Chapter 7 – A Dangerous Game

The night should have ended there.

Daniel should have walked away, Adrian should have let it go, and Ava should have been able to breathe.

But nothing was ever that simple.

Ava stepped out onto the balcony, the cool night air a relief against her heated skin. The ballroom behind her was still alive with laughter and music, but out here, it was silent. Peaceful.

She needed a moment. A moment to process the way Adrian had shielded her like she was his possession. The way Daniel had looked at her like she still belonged to him.

A bitter laugh escaped her. Since when did she become a prize for men to fight over?

"Ava."

She tensed. Daniel.

She turned, finding him standing near the balcony doors, hands in his pockets, gaze unreadable.

"What do you want?" she asked, exhaustion creeping into her voice.

He took a step forward. You know what I want.

She shook her head, crossing her arms. "It's been years, Daniel."

"And yet," his voice was quieter now, almost a whisper, you still look at me like you remember.

Her breath hitched.

Damn him.

Daniel had always been good at getting under her skin, at finding the cracks in her armor and slipping inside before she could stop him. But this time, she wouldn't let him.

"This isn't a good idea," she muttered, stepping back.

But Daniel reached out, fingers brushing against hers, warm, familiar. Ava, I never stopped

"Am I interrupting something?"

Adrian.

His voice was smooth, controlled, but there was something lethal beneath it.

Ava barely had time to react before Adrian was beside her, his presence swallowing the air between them, towering, dangerous.

Daniel's jaw clenched. "Are you following her now?"

Adrian's lips curled into a slow, amused smirk. I don't follow. I just happen to be exactly where I need to be.

Ava exhaled sharply. "Adrian, don't

But he didn't listen. He never did.

Instead, he reached for Ava, fingers sliding around her wrist, his grip possessive, unmistakable.

"You had your moment," Adrian said to Daniel, eyes dark with something unspoken. "Now it's over."

Daniel's fists clenched at his sides, but Ava could see the flicker of something else in his expression a challenge.

But before anything could explode, before Ava could say something to stop it

A click.

A flash of light.

Ava's stomach dropped.

She turned her head sharply a photographer.

The man lowered his camera, smiling slightly before slipping back into the crowd.

Ava's blood ran cold.

The headline was already writing itself.

CEO Adrian Kingston's Fiancée Caught in a Balcony Scandal Who Is the Mystery Man?

Adrian saw it too. His grip on her wrist tightened for a second before he released her, exhaling slowly. "Great."

Daniel let out a humorless laugh. "Looks like your perfect engagement isn't so perfect after all."

Ava's fingers curled into fists. This was bad. Very bad.

She turned to Adrian. We need to

"Fix it?" His voice was almost lazy, but there was a sharp edge to it, a challenge. "Then let's fix it."

Before she could process what he meant, Adrian's fingers were in her hair, tilting her face up, his gaze burning into hers.

And then

He kissed her.

Not soft. Not hesitant.

A claim.

A warning.

The world faded, the distant sound of cameras clicking drowned by the rapid pounding of her heart.

Ava barely had time to think before she kissed him back.

And just like that, the game changed.