CHAPTER 1: When Rules were Broken

For the first time in eight years, Victoria stepped into a nightclub. A club was the last place anyone would have expected her to be. 

Maybe that was exactly the reason she had chosen to go there. For eight years, she had stayed away from nightclubs because of one person. This one person had left a wound in her heart so deep that she had spent years avoiding anything that reminded her of him. 

But tonight, she had chosen to break the rule.The music was very loud, but she did not mind it.

She had just arrived in Norwich that afternoon because she had been promoted and transferred to her company's headquarters. 

She glanced toward the exit for the third time in ten minutes,wondering whether she had made the right decision.

“Hey, pretty! First time here?”

The voice from behind the bar pulled her from her thoughts.Victoria turned to find a plump, middle-aged bartender polishing a glass while giving her an amused smile.

She returned the smile awkwardly. “Is it really that obvious?”

“A bit,” he admitted with a chuckle. “You've been looking around like you're trying to figure out whether you accidentally walked into the wrong place.”

Victoria laughed softly, shaking her head.

“I'm George, by the way,” he said, setting the glass aside.

“Victoria,” she replied, then offered him a small smile. “But you can call me Vicky. Everyone close to me calls me that.”

“Vicky, then”, he said warmly. “Pleased to meet you. So, what brings you to Norwich?” George asked, pointing toward the empty seat beside a young man at the bar. Victoria glanced at it, then at him, as if the chair had personally offended her. But with no better option she moved to sit beside him.

“I came here to work,” she answered. “Hathut corporation transferred me to the headquarters here after my promotion, so today is my first day in the city.”

 The young man seated beside her turned to spare her a glance. He said nothing as he returned his attention once again to his phone. His fingers resumed moving across the screen.”

George's eyebrows lifted. “A promotion and a new city on the same day? That's certainly an interesting way to begin a new chapter. Congratulations”.

“Yep, thank you,” She replied, glancing toward the dance floor as the music pulsed around them. “Although I have to admit, this place isn’t what I expected,” Victoria said, taking another look around. “I’ve been here for a while, and I’m still waiting for the part where I actually start having fun.”

George laughed. “Just give it some time. You might end up enjoying yourself.”

George studied her for a moment before reaching beneath the counter and bringing out a bottle of tequila. He poured a shot into a small glass and slid it toward her with an amused smile.

“Try this, Vicky. Since it’s your first night in Norwich, you deserve something stronger than whatever you've been nursing.”

She glanced at the shot before picking it up. “Tequila?”

“Tequila.”George repeated with an amused grin.

She smiled faintly and lifted the glass. “Thank you, George.”

She swallowed the shot, immediately feeling the familiar burn spread down her throat, and reached for the glass of water beside her as she tried not to cough.

The slight grimace on her face and the cough she tried to hide made it clear that tequila wasn’t exactly her drink.

Ray’s lips curved into a teasing smile.

“Not a fan?”

She turned toward the man beside her, trying to recover her composure as she realized he had noticed her struggle with the tequila.“I never said that. Maybe I just need another one.”

“Another one?” He raised an eyebrow. “For a second, I thought I needed to call an ambulance.”

She scoffed. “I was perfectly fine.”

“Sure you were.” His grin widened. “I’m Ray, by the way. I heard George call you Vicky. Mind if I call you that too?”

Victoria looked at him for a moment before giving a small nod. “Sure. You can call me Vicky.”

She reached for her empty shot and pushed it toward George. “Another one, please.”

Ray shook his head, watching her with growing amusement. “You're definitely trying to prove something.”

“Maybe I am,” she replied, a small smile appearing on her lips.

Their conversation flowed effortlessly. Ray’s teasing kept drawing laughter from her, and before long, Victoria had forgotten she had once thought of leaving. 

“You’re actually fun when you stop pretending to be serious,” Ray teased.

Victoria rolled her eyes, fighting back a smile. “And you’re more annoying than you look.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

She laughed, shaking her head.

One drink became two, then three, and before Victoria realized it, the night had slipped away from her.

By the time she glanced at her empty glass again, she had lost count of how many drinks she had taken. Her cheeks were flushed, her laughter came more easily, and her words began to blur together.When she finally tried to stand, she stumbled and almost lost her balance.

Ray caught her before she could fall.

“Easy,” he murmured.

George glanced between them, clearly amused. “I think someone has had enough tequila for one night.”

Victoria frowned. “I’m fine.”

Ray chuckled. “Really.”

“I am,” she insisted, straightening herself as if to prove it only to sway again.

Ray quickly steadied her, shaking his head with a smile.

Since Vicky was in no condition to go home alone, Ray drove her to his house, intending only to make sure she was safe for the night.He carried her out of the car, holding her carefully in his arms.

Her eyes fluttered open, and she slowly looked up at him. Almost instinctively, her arms slipped around his neck, drawing her closer.

Ray adjusted his hold, their faces now only inches apart. Victoria’s gaze lingered on his eyes before drifting to his lips.

“Ray…” she whispered.

He looked down at her. “Hmm?”

Her fingers curled gently against his neck.

“Kiss me.”