Chapter1
1473 Words
Chapter One
The Man at the Club
The bass from the music echoed through the walls of Eclipse Lounge, shaking the glasses arranged neatly behind the bar. Blue and purple lights flashed across the crowded dance floor while laughter, expensive perfume, and alcohol filled the air.
Liora Hastings hated every second of it.
She sat in the VIP section with her legs crossed, staring blankly into her champagne glass while her friends talked loudly around her. Normally, she loved places like this. The attention, the music, the feeling of being admired whenever she walked into a room—it used to excite her.
But tonight, she felt irritated.
No matter how hard she tried to distract herself, her thoughts kept drifting back to the same person.
Velora.
Her older sister somehow managed to ruin her mood without even being present.
“Liora, are you even listening to us?” Camille asked from beside her.
Liora blinked and looked up. “Hm?”
Camille laughed softly. “Exactly. You’ve been zoning out for the past ten minutes.”
“I’m just tired.”
“Tired from work or tired of hearing your parents praise Velora every five business minutes?”
The comment earned a few awkward laughs from the others, but Liora only forced a smile.
It wasn’t funny.
Because it was true.
Everything in the Hastings family revolved around Velora.
Velora the intelligent one.
Velora the calm and responsible daughter.
Velora the future CEO.
Even at work, it was exhausting. Every meeting somehow turned into another opportunity for people to praise her sister.
Sometimes Liora wondered if anyone had ever looked at her without comparing her to Velora first.
She swallowed down the bitterness rising in her throat and took another sip of champagne.
“She’s not that perfect,” Liora muttered quietly.
Camille raised a brow. “You know saying that with jealousy in your voice doesn’t help your case.”
“I’m not jealous.”
Camille gave her a look that clearly said liar.
Before Liora could reply, movement near the entrance of the club caught everyone’s attention.
A group of men walked into the VIP area surrounded by security. Instantly, whispers spread around the room. Some women straightened in their seats while others openly stared.
Liora frowned slightly.
“What’s going on?”
One of her friends gasped dramatically. “Oh my God… that’s Liam Knight.”
The name immediately sounded familiar.
Liora looked toward the man everyone suddenly seemed obsessed with.
And for a moment, she understood why.
He was tall, broad-shouldered, and dressed in black from head to toe. Unlike the loud businessmen that usually crowded places like this, Liam carried himself differently. Quiet confidence surrounded him naturally, like he didn’t need to prove anything to anyone.
His expression remained calm and unreadable as he took his seat.
Expensive watch.
Sharp jawline.
Dark eyes that looked almost cold beneath the dim club lights.
He wasn’t smiling, yet somehow every woman in the room looked interested.
Liora unconsciously sat up straighter.
“That Liam Knight?” she asked.
“The CEO of Knight Holdings,” Camille replied. “The billionaire everyone’s obsessed with.”
“Oh.”
Liora looked at him again, pretending not to care.
But unfortunately, she noticed everything.
The way he barely acknowledged the people around him.
The way his security kept their distance because he clearly didn’t need protection inside the room.
The way he looked completely uninterested in the attention he was getting.
It was annoying.
And attractive.
Almost as if sensing her stare, Liam suddenly lifted his head.
Their eyes met briefly across the room.
Liora expected some sort of reaction. Most men stared longer whenever she looked at them.
But Liam simply glanced away again like nothing happened.
Her brows pulled together.
“…Did he just ignore me?”
Camille burst out laughing. “Oh, this is new.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You’re Liora Hastings. Men usually trip over themselves trying to talk to you.”
“Well, apparently not him.”
For some strange reason, the rejection irritated her more than it should have.
Maybe because she wasn’t used to it.
Or maybe because he looked completely unaffected by her presence.
Either way, she suddenly wanted his attention.
And Liora Hastings had never been good at walking away from things she wanted.
Before Camille could stop her, Liora stood up from her seat.
“Oh no,” Camille groaned. “You’re about to do something stupid.”
Liora smoothed down her dress confidently. “Relax.”
“Liora…”
But she was already walking toward his table.
The closer she got, the louder her heartbeat became, which only annoyed her more. Why was she nervous? Men approached her all the time. This shouldn’t feel different.
One of Liam’s security men moved slightly, but Liam gave a small nod, silently allowing her through.
Interesting.
When she finally stopped in front of him, Liam slowly looked up at her.
Up close, he looked even better.
That sharp jawline should’ve honestly been illegal.
“Yes?” he asked calmly.
Even his voice was attractive.
Liora crossed her arms lightly. “You know, staring back is usually considered polite.”
One corner of his lips lifted slightly.
“Is that what you wanted?”
His tone wasn’t flirtatious.
If anything, he sounded amused.
“I mean,” Liora said with a shrug, “most men usually do.”
“And I’m not most men.”
The confidence in his response caught her off guard for half a second.
Usually, conversations with men felt predictable. They flirted too hard, complimented her too quickly, or tried too obviously to impress her.
Liam did none of that.
And somehow, that made him even more interesting.
“What’s your name?” he asked.
“Liora Hastings.”
Something flickered briefly in his eyes at her surname.
Recognition.
Of course he knew the Hastings family.
Anyone involved in business knew them.
But instead of looking impressed, Liam simply nodded once.
“Hm.”
That was it.
No smile.
No excitement.
No change in expression.
Liora almost laughed from disbelief.
“You don’t seem impressed.”
“Should I be?”
The question annoyed her more than it should have.
Before she could answer, the men sitting around him exchanged amused looks like they were enjoying the interaction.
Liora straightened slightly. “Most people are.”
“I’m not most people.”
There he went again with those calm answers.
God, this man was frustrating.
“So what should I call you?” she asked.
“Liam.”
“Just Liam?”
“For tonight.”
Something about the way he said it made her stomach tighten slightly.
He sounded mysterious without even trying.
For the first time that night, Liora genuinely smiled.
Maybe this could actually become interesting.
But before she could continue the conversation, Liam’s phone buzzed against the table.
He glanced at the screen briefly before standing up almost immediately.
“You’re leaving?” she asked.
“Business call.”
“That important?”
“Yes.”
His short answers were beginning to feel personal.
Liora folded her arms. “You always this serious?”
“Usually.”
“You sound exhausting.”
“And yet you’re still standing here.”
That nearly made her smile again.
Nearly.
Liam picked up his jacket while one of his men moved toward him.
Then finally, his eyes returned to hers.
“It was nice meeting you, Liora.”
The problem was… it didn’t sound like he meant it.
Before she could respond, he turned and walked away with his security following behind him.
Just like that.
No asking for her number.
No flirting.
No lingering glance.
Nothing.
Liora stood there staring after him while embarrassment slowly crept into her chest.
She honestly couldn’t remember the last time a man walked away from her so easily.
Behind her, Camille appeared with an expression full of amusement.
“Well,” she said carefully, “that was painful to watch.”
Liora rolled her eyes and grabbed another glass of champagne from a passing waiter.
“He’s arrogant.”
Camille laughed. “You like him.”
“I absolutely do not.”
“You followed him across a club because he ignored you.”
“That doesn’t mean anything.”
Camille smirked knowingly. “Right.”
Liora tried ignoring the strange feeling sitting heavily in her chest as she looked once more toward the exit Liam disappeared through.
Maybe it was wounded pride.
Maybe curiosity.
Or maybe it was something worse.
Whatever it was, one thing became painfully clear to her that night.
Liam Knight was the first man who made her feel invisible.
And deep down, she already knew she wasn’t going to forget him anytime soon.
- Writer
