Chapter 3: The Problem With Kind Eyes
690 Words
Mira avoided Adrian for exactly three hours.
Which, honestly, felt impressive considering the universe seemed determined to throw him directly into her path.
She escaped one networking circle.
There he was.
She moved toward the refreshment table.
There he was again.
At one point she turned a corner too quickly and nearly collided with a security guard built like a refrigerator.
“Sorry,” she squeaked.
The guard blinked once. “You’re fine.”
Then his earpiece crackled.
The man immediately glanced toward Adrian standing across the room.
Mira noticed it instantly.
Security.
Real security.
Not the pretend kind celebrities hired for photographs.
Something uncomfortable curled low in her stomach.
Why would somebody his age need that much protection?
“You keep trying to escape.”
Mira jumped.
Adrian stood beside her holding a glass of sparkling water.
How did he move so quietly?
“I’m not escaping,” she lied.
“You nearly walked into a potted tree five minutes ago avoiding my direction.”
Heat crawled into her face.
“I panicked.”
“I noticed.”
His tone stayed maddeningly calm.
Mira crossed her arms. “You enjoy making people nervous.”
“That depends on the person.”
“And which type am I?”
“The interesting kind.”
Her breath caught slightly.
That was unfair.
Nobody that attractive should be allowed dry humor.
It created structural imbalance in society.
“You say weird things,” she muttered.
“And you say honest things.”
The answer came too quickly.
Like he’d already decided it.
Mira looked away first.
Dangerous.
This man felt dangerous in ways that had nothing to do with money.
“What are you studying?” Adrian asked.
“Psychology.”
“That explains a lot.”
She frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You observe before speaking.”
Mira blinked.
Most people called her quiet.
Awkward.
Withdrawn.
Nobody had ever described it like that.
“You noticed that?”
“I notice most things.”
His eyes briefly scanned the room while he said it.
Exits.
Doors.
People.
The movement was subtle but deliberate.
Like habit.
Mira watched him carefully.
“You do that constantly,” she said before thinking.
His attention snapped back to her.
“Do what?”
“Check the room.”
For the first time since meeting him, Adrian went still.
Not frozen.
Alert.
Like she’d stepped somewhere unexpected.
Most people probably never noticed.
But Mira noticed everything when she was anxious.
Micro-expressions.
Tone shifts.
Changes in breathing.
She spent half her life monitoring environments before they could overwhelm her.
And Adrian Mercer monitored rooms like someone expecting danger.
“You analyze everyone?” he asked.
“Occupational hazard.”
His mouth almost curved.
Then someone approached them.
“Adrian.”
The newcomer was blond, sharply dressed, and looked entirely too amused.
He glanced between them.
“Well, this is new.”
“Luca,” Adrian said flatly.
“Oh, definitely new.”
Mira tried not to laugh.
Luca offered his hand dramatically. “Luca Bennett. Longtime victim of Adrian’s personality.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“She’s smiling,” Luca told Adrian. “You usually scare people before lunch.”
“I scared her with coffee earlier.”
“That sounds concerning out of context.”
Mira laughed accidentally.
The sound escaped before she could stop it.
Adrian looked at her immediately.
Not in annoyance.
Like the laugh surprised him.
Her pulse stumbled again.
God.
This was becoming a problem.
A very expensive problem.
Luca noticed everything.
His grin widened slowly.
“Right,” Luca said. “I’m suddenly understanding several things.”
“Leave,” Adrian replied.
“See? Ice cold.” Luca turned toward Mira. “Don’t let the face fool you. He once bought his sister an entire
bookstore because she cried over a shop closing.”
Adrian’s expression hardened instantly.
“Luca.”
Too late.
Mira stared.
A bookstore?
That image didn’t fit the man standing in front of her.
Which made her want to understand him even more.
And that curiosity?
That was the dangerous part.
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