Empire of Her Own
His gaze lingered on people the way someone assessed value, not surface.
When his eyes met mine, something flickered—interest, curiosity, recognition.
Not desire.
Respect.
He offered his hand. “Pierce Walker. Sinclair Global.”
I smiled, warm and unreadable. “Ava.”
Just Ava.
“For now,” I thought.
Pierce held my gaze a moment longer than necessary.
“Pleasure,” he said, like he meant it.
Across the table, Liam laughed too loudly, oblivious.
As the night wore on, conversation drifted toward partnerships, projections, futures.