Chapter One ISLA’S POV

"You're staring again."

I jerked my head away from the floor-to-ceiling windows of Moretti & Associates, my cheeks burning as my best friend Nadia appeared beside my desk with two coffee cups.

"I wasn't staring," I lied, accepting the latte she offered. Through the glass, I could still see him, Kai Westbrook, all six-foot-three of expensive suit and controlled power, standing on the sidewalk below talking on his phone.

"Right. And I'm not about to tell you that your brother just texted asking if you're coming to dinner tonight." Nadia perched on the edge of my desk, her nurse scrubs a stark contrast to my paint-stained jeans. "Which means Mr. Tall, Dark, and Emotionally Unavailable will be there too."

I took a long sip of coffee to avoid responding. Kai had been Marco's best friend since their college days, which meant he'd been a fixture in my life for seven years. Seven years of polite nods across dining tables. Seven years of him looking through me like I was invisible. Seven years of me pretending I didn't notice the way my heart rate spiked whenever he walked into a room.

"He doesn't even know I exist, Nadia."

"Oh, he knows." She wiggled her eyebrows. "I've seen the way he watches you when he thinks no one's looking."

"You're delusional." I turned back to my computer, pulling up the design mockups I'd been working on for weeks. "Besides, I have bigger things to worry about than Kai Westbrook's non-existent feelings. Grace is announcing the Apex Hotel project today, and if I get chosen as lead designer…."

"When you get chosen," Nadia corrected.

"If I get chosen, it'll be the biggest project of my career. The Apex is Kai's flagship hotel. Twenty stories of luxury in midtown Manhattan." My stomach fluttered with a mixture of excitement and dread. "I'd be working directly with him for months."

Nadia's grin turned wicked. "Forced proximity. My favorite trope."

"This is real life, not one of your romance novels."

"Real life can be romantic too. You just have to—" She stopped mid-sentence, her expression shifting to concern as she looked past me toward the elevator bank. "Isla. Isn't that Brandon?"

Ice flooded my veins. I spun in my chair to see my ex-boyfriend stepping out of the elevator, his eyes scanning the open-plan office until they locked on mine. He looked the same as he had three months ago when I'd finally worked up the courage to end things, handsome in that clean-cut way that had initially attracted me, but now all I could see was the tight set of his jaw that meant he was angry.

"What's he doing here?" Nadia hissed, already moving to stand between us.

I stood on shaky legs, trying to project a confidence I didn't feel. "I don't know, but I'm handling it."

Brandon was already weaving through the desks, ignoring the curious stares from my coworkers. "Isla, we need to talk."

"No, we don't." I kept my voice steady even as my hands trembled. "I asked you not to contact me anymore."

"You can't just throw away two years because you're having some quarter-life crisis." He reached for my arm, but I stepped back. His smile didn't reach his eyes. "Baby, I know you didn't mean what you said. You were emotional. But I forgive you, and I think we should….."

"She said no." Grace Kim appeared from her office, her petite frame radiating authority. "Mr. Mitchell, if you don't leave immediately, I'm calling security."

Brandon's expression hardened. "This is between me and my girlfriend."

"Ex-girlfriend," I corrected, finding my voice. "We broke up, Brandon. It's over."

"It's not over until I say it's over." The words came out low and cold, so different from his usual charming tone that several people nearby stopped working. "You think you can just walk away from me? After everything I've done for you?"

Grace already had her phone out. "Security, please."

"I'm leaving." Brandon held up his hands in mock surrender, but his eyes never left mine. "But this conversation isn't finished, Isla. We have things to discuss. I'll see you tonight."

"No, you won't."

"Your brother invited me to dinner. Family dinner at your parents' place. Six o'clock." His smile was sharp. "Marco and I had a great chat this morning about old times. He even mentioned you'd be there. So I'll see you tonight, baby. We can talk then."

He turned and walked away before I could respond, leaving me frozen in place as the office slowly returned to its normal hum of activity.

"That manipulative piece of—" Nadia started, but Grace cut her off.

"Isla, my office. Now."

I followed my mentor into her glass-walled office, my mind racing. Brandon had talked to Marco? My brother had invited him to dinner? Marco didn't even know we'd broken up, I'd kept it quiet because I knew he'd overreact and want details I wasn't ready to share.

Grace closed the door and gestured for me to sit. "How long has he been bothering you?"

"He's not….it's fine. We just ended badly, and he's having trouble accepting it."

"Has he shown up at your apartment?"

The question hit too close to home. I looked away. "Once or twice."

"Isla." Grace's voice softened. "I'm saying this as someone who cares about you, not just as your boss. Men like that don't just go away because you ask nicely. They escalate."

"I know. I'm handling it."

"By going to a family dinner where he'll have access to you?" She shook her head. "At least tell your brother the truth about the breakup."

"I can't. Marco will lose his mind, and I don't want to deal with his overprotective routine right now." I straightened my shoulders. "I'll be fine. It's dinner with my family. What's he going to do?"

Grace studied me for a long moment before sighing. "Fine. But I want you to text me when you get home safely tonight." She moved behind her desk, picking up a folder. "Now, let's talk about something more pleasant. The Apex Hotel project."

My heart jumped. "Did you make a decision?"

"I did. And Isla, you've earned this." She handed me the folder. "You're my lead designer on the project. Starting Monday, you'll be working directly with Westbrook Hotels. Your main point of contact will be Kai Westbrook himself."

I stared at the folder, too stunned to open it. "Grace, I…thank you. I won't let you down."

"I know you won't. This is going to be incredible for your career." She paused. "Though I should warn you, Kai Westbrook has a reputation for being demanding and difficult to work with. He's particular about every detail."

"I can handle difficult." My mind was already spinning with design ideas, excitement temporarily pushing aside my anxiety about Brandon.

"Good. Because your first meeting is tomorrow morning at the construction site. Nine AM sharp. Don't be late, he hates that." Grace walked me to the door. "And Isla? Be careful tonight. If anything feels wrong, you leave. Understood?"

I nodded and returned to my desk in a daze. The Apex Hotel. Working with Kai. It was everything I'd been working toward for years.

Nadia pounced the moment I sat down. "Well? What did Grace want?"

"I got the Apex project."

She screamed and hugged me, drawing more stares. "This is amazing! You're going to be working with your dream man on your dream project. It's fate."

"It's a professional opportunity, nothing more." But I couldn't stop the smile spreading across my face. "Though I do have my first site meeting with him tomorrow morning."

"Wear something hot."

"I'm wearing work clothes, Nadia. This is business."

My phone buzzed with a text from Marco: *Dinner tonight. Mom's making lasagna. Bring wine. Kai's coming too.*

Of course he was. Because my life couldn't be complicated enough.

Another text came through immediately after, this one from an unknown number: *Looking forward to tonight, baby. We have so much to talk about. -B*

My hands started shaking again. How did Brandon get my new number?

"Isla?" Nadia leaned over to read my screen, and her expression darkened. "That's it. You're not going tonight. Tell Marco you're sick."

"I can't. If I don't show up, he'll know something's wrong, and then I'll have to explain everything." I deleted Brandon's message and pocketed my phone. "It's just dinner. I'll stay in the living room with everyone else. What's the worst that could happen?"

The words felt like tempting fate, but I refused to let Brandon control my life. I'd go to dinner, I'd be civil, and then I'd make it clear to Marco that Brandon wasn't welcome anymore.

Tomorrow, I'd focus on the Apex project and finally working with Kai.

Tonight, I just had to survive family dinner.

"Promise me you'll be careful," Nadia said quietly.

"I promise."

But as I packed up my things and headed for the subway, Brandon's words echoed in my hea