More than his millions

Offer on the table

Lila didn’t see Ashton for three days. It was long enough for her to almost—almost—convince herself he’d moved on. Maybe some other property had caught his attention. Maybe he’d realized she wasn’t worth the trouble. Or maybe billionaires had short attention spans when it came to women who said no.

But then, on Friday afternoon, just as the shop’s usual weekend crowd began to trickle in, he returned.

This time, he didn’t park illegally. He walked in like any other customer—well, except that no customer she’d ever had looked like they’d just stepped out of a GQ editorial.

“Back for more lavender and paper?” she asked, not looking up from the display of summer reads she was arranging.

Ashton smirked, hands in the pockets of his dark navy coat. “Back with an offer.”

She rolled her eyes. “I already gave you my answer.”

“You haven’t heard this one yet.”

Lila straightened up. “Look, I don’t need a better number. I need you to understand the number doesn’t matter.”

“It’s not just about numbers,” he said, stepping closer. “I’m offering partnership. Support. I’d help you relocate. Bigger space, more inventory. A full team. You wouldn’t lose the store—you’d grow it.”

“And what do you get out of it?” she asked, crossing her arms.

“The land,” he said plainly. “And the chance to work with someone who clearly knows what they’re doing.”

She studied him, and for the first time, there was something other than frustration in her expression—something cautious, curious.

“That’s not usually how these offers go,” she said.

“I’m not usually the one making them,” Ashton replied.

There was a quiet moment between them, filled only by the soft background hum of the ceiling fan and the creak of a customer walking along the hardwood floor.

Lila exhaled slowly. “You don’t understand what this place is to me. You can’t buy it, or build a bigger one somewhere else and expect it to feel the same.”

“You’re right,” he said, surprising her. “I don’t understand it. But I want to.”

Her brow furrowed.

“I’m not offering this because it’s easy,” he continued. “I’m offering it because I respect what you’ve built. And maybe because I don’t like being told no.”

“There it is,” she said, the corner of her mouth twitching. “The real reason.”

He smiled. “Guilty.”

Lila looked around at the store, the way the afternoon light spilled across the display tables, the soft murmur of two teens flipping through fantasy novels in the corner. Her little kingdom.

And then she looked back at Ashton Vale—the man who could bulldoze the entire block with a signature, but instead was standing here, waiting.

“I’m not saying yes,” she said.

He nodded. “I expected that.”

“But I’m not saying no either,” she added. “Yet.”

Ashton’s eyebrows lifted just a fraction. “Progress.”

She stepped behind the counter, needing the barrier to keep herself grounded. “I’ll think about it.”

“Good,” he said, turning toward the door. “I’ll send you the proposal. No pressure.”

“Right. Just a little light billion-dollar persuasion.”

He paused at the threshold, hand on the door. “Lila?”

“Yeah?”

“You ever had dinner with someone you don’t trust?”

She narrowed her eyes. “Is that an invitation or a warning?”

His smile deepened. “Both.”

Then he walked out again, the bell jingling in his wake.

Lila leaned back against the counter, heart thudding in a rhythm she hadn’t expected. It wasn’t just the offer that left her off-balance. It was him. The quiet charm underneath the suits and certainty. The way he seemed like he wanted to understand her world, even if he didn’t belong in it.

She wasn’t sure if he was dangerous or sincere. Or maybe both.

But one thing was certain: Ashton Vale wasn’t done with her bookstore—or with her.

And for the first time, Lila wasn’t entirely sure she wanted him to be.