CHAPTER 3: THE RIVAL
1062 Words
Adrian Blackwood did not attend dinners.
He hosted them.
The private dining room at The Ashbourne was bathed in low amber light. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the Thames, city lights glittering against the dark water like scattered diamonds.
Eleanor arrived exactly on time.
Not early.
Never eager.
The hostess opened the door.
Adrian was already seated.
Of course he was.
He stood when she entered.
Tall. Controlled. Immaculate in a charcoal suit that fit like strategy itself.
His gaze moved over her slowly—not disrespectfully.
Assessing.
“You’re even more impressive in person,” he said smoothly.
Eleanor removed her coat.
“Disappointment doesn’t suit me. I try to avoid it.”
A faint smile touched his mouth.
Good. He appreciated sharp edges.
They sat.
Wine was poured.
Neither touched it.
“I assume,” Adrian began, “you didn’t acquire Hale & Rowe for sentimental reasons.”
Eleanor folded her hands calmly.
“I don’t mix sentiment with capital.”
His eyes flickered—approving.
“Interesting,” he murmured. “Because most people assumed your return was emotional.”
“Most people,” she replied, “are lazy thinkers.”
He leaned back slightly.
“I’ve wanted Hale & Rowe for years.”
“I know.”
“And yet,” he continued, “you’re now in my way.”
She held his gaze.
“Am I?”
The air shifted.
This wasn’t flirtation.
This was a chess match.
Adrian tilted his head slightly.
“You built Whitmore Holdings aggressively. Clean takeovers. Ruthless restructuring.”
“I prefer efficient.”
“And Sebastian?”
Her expression didn’t change.
“What about him?”
“Is he efficient?”
There it was.
The probe.
She reached for her wine this time, taking a slow sip.
“Sebastian is predictable.”
Adrian’s eyebrow lifted slightly.
“That’s disappointing. I expected more passion in your description.”
She placed the glass down.
“You’re mistaking me for someone who still cares.”
He watched her carefully.
He didn’t believe her.
Good.
Let him wonder.
The waiter brought the first course.
Neither paid attention.
“Let’s not waste time,” Adrian said finally.
“I want Hale & Rowe.”
“So buy shares.”
“I prefer control.”
“And I prefer profit.”
His lips curved slightly.
“Merge with me.”
She didn’t react.
But inside—
That was bold.
“You’d gain majority control instantly,” he continued. “We’d eliminate Sebastian within months.”
We.
Interesting choice of word.
“And what would you gain?” she asked softly.
His gaze darkened slightly.
“Leverage.”
“Only leverage?”
A pause.
Then—
“You’re intelligent enough to know I never pursue just one advantage.”
There it was.
Not a threat.
Not a confession.
An implication.
Eleanor leaned forward slightly.
“And if I decline?”
“Then I compete.”
He didn’t blink.
“And I never lose.”
The confidence in his voice was not arrogance.
It was documented fact.
Silence stretched between them.
The kind that wasn’t empty.
It was charged.
Adrian studied her like she was an equation he intended to solve.
“You’re not here just for business,” he said quietly.
“And you’re not inviting me for charity.”
Their eyes locked.
Something shifted.
Not soft.
Not romantic.
Dangerous.
Before she could respond,
Her phone buzzed on the table.
One glance at the screen.
Sebastian.
She ignored it.
Adrian noticed.
“He knows you’re here.”
“Yes.”
“You wanted him to.”
She smiled faintly.
“Perhaps.”
Adrian’s fingers tapped once against the table.
“You enjoy destabilizing him.”
“No,” she corrected softly.
“I enjoy control.”
At that exact moment,
The private dining room door opened.
Neither of them moved.
But both knew.
Sebastian Hale stood at the entrance.
Not invited.
Not announced.
His gaze locked immediately onto Eleanor.
Then shifted to Adrian.
And the space between them.
Adrian didn’t look surprised.
He stood slowly.
“Sebastian,” he greeted smoothly.
“You’re interrupting.”
Sebastian’s jaw was tight.
“This isn’t business.”
Adrian glanced at Eleanor.
“Isn’t it?”
Eleanor rose to her feet.
Calm.
Unshaken.
“Good evening, Sebastian.”
Her tone was neutral.
Detached.
His eyes dropped briefly to her red heels.
Then back to her face.
“You’re aligning with him?” he asked quietly.
“That depends,” she replied.
“On what?”
She stepped closer to him.
Close enough to lower her voice.
“On how afraid you are.”
His expression darkened.
“I’m not afraid of Blackwood.”
Her lips curved slightly.
“You should be.”
The tension between the three of them was suffocating now.
Adrian broke it deliberately.
“Perhaps,” he said smoothly, “we should all sit down.”
“No,” Sebastian said firmly.
His eyes never left Eleanor.
“Are you doing this to hurt me?”
There it was.
Emotion.
Vulnerability slipping through control.
Eleanor’s gaze softened—
Just barely.
Then hardened again.
“I’m doing this,” she said quietly, “because I can.”
Silence.
Sebastian looked between them once more.
Then at Adrian.
“This isn’t over.”
Adrian smiled faintly.
“It’s only just beginning.”
Sebastian left.
The door closing behind him echoed louder than it should have.
Eleanor exhaled slowly.
Adrian studied her carefully.
“Careful,” he said quietly.
“You still react to him.”
She met his gaze evenly.
“Everyone reacts to fire.”
“And are you planning to burn him?”
She picked up her coat.
“Not yet.”
As she walked toward the exit, Adrian spoke again.
“If you ever decide you want to win completely”
She paused.
“Call me.”
She didn’t answer.
But she didn’t decline either.
Outside, the London air was cold.
Her phone buzzed again.
A message from Sebastian.
You don’t know what you’re starting.
Eleanor stared at the text.
Then typed a single reply.
Watch me.
She slid into the waiting car.
Behind her, in the shadows across the street—
A camera flashed.
Unnoticed.
Tomorrow morning,
London would wake up to headlines.
Billionaire Heiress Dines with Hale’s Greatest Rival.
And this time
The humiliation would not be hers.
- Writer
