A Deal With Love

Chapter Two: The First Dinner

Adrian didn’t like being cornered.

He liked it even less when it came from his own mother.

By evening, he found himself standing in the mirrored lobby of La Reine, one of the city’s most exclusive restaurants—his restaurant, in fact. Normally he’d stride in, greeted like royalty, with a model on his arm and the paparazzi flashing cameras at the door. Tonight, though, he felt the weight of the deal pressing on him like a noose.

Beside him, Elena Duvall stood calm, almost detached, in a fitted black dress that was elegant without being extravagant. She looked as if she belonged anywhere she chose, even though he knew she had no background in this world of glass towers and flashing lights. The doorman recognized Adrian instantly, his smile tight, already aware of the rumors swirling in the tabloids.

“Smile,” Adrian muttered under his breath as they entered. “Or they’ll eat you alive.”

Elena tilted her head, her voice low but sharp. “Smile? You’re the one scowling like you’d rather be anywhere but here.”

For a second, he almost laughed. Almost.

The maître d’ ushered them to a prime table in the center of the room, deliberately visible to every eye and every camera. Adrian didn’t miss the pointed glances, the phones discreetly snapping photos, the whispers that rippled across the dining room. His life was already a circus—now, Elena was the newest act.

He poured her a glass of wine. “Welcome to my world, Miss Duvall. Still sure you want to play this game?”

Her eyes caught his, steady and unyielding. “You think I’m afraid of whispers and flashing lights?”

“I think,” Adrian said, leaning closer, “that you don’t belong here. And I think you know it.”

For the briefest moment, something flickered in her gaze—too quick to read. Then she smiled, slow and deliberate. “Maybe that’s exactly why I do.”

Adrian studied her across the candlelit table, unsettled. Most women in his orbit bent to his charm, eager for the proximity of his wealth. Elena didn’t bend at all. She sat like she had nothing to prove, nothing to lose.

They ordered, the conversation light on the surface but edged with challenge beneath. Adrian found himself pushing, testing, searching for cracks. “So tell me, Elena. Why agree to marry a man you barely know? Surely you have some better option than tying yourself to a notorious playboy.”

She sipped her wine, unbothered. “Maybe I’m practical. Maybe I see opportunity where others see disaster.”

“Opportunity?”

“Of course. What else is marriage in families like yours?”

He frowned, thrown by the casual truth of it. She wasn’t pretending this was romance. She wasn’t even pretending to like him.

Before he could answer, a sharp burst of camera flashes lit the window. Outside, paparazzi had gathered, lenses pressed against the glass. Adrian swore under his breath. This was exactly what Victoria wanted—fuel for the story of Adrian Blackwell’s redemption.

Elena turned toward the flashes, her expression unreadable. Instead of flinching, she leaned slightly closer to him, her hand brushing his in a gesture so subtle it almost seemed real. The cameras went wild.

“You play well,” Adrian muttered.

Her lips curved. “I told you. I’m not afraid.”

Dinner continued, but Adrian couldn’t shake the unease settling over him. Elena Duvall was supposed to be a simple solution, a quiet girl dragged into high society by his mother’s will. Yet everything about her suggested layers he couldn’t see, motives he couldn’t name.

And as much as he hated to admit it, he wanted to know what she was hiding.

When dessert arrived, Elena excused herself briefly, leaving Adrian alone at the table. Across the room, he caught two men watching her closely as she walked away—neither guests, nor press. Something in their attention was too sharp, too familiar.

Adrian’s gut tightened. Who exactly was Elena Duvall?

When she returned, she seemed untouched by their stares, sliding back into her seat with practiced ease. “Something wrong?” she asked.

Adrian forced a smirk, masking his thoughts. “Nothing at all. Just wondering what other surprises you plan on springing tonight.”

Elena’s gaze held his, calm and steady. “Patience, Adrian. You’ll learn soon enough.”

The words should have sounded harmless. But to Adrian, they felt like a promise. Or a warning.