Chapter Two The dangerous proposal
868 Words
Sienna barely made it home before exhaustion settled into her bones.
She kicked off her heels, tossed her phone onto the couch, and leaned against the kitchen counter. The gala had been a success despite the chaos, yet Adrian Knight's smile kept replaying in her mind.
"I'd like to hire you."
She shook her head.
"No."
She had made a promise to herself after her broken engagement.
No wealthy clients who blurred professional boundaries.
No charismatic men with dangerous smiles.
And definitely no billionaires.
Her phone vibrated.
An unknown number.
She hesitated before answering.
"Hello?"
"Miss Hart."
The voice was unmistakable.
Adrian Knight.
"I hope I'm not calling too late."
She glanced at the clock.
"It depends."
He chuckled softly.
"I admire your honesty."
"What can I do for you?"
"I'd like to meet."
"I already declined."
"You declined before hearing the details."
"I'm listening."
"My company is hosting an exclusive luxury retreat for investors on a private island next weekend."
"So?"
"I want you to organize it."
She frowned.
"There are hundreds of event planners."
"I don't want hundreds."
"I want the one who walked into danger to save a stranger."
Silence settled between them.
His words caught her off guard.
Finally, she said, "I'll think about it."
"I'll send a car tomorrow morning."
"I didn't say yes."
"I know."
His voice carried quiet confidence.
"But I think you will."
The line went dead.
Across town, Adrian stood beside the floor-to-ceiling windows of his penthouse, overlooking the glittering skyline.
His longtime friend Ethan entered without
knocking.
"So?"
"So what?"
"The event planner."
Adrian poured himself a glass of sparkling water.
"She hasn't accepted."
"You've never chased anyone before."
"I'm not chasing."
Ethan laughed.
"You called her yourself."
Before Adrian could reply, his security chief walked in carrying a folder.
"We've traced the document leak."
Adrian's expression hardened.
"And?"
"The files were accessed from inside headquarters."
"I already knew that."
"There is something else."
The security chief placed several photographs on the table.
One showed Sienna leaving the hotel after the gala.
Another showed a man watching her from across the street.
A third showed the same man following her taxi.
Adrian's jaw tightened.
"Who is he?"
"We don't know."
"But he has been watching Miss Hart for three days."
Ethan exchanged a worried glance with Adrian.
"So the anonymous message wasn't random."
"No."
Adrian closed the folder.
"Someone wants her involved."
The next morning, Sienna arrived at her office to find an enormous bouquet of white lilies waiting on her desk.
There was no card.
Only a small black envelope.
Inside was a handwritten note.
Don't trust Adrian Knight.
Her heartbeat quickened.
She looked around the office.
Everyone appeared busy.
No one seemed to be watching.
Except...
A man in a dark suit standing across the street.
The moment their eyes met, he turned and disappeared into the crowd.
Later that afternoon, Sienna reluctantly accepted Adrian's invitation to discuss the retreat.
Blackwood Tower was even more impressive in daylight.
Glass walls reflected the afternoon sun, while the reception area buzzed with executives and assistants moving with quiet efficiency.
She was escorted to the executive floor.
When the doors opened, Adrian was waiting.
Not behind his desk.
But by the window.
He had removed his suit jacket, rolled his sleeves to his forearms, and looked less like the billionaire from magazine covers and more like a man carrying invisible burdens.
"You came."
"I came to hear the proposal."
He smiled.
"I'll take that as progress."
For the next hour, Adrian outlined the retreat.
It would be held at an exclusive island resort.
World-renowned chefs.
Luxury villas.
International investors.
A weekend where billions of dollars in deals could be made—or lost.
As they talked, Sienna realized something unexpected.
Adrian listened.
When she challenged an idea, he considered it instead of dismissing her.
When she suggested improvements, he wrote them down.
It was...refreshing.
"You're different from what I expected," she admitted.
"So are you."
Before either of them could say another word, the office doors burst open.
A glamorous woman strode inside in designer heels and a crimson dress.
Without asking permission, she wrapped her arms around Adrian and kissed his cheek.
"Adrian," she purred. "You never told me you had company."
Sienna instinctively stepped back.
Adrian gently removed the woman's hands.
"Vanessa."
"This is a business meeting."
Vanessa's eyes swept over Sienna with open curiosity.
"So this is the famous event planner."
"You've heard of me?"
"Oh..."
Vanessa smiled sweetly.
"I hear everything."
The atmosphere shifted.
Sienna suddenly felt like she'd walked into a game whose rules she didn't understand.
That evening, as Sienna left Blackwood Tower, she unlocked her car.
Something white fluttered beneath the windshield wiper.
Another note.
Her hands trembled as she unfolded it.
This one contained only six words.
Leave now... or you'll regret staying.
She looked around the nearly empty parking garage.
No one.
Just silence.
High above, hidden behind the tinted windows of Blackwood Tower, Adrian watched as she hurried to her car.
He never noticed the laser sight briefly settle on the back of his suit jacket from the rooftop of the building opposite.
A finger tightened on a trigger.
- Writer
