Chapter 2

The morning light of Manhattan streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows of my office, slicing the room with surgical precision. I sat behind my black oak desk, spinning a heavy metal pen between my fingers. On my phone, a message notification still glowed:

“Call me whenever you want, Aidan. Anytime. Last night was unforgettable.”

Unforgettable for her. For me, it was just another light-and-shadow show where I was the protagonist, the director, and the sound technician. I gave her the performance of her life, and my only reward was the absolute silence of my own senses.

A sharp chill began to crawl up my spine,that familiar detachment from reality that made me feel like a robot wearing a tailored suit.

The door opened after two discreet knocks.

“Mr. Vance? The meeting with the Nexus Tech shareholders starts at ten. The European market expansion reports are already on the conference table.”

My secretary informed me, unfazed by my silence.

“Thank you, Sarah. I’m on my way.”

The day became a blur of numbers, growth charts, and multi-million-dollar decisions. Between meetings, I discussed the acquisition of a Seattle AI startup and signed logistics contracts that would boost Vance Corp’s revenue by 15% in the next quarter. I was good at this.

In the world of business, the emptiness in my chest was an advantage. It made me cold, calculating, and unstoppable.

...

At night, the corporate armor gave way to casual clothes. I needed noise to silence my thoughts, and my best friend, Peter Harrington, was a master at creating distractions.

Peter is a high-profile lawyer,the kind of guy who wins impossible cases in the morning and collects models’ phone numbers at night.

We were in the lounge of a five-star hotel, drinking whiskey that cost more than my secretary’s annual salary.

“You need a vacation, Aidan. Greece? Or maybe the Maldives?”

Peter suggested, leaning back in the leather armchair.

“I have a contact for an incredible yacht. Just us, the ocean, and a group of women who don’t know the meaning of the word ‘no.’”

“Maybe, Peter. I’ll check my schedule.”

I replied, my tone vague.

“‘Check my schedule’? Come on, man! You’re living like a monk.”

He laughed, slapping me on the shoulder.

“Look, I know a new place. Not this boring shit. It’s an A-list strip club. No cameras, no judgments. Let’s go.”

I didn’t want to go, but the silence of my empty apartment felt like a bigger threat.

...

The club was a labyrinth of purple neon lights and pulsing electronic music. Peter was already in his natural habitat, laughing with a blonde who looked like she’d been carved from marble. One of the dancers approached me, her movements fluid and her perfume sickeningly sweet. Peter gave me an encouraging look.

“Try it, Aidan! Let go of that control for a second.”

I let her dance. I felt the heat of her skin, the rhythmic movement, the obvious effort to seduce me. But as she moved, I could only think about the ceiling of that abandoned building. The dust rising from the floor as I ran. The sound of the crying I tried to ignore thirteen years ago.

It always starts like this. At the slightest sign of arousal, it all comes back. Even when I’m alone.

“I’m taking her somewhere more private.”

Peter shouted in my ear, already getting up with the girl.

“Talk tomorrow?”

“Go ahead.”

I left the club feeling the cold night air hit my face, clearing some of that suffocating atmosphere. I walked toward the private parking lot, but as I turned the corner into a dimly lit side street, my feet stopped dead.

There, leaning against a flickering streetlight, was a guy. He wore simple clothes, but had that unmistakable posture of someone there for business.

The hood hid part of his face, but the silhouette… the way he tilted his head…

My heart, which had been on autopilot all day, slammed violently against my ribs. I moved closer, driven by an impulse I hadn’t felt in more than a decade.

He looked like a rent boy, one of those who wait for luck in the shadows of the early morning.

I needed to see his face. I needed to know if my addiction to guilt had finally led me to the right place.