ASHES OF HIS OBSESSION

Seraphina Arden had learned long ago that people never forgot a scandal. Three years had passed since her father vanished without a trace, leaving behind unanswered questions, mounting debts, and a family name the media had torn apart piece by piece. Yet whenever she introduced herself, she still saw it—that flicker of recognition in people's eyes. Arden. The daughter of the man who destroyed millions. The daughter of the coward who disappeared. She had spent years trying to outrun the whispers. Tonight, standing in the center of the grand ballroom of the Beaumont Hotel, she knew she never truly would. Crystal chandeliers glittered overhead, casting warm light over the sea of designers, investors, and executives attending the annual LuxSpace Gala. The event was supposed to change her life. Her firm, Arden Atelier, had been shortlisted to redesign the interiors of a new luxury hotel chain. Winning the contract would save her struggling business. Losing wasn't an option. "Stop overthinking." Seraphina turned to find her best friend, Octavia Quinn, holding out a glass of champagne. "You've been staring at that stage for ten minutes." Seraphina accepted the drink with a grateful smile. "I'm nervous." "You?" Octavia laughed softly. "The woman who once told a billionaire investor his penthouse looked like a museum?" "It did look like a museum." "A museum that paid your rent." Despite herself, Seraphina smiled. Octavia squeezed her arm. "You deserve this contract." The words should have comforted her. Instead, Seraphina's gaze drifted toward the giant screen displaying the names of the finalists. Her firm's name sat at the bottom. Arden Atelier. Her stomach tightened. "Do you think they know?" she asked quietly. Octavia's expression softened. "Anyone worth working with won't care about your father's mistakes." If only that were true. The room suddenly fell silent. Every conversation stopped at once. A strange tension swept through the ballroom. Confused, Seraphina glanced toward the entrance. Then she understood why. He had arrived. Tall. Broad-shouldered. Dressed in an impeccably tailored black suit. Caspian Vale. The billionaire CEO of Vale Consortium. One of the youngest and most powerful businessmen in the country. People stepped aside as he walked through the crowd. Not because they feared him. Because they respected him. Or perhaps because they feared him a little. Seraphina had seen his photographs in magazines countless times, but none of them captured the force of his presence. Dark hair. Sharp jawline. Piercing gray eyes that seemed capable of seeing straight through a person. He wasn't merely handsome. He was dangerous. The kind of man who looked like he had never heard the word no. As if sensing her gaze, Caspian looked up. Their eyes met. A strange chill slid down her spine. For a moment, everything around her disappeared. The music. The voices. The clinking glasses. There was only him. And the unmistakable hostility in his eyes. Seraphina's breath caught. She didn't know this man. Had never met him. So why did he look at her as though he hated her? Caspian broke eye contact first. His expression remained unreadable as he continued toward the VIP section. Octavia leaned closer. "Okay, now I understand why half the city is obsessed with him." Seraphina forced a laugh. "I don't think he's capable of inspiring anything healthy." "Probably not." The ceremony began moments later. Seraphina tried to focus on the presenter announcing the awards, but her thoughts kept drifting back to Caspian. To the way he had looked at her. Cold. Unforgiving. As though he knew something she didn't. "And the winner of the Vale Consortium Luxury Renovation Project is..." The room held its breath. Seraphina tightened her grip around her champagne glass. "Arden Atelier." For a second, she thought she'd imagined it. The applause erupted around her. Octavia let out an excited scream. "Oh my God! You did it!" Seraphina blinked in disbelief. She had won. Against firms twice her size. Against designers with connections she could only dream of. She had actually won. Heart racing, she made her way to the stage. Camera flashes exploded around her. She accepted the award with trembling hands. "Thank you," she began. "This opportunity means more to me than words can express. My team and I promise to create spaces that inspire people and make them feel at home." More applause followed. As she stepped off the stage, a member of the event staff approached her. "Ms. Arden?" "Yes?" "Mr. Vale would like to meet with you privately." Her pulse skipped. "Now?" The woman nodded. "He asked me to escort you to his suite." Octavia raised an eyebrow. "That was fast." Seraphina ignored her friend's teasing expression. A knot formed in her stomach. She should have been celebrating. Instead, unease settled over her. Still, this was business. Nothing more. Following the staff member through a private elevator, Seraphina rehearsed what she would say. Thank you for the opportunity. I won't disappoint you. She could handle this. She had handled far worse. The elevator doors opened onto the top floor. The staff member led her to a pair of black double doors. Then she left. Seraphina took a deep breath before knocking. "Come in." His voice was low and commanding. She pushed the door open. Caspian stood beside the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city skyline. His back was turned to her. The silence stretched between them. Finally, he faced her. Up close, he was even more intimidating. Those gray eyes swept over her with unsettling intensity. Not admiration. Assessment. Like he was trying to decide what to do with her. "Mr. Vale—" "Seraphina Arden." The way he said her name sent another chill through her. "You have your mother's eyes." She froze. How did he know that? Confusion flashed across her face. "I'm sorry... have we met before?" A cold smile touched his lips. "No." His gaze darkened. "But I've been waiting a very long time to meet you." Seraphina's heartbeat thundered in her chest. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong. And for the first time that night, she wondered if winning the contract had been the worst thing that could have happened to her.