CHAPTER FIVE
996 Words
I shouldn’t have come.
That was the first thought that crossed my mind the second Adrian stepped away.
“Business call,” he had said.
Of course.
He always had one.
“Two minutes.”
It had already been ten.
And I was still standing there.
Alone.
Well...not completely alone.
“I was wondering how long it would take.”
My body tensed instantly.
I didn’t need to turn around.
I recognized her voice.
Victoria.
Slowly, I faced her.
She stood a few steps away, perfectly composed, like she had been waiting for this moment.
Which, knowing her,
she probably had.
“Enjoying the evening?” she asked lightly.
I crossed my arms. “More than you, I assume.”
A small smile touched her lips.
“Careful,” she said. “Confidence looks good on you...but it’s much harder to maintain.”
There was something in the way she said it.
Like she knew something I didn’t.
“I’m not here to impress you,” I replied.
“No,” she said softly. “You’re here to impress him.”
My jaw tightened.
“And yet,” she continued, stepping a little closer, “you’re already making mistakes.”
I frowned. “Excuse me?”
“You’re getting too comfortable.”
“I don’t know what you think you see—”
“I see everything,” she cut in smoothly.
Silence fell between us.
Sharp. Controlled.
“He didn’t tell you, did he?”
My stomach twisted.
“Tell me what?”
Victoria tilted her head slightly, studying me.
“Of course he didn’t.”
Annoyance flared inside me. “If you have something to say, say it.”
“Oh, I will.”
She took another step closer.
Close enough now that I could see the detail in her expression.
The confidence.
The certainty.
The edge.
“You think you’re different,” she said quietly. “That this...arrangement means something.”
“It doesn’t,” I said quickly.
Too quickly.
Her smile widened just a fraction.
“That’s what I used to say.”
The words hit harder than I expected.
I forced myself not to react.
“You’re not the first girl he’s tried this with,” she continued.
My heart skipped.
“No emotional attachment. No complications. Everything controlled.”
She let out a soft breath, almost amused.
“It never works.”
I shook my head slightly. “You’re projecting.”
“Am I?”
Her eyes locked onto mine.
“Then why did you pull away from him last night?”
My breath caught.
How—
“I saw you,” she said calmly. “You think people don’t notice those things? The hesitation. The moment where it stops being fake.”
I said nothing.
Couldn’t.
Because she wasn’t wrong.
“And him?” she added softly. “He noticed too.”
Something in my chest tightened.
“He always notices.”
“He just pretends he doesn’t care.”
That one landed deeper.
I clenched my hands slightly. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Her gaze softened.
But not in a kind way.
In a dangerous way.
“Oh, Lena,” she said quietly. “I know exactly what I’m talking about.”
Silence stretched.
Then she delivered the final hit,
“He made me the same offer.”
Everything inside me stilled.
“What?”
Her eyes held mine.
“Different amount. Same rules.”
No.
No, that,
That couldn’t..
“And guess what happened?” she continued.
I didn’t answer.
Didn’t want to.
“I broke the only rule that mattered.”
My throat felt dry.
“And he let you walk away?” I asked.
A small, humorless laugh escaped her.
“No.”
“He made sure I had nothing left to stay for.”
The words sent a chill down my spine.
“That’s not true,” I said, but my voice wasn’t as steady anymore.
“Isn’t it?”
She stepped even closer now.
Too close.
“Ask him why I really left.”
I swallowed.
“Ask him what happened after I fell in love with him.”
My heart was beating too fast now.
This wasn’t just jealousy anymore.
This was,
Something else.
Something darker.
“Or better yet,” she added softly, “wait until it happens to you.”
Footsteps.
Approaching.
Victoria straightened instantly, her expression shifting back into something polite. Controlled.
Perfect.
Adrian.
Of course.
He stopped beside me, his presence immediate, grounding,
but not enough.
Not anymore.
“Is there a problem?” he asked, his voice sharp.
“None at all,” Victoria said smoothly. “We were just talking.”
His gaze moved to me.
Searching.
“What did she say?”
I hesitated.
Just for a second.
“Nothing.”
Victoria’s smile deepened slightly.
Adrian didn’t look convinced.
But he didn’t push.
Not here.
Not now.
“Goodnight, Lena,” Victoria said softly.
Then, as she passed by me,
just quiet enough for only me to hear
“Ticking clock.”
My stomach dropped.
The drive back felt different.
Again.
Everything felt different now.
I stared ahead, my thoughts racing.
He made me the same offer.
The words echoed.
Over and over.
“You’re quiet,” Adrian said.
I didn’t look at him.
“Was she lying?”
Silence.
Too long.
That was answer enough.
“Lena—”
“Was she lying?” I repeated.
This time, sharper.
His jaw tightened.
“No.”
There it was.
The truth.
Heavy. Unavoidable.
“And what happened?” I asked.
“It ended.”
Not good enough.
“How?”
“She crossed a line.”
My chest tightened.
“What line?”
His gaze shifted to me.
Cold again.
Controlled.
“The only one that matters.”
Rule number seven.
No feelings.
I looked away.
But this time,
it didn’t feel like a rule anymore.
It felt like a threat.
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