CHAPTER 17: The First Line Crossed

It was supposed to be a quiet evening.

Victor had promised—just dinner. Nothing else.

A new rooftop restaurant had opened in Central District, and he'd reserved the entire top floor. City lights shimmered below like a blanket of stars, and soft instrumental music drifted in the background.

Isabella had agreed, reluctantly, only because it was neutral ground. Public. Safe.

And because she was tired of running from the storm brewing between them.

But she hadn't expected this.

The view was breathtaking, the atmosphere intimate, the food expertly curated to her palate without her ever mentioning her preferences.

Everything was too perfect.

Too… personal.

It felt like a date.

She didn't do dates.

"Do you plan all your business meetings like romantic setups?" she asked flatly, pushing her plate slightly forward.

Victor leaned back in his seat, watching her over his wine glass. "Do you see this as a business meeting?"

"I don't see it as anything yet," she replied.

"But you're here."

She hated how smug he sounded.

"I have manners," she said coldly.

Victor stood and walked over to her side of the table. She tensed, but didn't move.

He leaned down slightly, his voice low near her ear. "Tell me to stop, and I will."

"Stop what?" she asked, even though she already knew.

"Whatever's about to happen," he murmured.

Her breath caught.

He was too close. Too warm. Too real.

She turned her face toward him just as he reached out and tilted her chin with his thumb.

And then—

He kissed her.

Firm, uninvited, but not rough.

His lips brushed hers like a challenge. Testing. Tasting.

Her hands clenched at her sides.

She didn't kiss him back—but she didn't push him away either.

Not immediately.

Only after the second second—when heat gave way to clarity—did she pull back with a sharp intake of breath.

"Don't do that again," she said.

Victor studied her carefully. "You didn't stop me."

Her eyes narrowed. "That doesn't mean you had the right."

Silence.

Then he stepped back, composed as ever, but something in his eyes had shifted—something darker. Need, yes. But also… control. Possession.

"I won't apologize," he said quietly. "You make it hard to behave."

"You make it hard to breathe," she snapped.

He smiled at that. "Then we're even."

That night, Isabella lay awake in her bed, staring at the ceiling.

Her lips still tingled.

And what scared her more than the kiss…

Was that for a split second—

She had wanted more.

On her phone, a message blinked to life.

[AshenWolf]: "Have you ever wanted something you knew you shouldn't?"

She stared at it for a long time before answering.

[SkyeEcho]: "Only once."

And she didn't need to say who.

Because he was in her mind. In her breath.

And worse—under her skin.

Next Chapter Teaser: The kiss changes everything. Isabella distances herself, but Victor doesn't relent. Meanwhile, her first major identity—the "Medicine God"—is revealed at an elite medical summit… where Victor is watching from the shadows.