FOREVER WITH YOU IN IT

CHAPTER 2 - COLLISION AND CONNECTION

The city lights were beginning to glow, street lamps bathed the road and soft shadows of passing cars. The jewelry auction happening tonight was not just a regular social event; it is where deals were made, new alliances formed and power was measured. While listening to a calm song play in her sleek black Bugatti and her well manicured fingers tapping her steering. Screech. The jolt was strong enough to throw her in forward but luckily her seatbelt was tightly fastened. As the Bugatti lurched to a halt, Her heart skipped a beat and furious.

Jessy: (stepping out, fuming with anger) "You’ve got to be kidding me."

The offending car idled beside hers, slightly dented from the collision.

The driver was a young, handsome man in a black suit, sleeves rolled neatly at his forearms as if accidents were mere inconveniences to be handled after a day at the office. He looked unfazed, then he came out of his car slowly. His gaze met hers and he was honestly swept off by her beauty.

Brian: "My apologies, I did not mean to crash into your car."

Jessy: "Did you just say you did not mean to?. Do you even know how much this car costs?"

The man tilted his head slightly, a faint smile ghosting across his lips.

Brian: "Judging by your tone, definitely more than my office building."

Jessy was stunned by his audacity. Most men stammered or groveled in front of her, especially after making such a mistake. But this one, this one seemed perfectly at ease standing in the storm of her anger.

Jessy removed her business card from her purse and she handed it to him, saying; "Send the check to my office. I do not chase invoices."

Brian took the card and smiled. He tapped it lightly against his fingers, as if imprinting her name into memory.

For reasons she refused to examine, Jessy turned away a fraction too quickly, slipping back into her Bugatti. As she drove off, she told herself she wouldn’t think of him again.

That evening the ballroom was lighted up and it shinned like a luxurious jewelry in a box. Waiters glided between clusters of the city’s elite, carrying trays of champagne that sparkled under the lights.

Jessy entered the hall with practiced grace, her silk emerald gown catching every glimmer. Conversations hushed for a moment as she passed; the air always shifted when Jessica Stones walked into a room. She embodied money, power, and a reputation sharp enough to cut glass.

Then her composure faltered.

On the stage, speaking with confident ease into a microphone, was the man from earlier. Jessy was startled to find Brian Sprouse, the CEO of a rising architectural firm, speaking Confidently on stage as he gave a speech.

Brian: (adressing the crowd) “...Tonight isn’t just about acquiring these remarkable pieces. It’s about the stories behind each piece and the legacy you’ll create with it.”

Polite applause followed. Jessy’s breath caught, her mind racing. He wasn’t just some careless driver. Of course not. Men with that kind of calm didn’t appear out of nowhere.

The host announced him and said "that was Brian Sprouse, CEO of a fast-rising architectural firm known for sleek, visionary designs." He stepped off the stage, and as though pulled by an invisible thread, his eyes found hers.

She felt he was steering at her from across the room. It lingered, He was dazed how elegant and beautiful she looked in a silk emerald dress. He moved with easy confidence through the crowd and claimed the empty seat beside her.

Everyone in the room clapped as he stepped down.

Brian: (noticing her, smiling faintly) “We meet again. I promise I don’t crash auctions.”

He extended his hand with a smile on his face. Jessy hesitated before placing her hands in his, her skin brushing his for a fraction too long. His grip was soft and warm.

Brian: “I am Brian Sprouse.”

Jessy: “Jessy Stones.”

They both leaned back as the auctioneer walked to the podium. The evening's business continued.

Brian: “Well, Jessy Stones, let’s see if you are as competitive as you look.”

The first item appeared under the spotlight - a sapphire necklace that shined brightly in the room.

The auctioneer's voice rang out.

Auctioneer : “Bidding starts at twenty thousand.”

Without hesitation, Jessy raised her paddle first, Brian followed. Her hand steady, her eyes never leaving Brian’s. His expression was unreadable.

Twenty-five. Thirty. Thirty-five.

Each time she raised her paddle, her eyes met his. Sparks danced between them with every glance, a silent duel that drew curious glances from those around them.

Brian: “You’re competitive.”

Jessy: “Only when I plan on winning.”

Auctioneer: “Fifty thousand… going once…” Jessy lifted her paddle first.

The gavel fell with a sharp c***k.

Applause rippled through the room. Jessy’s lips curved into a triumphant smile as she claimed the necklace, but victory felt strangely hollow. The thrill wasn’t in the gem but it was in the game.

She turned her head slightly. Brian didn’t look defeated. If anything, his expression suggested he had let her win. When the gavel fell, Jessy had won. But she wasn’t sure what felt more thrilling: the piece she now owned… or the man who had just made losing look deliberate.

Brian: “Congratulations. I’d say you deserved it… but I’m not sure I believe in letting my competition walk away so easily.”

Jessy: “Competition?”

His eyes lingered on hers, dark and steady.

Brian: “You will find me more persistent than I look.”

Her pulse betrayed her calm façade, beating faster than she wanted it to. Jessy turned her gaze back to the stage, forcing her focus on the next item up for bid. But the sapphire necklace in her lap felt less like a victory and more like the opening move of a game she hadn’t agreed to play—yet couldn’t resist.

For the first time in a very long while, Jessica Stones felt the delicate walls around her composure tremble.

And Brian Sprouse looked like the kind of man who would enjoy pushing them down.