Elena's POV
I blinked slowly, my jaw dropping in disbelief. I had expected Mr. Mysterious to be handsome, but nothing prepared me for this. The man before me was nothing short of godlike. He was tall...easily over six feet, with muscles that strained against his tight black designer shirt. His hair was a striking shade of black, brushed back with a few stray strands falling onto his forehead. His deep black eyes radiated a cold, intimidating presence. He looked like Superman come to life, but just a lot more handsome. My heart fluttered just at the sight of him. “I said, let her go,” he repeated, his voice icy and commanding. ‘Get yourself together, Elena. He’s just a man,’ I told myself, though he was undeniably stunning. I shook off my daze, pulling my hands free from the bearded man’s grasp. “He said let me go, you idiot.” The bearded man looked utterly shocked. Then, to my astonishment, he dropped to his knees and bowed, banging his head on the floor with a resounding thud. “Mr. Reynolds,” he groaned, sounding almost like he was about to cry. It was almost comical. I stifled a laugh, but then Mr. Reynolds spoke again. "I had no idea that she was your woman." His woman? I smirked, my eyes glistening in joy. I liked the sound of that. But before I was able to fully enjoy it, Mr Mysterious, or Mr Reynolds as this idiot called him spoke again. “She is not my woman,” he said, his brow furrowing. I glared at him. What did he mean by that? I meant why did he just say that like that? Could he not see the kind of situation I was in? The bearded man looked between us, bewildered. “She’s not your woman?” “No… Of course, I’m his woman,” I said quickly, wrapping my arms around Mr. Reynolds’s and holding on tightly. I tilted my head at the bearded man with a smirk. Mr. Reynolds stiffened at my sudden display of affection, and I used the opportunity to lean even more closer towards him, interlocking out arms. I made a 'tsk tsk' sound with my tongue as I stared down at the beardy man with a look of disgust. “You should be ashamed of yourself, trying to take another man’s woman,” I said, narrowing my eyes. “Not just any man’s woman…” ‘What was his name again?’ “Mr. Reynolds,” I recalled just as someone called out behind me. “Boss...” Two men approached and bowed respectfully. Mr. Reynolds immediately withdrew his hands from mine and stepped back. I felt a pang of hurt pride. His swift retreat made me feel as though I had shocked him or most probably disgusted him. ‘Hey, look here, Mr. You may be godlike in your handsomeness, but I’m still very beautiful!’ He acted as if I was a plague or something. I bit my lower lip, cheeks flushing slightly with embarrassment, before turning back to the bearded man. ‘Please don’t let him witness that,’ I pleaded inwardly, sighing in relief when I saw that he had vanished. If he had seen that he would have known that there was nothing between me and this handsome beauty, and knowing rich people as I did, he would have insisted that I was his. “Boss, we’ve found him,” one of the two men said, addressing Mr. Reynolds with respect. My curiosity was piqued. “Found who?” I asked, looking between Mr. Reynolds and the man who spoke. His cold gaze sent a shiver down my spine. Then, to my astonishment, he took out a white handkerchief and wiped his hands clean. I stared, mouth agape. ‘What the hell? Was he suggesting I was dirty?’ Now I was sure he really thought I was a plague, to the point of even cleaning his hands... But I choosed to stay composed. Mr. Reynolds had just saved me from an awkward situation, likely preventing the bearded man from causing serious trouble. Clearing my throat, I drew the three men’s attention. “Thank you for helping me,” I said softly, batting my eyelashes. Mr. Reynolds’s eyes swept over me with a cold, indifferent stare. His expression remained impassive, and I wondered if he was questioning my sanity. Despite the subdued music in the bar, the silence between us felt stifling. ‘Does he not speak?’ I wondered, before remembering that he had spoken earlier. His voice had been cold yet alluring. “Okay…” I said, trying to break the silence. “I’m Lena, by the way.” I extended my hand with a coy smile. Mr. Reynolds glanced briefly at my hand before looking back at my face, his expression unchanging. It was clear he had no intention of shaking it. Okay, that was embarrassing. “Um…” I retracted my hand, clenching it behind my back. “What’s your name?” I asked again, testing his limits. He blinked, showing no interest, and then turned his attention to one of his men. “Let’s go,” he said, striding away. Both men followed him, casting confused glances at me. "Wait a second!" I yelled after him before “Wow,” I scoffed, watching him leave. He didn’t even spare me another glance. Had I lost my touch? Three years away and I was already out of practice? I reached into my purse and pulled out a small mirror. “No... I’m still beautiful,” I reassured myself, smiling at my reflection. Despite my hurried arrival and missing blue contacts which I always wore before going for a job, my appearance was still striking. “Then why the hell did Mr. Handsome act like I was a ghost? An unattractive ghost, at that.” I complained, putting the mirror away. Mr. Reynolds intrigued me. From his demeanor to his cold eyes, he was a perfect target. I tilted my head, a small smile forming. “Alright then, Elena, you’ve found your guy.” He seemed hard to break, if not impossible but that was the type of tasks I loved. Something like the last one I did three years ago. My rivals deemed it impossible and even went as far as daring me to do the job, so I did. Though it almost cost me my life and I had to flew back to my home town, it was worth it. Now returning after three years, I was welcomed with another impossible looking task, only that this one was younger and much mlre handsome. Mr. Reynolds, aka, Mr Mysterious. 'We'll be seeing each other again.' With no more reason to stay, I walked out of the bar, feeling a sense of accomplishment. The glances and gasps from the crowd as I left boosted my spirits. Didn't they see me before? Tsk One man approached me, but I deftly avoided him, slipping out of the bar with ease. After I had gotten far enough from the bar, I looked at the fat wallet in my hand with a smirk. “Still got it,” I said, tossing the wallet in the air and catching it with a grin. Back when beardy was still dragging me to follow him, I had spotted his wallet peeping pir of his pants, so what better thing to do than to take the heavy thing off his hands? That would teach him, he messed with the wrong con girl.Elena's POV That girl was a thorn. A little witch! As soon as I told Noah that I was going to think about it, I already decided not to go. How would I, anyway? It was a fucking gala. I didn't need to know who the gala was for, or who organized it... It was a gala! Gala, whether it was for Charity or something else, is always filled with wealthy people who love showcasing their wealth. But that wasn't even what discouraged me. What if Layla's parents... I mean, the real Layla's parents were there?!What if Noah's goal was to 'reunite' us together? What was I going to do? I couldn't bribe them to play the part. Noah was an amazing catch; there was no way rich people like them would let go of an opportunity to be in-laws with people like the Reynolds just because of money. It would be hilarious... Completely ironic if that happens. But it wouldn't. So I was not going to go and disgrace myself, and if possible... Try my best to make Noah refuse to go either. But then, that litt
Noah's POV Everything about her fascinated me. Even the little things that I shouldn't even care about. When she broke the kiss my first thought was maybe she didn't like it, maybe she didn't like me. But as soon as I saw her face. I knew it. It wasn't me. Something else was bothering her. Something I doubted if she would tell me if I asked, so I didn't.Instead, I changed the topic. "Why do you wear contacts?" I asked instead, staring at her eyes. Those green irises of her, which she was covering with blue contacts, were what drew me to her in the first place at the bar. It confused me why she chose to cover them up. "I like seeing them blue." She responded, looking a bit calmer. "But I like them green." Sincerely, I did. Her green eyes were nothing like I'd seen before. They were dark green, almost like a green emerald dipped in a pool of blackness. "Well, those green eyes of mine weren't really likable when I was a kid." I frowned. How could iris as beautiful as her
Elena's POV I didn't say anything else, returning my gaze back to the movie. Although I was looking at it, I wasn't really paying attention. All my attention was on the hot guy seated beside me. This was my time to make a move. If I just left everything up to fate or for him to make a decision, it could take forever. With a deep breath, I turned to face him. And... He was already looking at me. Ok. "What?" I asked, propping one of my legs on the couch. "You don't seem to want to take your gaze off me today, yet you didn't give me a call for days after our last date," I said with a small smile. His smile slowly faded. "I told you. I was busy." his voice went back to the cold, normal tone he always used. Something felt really off about that. 'I was busy,' he said. It shouldn't be any of my business since we were together now...but I wanted to know. "Again I ask, too busy to call me?" I joked. When I saw his expression didn't change, I had to bring my voice down. "Noah, what's
Elena's POV First thing, I was surprised by his threat. Not all guards would go this far for their boss. It was either Noah was a really nice person, or this particular guard was closer to him than the rest. From his speech, I could tell it was the latter. His words got to me though. I wasn't serious with Noah. But it was nothing like he had thought. Noah would never like a girl like me...the real me and not the Layla he thought he knew. If it wasn't for the status my supposed family had, would he even bother talking to a person like me? I sighed, thinking deeply before answering him. "Like I said before, we've only known each other for a while. That's not enough time for me to tell if I really like Mr. Reynolds." A faint smile appeared on my lips. "But from what has happened the past few days... All I say is that I'm interested in knowing him, not only for the money... Not for the status either." I added when he gave me a glance through the side mirror. That was the most sinc
Elena’s POVI cleaned up pretty well...well, as well and as fast as I could, anyway.Jack’s unexpected return; or more accurately, his arrival...had thrown me completely off... completely. Never had I imagined I was going to see him again...not like this, not here. A sigh escaped my lips as I walked to the mirror. It's been six years, he looked a lot older. More mature. He was probably higher in rank now...maybe that was why he was here. But I couldn't afford to think of him now. Now when things in my life were finally going great "These past few years really worked wonders for you, Jack," I muttered under my breath, checking out myself at the mirror. These past few years have been rough. I had been running around different countries, trying to piss people off or not... either way, I do it. "Elena stop it." I shook my head, staring at the mirror. "Jack had probably moved on, and you...you need to stop thinking about him." He was getting into my head way too much. Like, I hadn
Elena’s POVI diverted my eyes from him, turning back to Clara. “This lady here is cheating me,” I said, pointing at her.Clara snorted ignoring me...her eyes locked onto the guy beside me like he was the last meal on Earth.Normally, I wouldn't have dragged out a situation like this. I’d smirk, walk out of the store, and probably never return. But today... I didn’t have that luxury.Noah invited me to his house.His house.I had less than a few hours to get ready, and I hadn’t even picked an outfit yet.Plus I was hungry, really hungry. I couldn't just go Noah's house, waltz to the kitchen, and be like...give me food! I needed to feed my hungry stomach, and there was nothing in the fridge or kitchen to cook. This was the closest grocery store, and the next one was miles away. I needed to make this work."I'm not cheating you, broke person. How can you shop somewhere like this and not have any money?" Clara rolled her eyes, still not looking away from Mr. Handsome.“Don’t worry, sir.
Elena’s POV My phone rang. I didn’t need to check the screen. My heart had already leaped, skipped, and nearly crashed into my ribs. It’s him. "Hey, you." My breath caught. Hearing his voice again after days of silence did something to me something dangerous. I tried to hold on to my pride, but it was slipping through my fingers like water. “Hi…” My voice came out way higher than intended, and I immediately cringed. Ugh. Smooth, Elena. Real smooth. A deep, amused chuckle rolled through the speaker. It was warm, rich, and far too unfair. I could almost see the smirk on his face, the way his eyes probably crinkled when he laughed. That rare sound...Noah Reynolds laughing; was criminally attractive. He shouldn’t laugh like that. It was the kind of laugh that could ruin women… and I was already halfway ruined. “Alright, you’ve had your fill,” I said, forcing a mock-annoyed tone while I resumed walking toward the store. “You said you were going to call. It’s been three
Elena’s POV The bright rays of the sun slipped through the curtains and stabbed me right in the eyes. I groaned. There went my sleep. After the rollercoaster of a night I had with Noah yesterday, I ended up crashing on Layla’s couch. I didn’t want to wake up; not yet. Maybe because the dream I was having was just that good. In it, I was back at the movie theater with Noah. The way his eyes lingered on me… it felt so right. We were leaning closer to each other, slowly, breathlessly... And then boom. That annoying manager popped up out of nowhere like a jump scare and ruined the moment. A blinding light followed, and just like that, I woke up… still on Layla’s couch. I blew a strand of hair away from my face with an irritated huff and sat up, stretching out my stiff limbs. “I should’ve known even my dreams couldn’t give me a win.” That stupid manager’s face was already etched into my memory. But seriously...how did Noah not see him lurking there like a creep? Or… did he
Noah’s POV I couldn’t stop smiling the whole ride back to my mansion. Not that I was even trying. Layla was nothing like I expected. Not the typical heiress with plastic smiles and high expectations. Not the kind of girl who fawned over every move I made, desperate for validation. She was... different. And that made her dangerously interesting. Maybe this marriage arrangement wasn’t such a terrible idea after all. When I first heard about the engagement to Layla Campbell, I laughed in disbelief. Then I threw a fit. My family knew I wasn’t the type to settle down, especially not with some power-hungry heiress who saw me as a trophy...a wallet, a name, and nothing more. But Grandfather insisted. He said it was the only way he’d agree to real psychiatric treatment. It was the first time in years he spoke to me so clearly...without confusing names or forgetting where he was. He told me he made a promise over fifteen years ago to the Campbells. A union. A merging of families. I