Unclaimed: Crossed Desire

A BEGINNING

The morning light in Adrian’s estate was as cold and precise as the man himself. In his private gym, the air was thick with the scent of ozone and effort. Adrian moved with a calculated, rhythmic brutality against the resistance of the cables. Every muscle in his back rippled, a map of tension and power that he usually kept hidden beneath three-piece Italian wool.

He fumed internally. The memory of the previous night the way Serena had looked through him as if he were made of glass burned hotter than the lactic acid in his shoulders. A thrill, dark and sweet, crested in his chest. Most women were a choreographed dance; Serena was a locked vault. And Adrian had spent his entire life mastering the art of the break-in.

"My tea," he clipped, barely glancing toward the doorway as he finished his set.

Before the command had fully left his lips, his housekeeper, Sera, was there. She handed him the silver tray with a silent, practiced efficiency.

"Your breakfast is served in the dining hall, sir."

Adrian took a sip of the bitter herbal blend, his mind already miles away, calculating the day's first move. A meal was the last thing on his ritualistic checklist.

"Sera," he said, his voice a low, vibrating baritone. He motioned dismissively with a gloved hand as he turned toward the stairs. "I’m good. And don’t bother with dinner tonight. Understood?"

"Understood, sir," she murmured, watching him dash up the stairs with a predatory energy that suggested he wasn't going to the office to work he was going to hunt.

Across the city, the vibe was entirely different. Serena stood in her bedroom, a vision of sharp professional elegance in a charcoal blazer, but her expression was one of pure annoyance. She reached for her handbag and froze.

"Damnit," she hissed, the realization hitting her like a physical blow. "I forgot. I actually forgot."

Her car was still sitting in that cold corporate garage or wherever Adrian’s "people" had taken it. She let out a long, frustrated sigh and pulled out her phone to order a ride-share, but before the app could even load, her screen exploded with a FaceTime request.

"VALE!"

The scream was so piercing that Serena physically recoiled, thrusting the phone away from her ear as if it were a live wire. Lily’s voice scrambled into a chaotic mess of high-pitched excitement that made absolutely no sense.

"Goddamn it, Lil! You’re too loud," Serena groaned, a reluctant grin tugging at the corners of her mouth as she brought the phone back to a safe distance. "I didn't hear a single word of that verbal assault."

"You didn't give me a chance, you brat!" Lily fired back, her face filling the screen with a pout that was half-theatrical, half-genuine. "Why are you so loud? It’s morning! Too early to be this crazy!"

"Gurl, you haven't called me in two days!" Lily continued, her tone shifting into a playful giggle. "How could you? I’m so going to leave you, it’s crazy! You ghosted me right after the party. Boom. Silence."

Serena softened her voice, leaning against her vanity. "Hell no, love," she said, her tone dropping into that slow, convincing girly drawl they always used with each other. "I got a contract that needed my attention so bad, I had to f*****g give it space. Hanny, you know my relationship with work. It’s a toxic marriage."

"Oh, understandable," Lily sighed, though her eyes were already sparkling with mischief. "But you could have sent a text! Anyways, I’m bored, I have a day off, so... spill. What’s the big shot you got? And more importantly... did you find a prince?"

Serena let out a sharp, dry laugh. "About that... okay, fine. But the ending is the most important part. My car knocked off. It literally died at the most crucial time of my life."

Serena checked her watch, her eyes narrowing as she saw the time. "Look, get your ass up and come pick me up. We’re going to get my car, and if you're lucky, I might just tell you exactly how it got there and whose car I actually ended up in last night."

"Babe, I’m already on the block. I got you!" Lily’s voice crackled with static as she ended the call.

Serena hadn't even reached for her keys when a rhythmic, aggressive pounding echoed from the front of the apartment. "Vale! Open the door before I break it down!"

Serena pulled the door open, nearly doubling over as she erupted into laughter. "Holy s**t! Seriously, Lily? A juicy story is the only thing that gets your ass moving this fast."

"Don’t play me, girl," Lily said, breezing past her with a mischievous glint in her eye. "Free tea regarding your love life doesn’t come around often. I had to speed."

"I am genuinely concerned," Serena said, grabbing her designer tote. "Normally it’s a twenty-minute lag, but you were here in ten. You’re a handful."

"Relax, okay?" Lily laughed, twirling her car keys. "I’m here, you need a ride, and I’m the best driver you know. Now, move it. My engine is idling and my patience is thin."

As they settled into Lily’s car, the atmosphere shifted. Lily drove with a forced, agonizing slowness, her eyes darting sideways every few seconds. Serena remained stubbornly silent, checking her watch.

"Okay, let the cat out already! I’m dying here," Lily finally burst out.

"Fine… but honestly, I don’t even know what to tell you. Nothing 'happened,'" Serena said, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. "The big win is that I’m officially the General Counsel for the Blackwood restructuring project."

"Blackwood? As in Eastwood & Blackwood?" Lily’s foot nearly slipped off the gas. Her jaw dropped as a seductive, knowing smirk spread across her lips. "I’ve heard stories, Vale. Not just about the company... but the man behind the curtain. My colleague at the magazine literally froze the first time she saw him. She said his presence is like a physical weight. She didn't even try to shoot her shot because the women at his mercy at that last gala were elite. She knew she was below the curve."

Lily tapped Serena’s shoulder, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "And here you are. He’s right within your reach."

"Oh, come on," Serena groaned, rolling her eyes. "Stop stripping him with your mind. He’s an arrogant douchebag, Lil. Truly."

"Don’t be basic, Vale. He’s a titan. He’s rarely seen, but the ones who have... they’re still mesmerized. And you’re calling him a douchebag? Please. Tell me what he actually looks like, because I am so driving you all the way to the front door today," Lily said, her obsession growing by the second.

"Lily, you’ve lost it. All this hype for a man who barely speaks?" Serena giggled, though her mind flashed back to those luminous blue eyes from the night before.

"That’s my problem, not yours! My boss has been begging for an interview for months, and he won't even acknowledge the emails," Lily said, her gaze turning intense. "You have to make that man yours. I’m not kidding. He’s a catch, and he's at your mercy."

Serena was opening her mouth to argue when her phone began to vibrate in the cup holder.

The name Mr.ADRIAN flashed across the screen in bold, stark letters.

"Speak of the devil," Serena muttered, tilting the screen so Lily could see.

"Speak of the hottie!" Lily corrected, her voice a frantic, silent scream. "Shhh! Answer it!"

Serena took a breath and swiped. "Good morning, Mr. Adrian."

There was no "Good morning" in return. No pleasantries. Just that deep, vibrating baritone that sounded like expensive whiskey and cold steel.

"You don't need to pick up your car. It’s already been delivered to the office. Be at your desk in twenty minutes."

Click.

Serena stared at the dead screen, then turned to Lily, expecting her to be outraged by his dismissive tone. Instead, Lily looked like she was melting into the upholstery.

"How can someone sound so heartless and so sweet at the same time?" Lily exhaled, clutching the steering wheel. "That voice is a sin."

"Lover girl, you're delusional," Serena sighed, leaning back. "Well, apparently my car is at the office, so... take me to the lion’s den as you wish."

Lily didn't need to be told twice. She floored it, her excitement radiating through the car. She was finally going to see the man the world knew only as Blackwood.