Chapter 2 — The Contract
637 Words
Adrian didn’t like loose ends.
And Luca Reyes—
Was a walking one.
“Sit.”
The command was quiet.
Controlled.
Not a request.
Luca didn’t move immediately.
He studied Adrian first—like he was measuring him, weighing something invisible.
Then, slowly, he sat.
Casual.
Too casual.
Adrian returned to his seat, placing the envelope on the desk between them.
“You have something that belongs to me,” he said.
Luca leaned back slightly. “Do I?”
Adrian’s gaze hardened.
“Confidential information. Internal records. Files that are not accessible to anyone outside this company.”
A pause.
“Yet somehow… you have them.”
Silence.
Luca didn’t deny it.
Didn’t explain.
Didn’t even look concerned.
That made it worse.
“You broke into my system,” Adrian concluded.
Luca’s lips curved faintly.
“You make it sound so dramatic.”
Adrian leaned forward slightly, his voice dropping.
“It is dramatic when someone crosses a line they can’t come back from.”
Still—
No fear.
Instead, Luca tilted his head.
“Then why am I still sitting here?”
That question lingered.
Sharp.
Accurate.
Because Adrian hadn’t called security.
Hadn’t ended this.
Hadn’t thrown him out.
Because something about this—
Didn’t feel like a mistake.
It felt intentional.
“You said you wanted a job,” Adrian said.
“I do.”
“Why here?”
This time, Luca didn’t answer immediately.
His eyes flickered—just for a second.
Then settled back on Adrian.
“Because you’re the most powerful man in this city,” he said simply.
“And I don’t work for anyone less.”
The honesty was unexpected.
Blunt.
Dangerous.
Adrian studied him carefully.
There was something beneath the surface.
Something hidden.
And Adrian wanted to find it.
“You’re either very confident,” Adrian said, “or very stupid.”
Luca smiled slightly.
“Which one do you prefer?”
Silence.
Then—
Adrian pressed a button on his desk.
“Bring in a contract.”
Luca’s brow lifted slightly.
That got his attention.
“You’re serious?”
Adrian stood again, slow and deliberate.
“I never joke about business.”
Minutes later, a document was placed on the desk.
Clean.
Sharp.
Final.
Luca picked it up, scanning quickly.
And then—
He paused.
His expression shifted.
Just slightly.
“Personal assistant?” he read.
His eyes lifted.
“You don’t need one.”
Adrian’s voice was calm.
“I need control.”
A beat.
“This gives me access to you,” Adrian continued.
“Your time. Your presence. Your… usefulness.”
Luca’s gaze sharpened.
“And what do I get?”
Adrian stepped closer again.
Closing the distance.
Slowly.
“Protection,” he said.
That word landed.
Heavy.
“From what?” Luca asked quietly.
Adrian’s eyes didn’t leave his.
“From whatever made you walk into my office with stolen information… instead of using it against me.”
Silence.
For the first time—
Luca didn’t have an immediate answer.
Because Adrian was right.
There was a reason.
A bigger one.
And Adrian had just touched the edge of it.
“Sign it,” Adrian said.
Luca looked down at the contract again.
Then back up.
“This isn’t a job,” he said.
Adrian’s lips curved slightly.
Cold.
Certain.
“No,” he replied.
“It’s a deal.”
A long pause.
Then—
Luca reached for the pen.
He signed.
And just like that—
Everything changed.
Adrian took the contract from him, setting it aside.
Final.
Binding.
Dangerous.
“You start now,” Adrian said.
Luca stood.
Stepping closer.
Too close.
“Careful,” Luca murmured.
Adrian didn’t move.
“Why?”
Luca’s eyes held his.
Dark.
Knowing.
“Because you just invited the wrong person into your life.”
- Writer
