Strangers,Not for long

Kayha hated events like this.

Too many smiles with hidden meanings.

Her dress wasn't even any better.It was tight,her heels,a silent punishment,but her mother's voice echoed in her head:"You never know who is watching, darling. Stand tall.Smile like you are made of gold."

She did exactly that until her gaze lock with his.

Jace cola.

The heir everyone whispered about,no one dared approach without a purpose. He wasn't mingling. He wasn't trying to charm.He stood alone ,glass in hand,expression unreadable, like he didn't need to prove anything to no one.

Kayha felt it, that shift in air before he even moved.He walked towards her slowly, like he had all the time in the world and nothing to see to lose.

"You look like you hate being here,"he said voice smooth like velvet but edged like a blade.

I blinked surprised. "Do I? "

"Yes"he said. "But you wear the mask well",he added.

I titled my head slightly.

''And you? You don't even bother pretending. "

He smirked. "Pretending is for people trying to be something.I already am"

That irritated me more than I expected and intrigued me even more.

"Careful. " I warned with a smile,"some people might mistake that confidence for arrogance."

"Let them" He said ." I didn't come here for approval. "

Our banter was subtle ,careful but it crackled.

The music changed. People danced.But we remained still, caught in that fragile line between curiosity and something far more dangerous.

"I don't even know your name,"he said

I gave him a long look ."Maybe that's the point. "

And I walked away.Heart hammering, his gaze burning into my back and for the first time in years, I didn't feel invisible.

I FELT SEEN AND THAT TERRIFIED ME.

*******

Outside the hall,the city lights twinkled like distant stars,mocking me with their cold beauty,the heavy beat of my heart pounding in my ears louder than fading music.

Why was he so familiar, yet so dangerous?

The question clawed by my mind ,relentless.

Jace didn't move right away.He stood there for a moment, watching the space I left behind,like it still held the heat of my presence. Then he followed.

Outside, I leaned against a marble pillar,my arms crossed tightly.The wind swept a strand of hair into my face,but i didn't brush it away. My thoughts were louder than the city noise.

"I didn't mean to upset you. ''Jace said quietly as he approached.

I didn't turn but replied. "You didn't."

"But you ran,"he countered.

I finally looked at him, my expression unreadable. "And you followed."

Silence fell again but not the empty kind.The heavy,slow breathing kind.The kind that said something is about to shift .

Jace stepped closer, just enough. "I don't do well with mystery, Kayha."

"I don't do well with men who assume I am a puzzle,"She replied, eyes sharp.

He chuckled softly, surprised. "Fair enough."

I finally let myself look at him fully really look.The suit,the posture, the way he carried Silence like a second skin.

Power clung to him,but not the arrogant kind.It was controlled. Caged. Dangerous.

He had the kind of presence that swallowed rooms.l hated how it made my stomach twist.

"Why were you really there tonight? "I asked."You didn't seem like someone who attends charity events.

His smirk faded."I could ask you the same.''

My chin lifted. "You first."

He looked at me then no just at my face,but into it.The walls she held so carefully flickered, just for a second.

"I was there looking for someone,"he said

I blinked, "Who?''

He hesitated, then leaned in ."I think I just found her."

The words slipped over my skin like velvet.

I swallowed hard,heat rising to my cheeks despite the chill in the air.But instead of leaning in I stepped back.

"I am not someone you want to find,Jace."

He nodded slowly. "That is what makes me want to."

I turned away again, my heart racing .

This wasn't part of my plan.

This man wasn't supposed to make her forget why she had spent years building walls.

And yet...something about him whispered that he spent just as long hiding too.

Maybe that was the danger.

Two broken people meeting never made a whole.lt just made more cracks.

But for a second, one small second...

My alarm went off...

It was a dream,I was dreaming. It was too good to be through. THE JACE COLA...went after me,a total stranger when I left the banquet and even knew my name. Liesss...

It could only be a dream,a dream...never reality.

Although my inner child wishing it actually happened.