DARK PETALS

CHAPTER 2

Pluvia's POV

The soft hum of the city filtered through the floor-to-ceiling windows of my office, casting long shadows across the sleek, modern space. The sky outside had begun its descent into dusk, streaks of gold and violet bleeding into the horizon.

I had spent the last hour going over projections, refining numbers, and preparing for an upcoming product launch.

Rosanera Technologies was at a crucial turning point—expanding faster than even my most ambitious forecasts had predicted. Every strategic move I had planned was falling perfectly into place.

Until it wasn’t.

A sharp knock at the door made me glance up. Celeste, my assistant, stepped in, her expression carefully neutral, but I caught the slight shift in her posture—the way she squared her shoulders before speaking.

“There’s a request for a meeting,” she said, her voice even. “Victor Russo wants to meet with you. Personally.”

The name sent a ripple of awareness through me. Victor Russo.

I leaned back in my chair, my fingers interlocking as I studied her. “Victor Russo?”

Celeste nodded. “Yes. He’s requesting a private meeting to discuss something.”

I exhaled slowly, rolling the name over in my mind.

Victor Russo—the elusive billionaire behind Russo Nightfall Industries. A man known for his cold, calculated moves. He is ruthless. His company dominated aviation technology, expanding its grip on the market with an almost predatory efficiency.

And now, he had set his sights on me.

My fingers tapped lightly against the smooth surface of my desk. “Did he say why he wants to meet personally?”

“No details were given,” Celeste said, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “But he was clear—it has to be face-to-face.”

Face-to-face.

A man like Victor Russo didn’t waste time with unnecessary meetings. If he wanted to see me in person, it meant one thing—he wanted something.

And I didn’t like being anyone’s something.

“Decline.”

Celeste hesitated. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

She nodded and turned to leave, but I stopped her with a quiet, “Wait.”

She paused, waiting for further instruction.

I didn’t like unpredictability. But I wasn’t a fool, either. Russo Nightfall Industries was a giant, and if he wanted to discuss something, that meant....

......

Victor’s POV

Collins stood in front of my desk, his posture as rigid as ever, but I caught the flicker of hesitation in his eyes before he spoke.

“Sir… Miss Rossi has responded.”

I barely glanced up from the file in front of me. I already knew what the answer would be.

She would say yes.

They always said yes.

I gestured for him to continue.

“She says she’s unavailable this week,” Collins said slowly. “She… proposes the meeting next week. On her terms.”

Silence.

I set my pen down.

For a moment, I thought I had misheard him.

Then I let the words sink in.

Unavailable this week.

Next week.

On her terms.

I blinked. Once.

Then, slowly, I leaned back in my chair, amusement curling at the edges of my lips.

I hadn’t expected that.

Collins shifted, clearly waiting for my reaction.

Most people would have scrambled for an earlier meeting, bending over backward to align with my schedule. They understood the weight of my name. The consequences of delay.

But Pluviana Rossi?

She had made me wait.

And for the first time in years, I didn’t feel irritation.

I felt something else.

Something rare.

Amusement.

I exhaled a quiet laugh, shaking my head slightly.

Collins stared. “Sir?”

“She’s an interesting woman,” I murmured.

Collins hesitated. “…So you’ll insist _?”

I tilted my head, considering.

I could. Easily.

One call, and she’d be sitting across from me tomorrow.

But where was the fun in that?

“She wants me to wait?” I mused. “Fine.”

Collins blinked. “You’re agreeing?”

“Why not?” I said lightly.

Collins hesitated for another second, then nodded and left the room.

The door clicked shut behind him.

And for the first time in a long, long time… I felt entertained.

After Collins Left

The office was quiet now, the only sound the faint hum of the city below.

I picked up my whiskey glass, rolling it between my fingers. I took a slow sip of whiskey, feeling the warmth slide down my throat.

I’m not annoyed.

I’m not frustrated.

I am interested.

People didn’t tell me no.

Not in business. Not in life.

Yet Pluviana Rossi had done something no one else had—she hadn’t refused, but she hadn’t agreed either.

She had made me wait.

People scrambled for a chance to work with me. They shifted schedules, rearranged priorities, even abandoned existing deals to accommodate me. CEOs, investors, competitors—every single one of them would have dropped everything to be in Pluviana Rossi’s position.

But she didn’t.

She didn’t run toward me like the others. She didn’t grasp at the opportunity, desperate for a collaboration. Instead, she had drawn a line, keeping control firmly in her hands.

And that… was fascinating.

She is different.

I want to meet her.

Pluvia’s POV

TPl sage came through just as I finished reviewing the final set of projections for the quarter.

Celeste walked into my office, tablet in hand, an unreadable expression on her face.

“Victor Russo has responded.”

Iced up, setting my pen down. “And?”

Her lips pressed together, as if hesitant. “He agreed. Without hesitation.”

That made me pause.

I had expected some resistance. A push for an earlier date. Maybe even an attempt to force my schedule to match his. That was how men like him operated—they didn’t wait for anyone.

Yet he was waiting for me.

I leaned back, tapping my nails lightly against the polished surface of my desk.

“He didn’t try to insist?”

Celeste shook her head. “No. His exact words were, ‘Next week, then.’”

I exhaled, tilting my head slightly.

Interesting.

I wasn’t naive. A man like him didn’t yield without reason. If he agreed so easily, it was because he already had a plan.

I just wasn’t sure what that was yet.

But I would find out.

I glanced back at Celeste. “Prepare for the meeting. Next week.

She nodded. “Understood.”

As she left, I turned my gaze toward the skyline, watching the city stretch endlessly beyond the glass.

Victor Russo wanted to meet me.

And now?

I wanted to meet him too.

"𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒅 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒔𝒆, 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒅 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒃𝒐𝒘,

𝒀𝒆𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒏𝒐𝒘."

"𝑺𝒕𝒆𝒆𝒍-𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒚 𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒔, 𝒂 𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒆𝒕 𝒔𝒎𝒊𝒓𝒌,

𝑨 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒖𝒓𝒌.

𝑯𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒂 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅,

𝒀𝒆𝒕 𝒔𝒉𝒆’𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒎 𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒅."

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