5:Together
1024 Words
Despite Alexander's deliberate attempts to prolong the meal, breakfast eventually had to end. But he'd already achieved his goal—her contact information was saved in his phone, and they had plans to meet again.
"I'd love that," he said, standing when she did. "But let me walk you back to your room first."
"You don't have to—"
"I'd like to spend more time with this beautiful lady," he said, his eyes warm and sincere. "May I have my wish granted?"
The way he looked at her—like she was the only person in the world, like her answer mattered more than anything—made it impossible to refuse.
"Okay," Lydia said softly.
One Month Later
Since that morning, Lydia and Alexander had spent nearly every day together.
They ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner together. They attended parties on the cruise ship—elegant affairs where Alexander introduced her to interesting people and kept her close to his side. They watched the sunset from the deck. They played cards in the lounge.
They talked for hours about everything and nothing.
Last night, they'd watched fireworks together—an elaborate display that had lit up the entire sky in cascades of gold and silver and crimson.
Lydia had thought the cruise ship had arranged it, but she'd later learned the truth: Alexander had arranged it. Just for her.
A few days ago, she'd casually mentioned that she hadn't seen fireworks in years, that she missed them. She'd probably forgotten the comment five minutes after making it.
But Alexander had remembered.
T
hat was when Lydia had also learned that the Santa Fe cruise ship belonged to Alexander's family. That he wasn't just wealthy—he was wealthy. That the entire top floor was his private residence.
It explained why he'd been alone that first night. Why she hadn't seen her aunt Lin Zhao since then. (She didn't know that Lin Zhao had been quietly removed from the ship the very next morning, or that Alexander had ensured she'd never bother Lydia again.)
For Alexander, this past month had been a revelation. For the first time in his thirty years, he felt close to something he'd thought was a myth: happiness.
Real happiness. Not the cold satisfaction of a successful deal or the dark pleasure of destroying an enemy. But genuine warmth, genuine joy.
And it all came from the girl with the bright eyes and sweet smile who'd stumbled into his world by accident.
He could never let her go. The very thought made something violent rise in his chest.
"Alex! Alex!" Lydia came running toward him across the deck, and Alexander's heart clenched at the sight.
She was wearing a light blue sundress today, the skirt floating around her legs as she moved. Her hair was loose, catching the sunlight. She looked like a fairy, like something too pure and beautiful for this world.
His eyes darkened. His fingertips tightened on the railing he'd been leaning against.
Mine, something primal in him growled. Mine, mine, mine.
"How do I look?" Lydia asked breathlessly, doing a little spin. "Is this okay for where we're going?"
"You look beautiful," he said, his voice rougher than he intended. "You look beautiful in everything."
He couldn't resist her. His little kitten, so sweet and trusting, had no idea what she did to him.
"You said yesterday you'd take me somewhere fun," Lydia said, tilting her head and looking at him with those bright, expectant eyes.
"Where is it? I've been looking forward to it all night!"
Those eyes. They were always so bright, so full of life and hope. They seemed more beautiful than all the stars in the sky.
And every time she looked at him like that—with trust, with affection, with innocent excitement—he wanted to give her the entire world. He wanted to lay everything he had at her feet.
"Should you put on a jacket?" Alexander asked, his gaze dropping to her bare shoulders and collarbone. "It might be cold where we're going."
He didn't want others to see her skin. Didn't want other men's eyes on what was his.
"Oh! Is it that cold?" Lydia looked surprised but nodded immediately. "Okay, wait here—I'll run and grab one!"
She was so docile, so easy to guide. His kitten trusted him completely.
When she returned wearing a light cardigan over her dress, Alexander naturally reached out and took her hand, lacing their fingers together.
"Come on," he said softly. "Let me show you something special."
Lydia looked down at their clasped hands, feeling her cheeks warm. But she didn't pull away.
Over the past month, she'd felt the shift in their relationship—the way his touches lingered a little longer, the way he looked at her
when he thought she wasn't paying attention, the way he always found excuses to be near her.
This must be what people called the "ambiguous stage," she thought. That space between friendship and something more.
And she had to admit... she had feelings for him too. How could she not? He was gentle, handsome, kind, wealthy, and he treated her like she was precious. Like she mattered.
They were a perfect match in so many ways.
But they'd only known each other for a month. They still needed time to really get to know each other, to be sure.
That's what Lydia thought.
She didn't know that in Alexander's world, she had already been chosen. Claimed. Decided upon.
His thought was simple: It's okay. Let the kitten think she's still deciding. Let her think she has time. I'll play along with whatever she needs. But the ending is already written. We will be together. She will be mine. There is no other possibility.
As they walked hand-in-hand across the deck, the sun warm on their faces and the ocean stretching endlessly around them, neither of them spoke.
But Alexander's grip on her hand tightened just slightly—a silent promise, a gentle trap closing around her heart.
A
nd Lydia, sweet and trusting, smiled up at him and squeezed back.
- Writer
