his jaw tightening. He was already thinking, already calculating.

That woman…

She’s going to regret this.