Roland Vince tapped his pen against the polished conference table, eyes glazing over the spreadsheet on his laptop. The meeting drones on, figures, projections, bullet points. But mom of it registered. Something has captured his attention in a way nothing ever has before.
She was on a call. Celeste. And the moment her image filled the tiny window, Ronald's world tilted. She was beautiful, STUNNING, impossible to ignore. Her hair fell in effortless waves around her face, her features were sharp, her soft, sculpted in a way that seemed almost unreal. Her eyes, big, bold and impossibly expressive. Seemed to look right through the screen, right through him. They held a fire that made his chest tighten, made him forget to breathe. Even from the small window, there was something undeniable sexy about her. Every subtle movement, the curve of her lips, the tilt of her head, sent a jolt through him , distracting him completely from the numbers, the slides, the endless drone of the meeting.
"Roland?" A voice snapped him back, and he quickly jotted a note he barely read. "Are you with us'"
"Yes…yes" He muttered, forcing himself to focus, but his mind kept drifting. Normally, he was untouchable, sharp, disciplined, precise. Roland Vince, heir to a prominent family, groomed for perfection, accustomed to attention, but he had never been caught like this.
The meeting ended, notes were passed, hands shook and polite nods were exchanged. Roland's employees continued about their day, unaware that he had been entirely elsewhere. He couldn't shake the image of her. Every calculation, whey agenda item, every word in that meeting has evaporated.
By the time he left the building, his usual confidence had melted into something raw: anticipation and curiosity. He slid into his sleek black car, the engine purring as the drive across the city streets. The Lurex Modeld studio wasn't far, and as a shareholder, he had every reason to be there. Still, the real reason had nothing to do with business, every thought, every heartbeat, pulled him towards her,
He parked out, and adjusted his jacket, forcing himself to take a steadying breath. This wasn't him. The Mr Vince? Roland Vince? disciplined? untouchable? Now letting curiosity and desire lead him like this? And yet, he pushed forward.
He pushed the studio door open, fully expecting to see a room buzzing with models and photographers. Instead, the space was quiet, almost empty. And there she was, Celeste. Clutching her bag, shoulders hunched, eyes fixed on the floor. Something in her stance immediately tugged at him. She looked like she wanted to disappear, and yet every inch of her radiated beauty.
"Leaving so soon " His voice catching slightly, betraying more nerves then he would ever admit. "I'm Mr Vince. Roland Vince "
She looked up, startled, eyes wide, and for a moment he felt a jolt at the sheer vulnerability in them. Big expressive eyes, bright and questioning, but clouded with doubt,
"I… I'm… I'm celest, sir," she whispered, barely above the sound of her own hesitation.
Something about the way she shifted her weight, the way she clutched her bag like it was her last defense made him want to reach out. Not in a romantic typical way, but to remind her that she was more than she believed.
"You know," he started, careful not to sound patronizing, "I've seen a lot of people come through here. You though… you have something most of them don't. Presence. And it's not just in how you look. You have this…" he gestured vaguely, "energy. People notice it, even when you don't."
She blinked , almost as if no one had ever said abusing like that to her. He continued, letting his words flow naturally, encouraging and light. By the time the finished, there was a subtle lift in her shoulders, a spark returning to her eyes. She laughed, exposing her perfect dentition looking even more beautiful than she already was. Something he didn't think was possible.
Then, out of nowhere, the door swung open again, Nathan walked in, casual as ever, eyes sweeping the room until they landed on her. "Ah! There you are!" He said with a grin. "Oh? Mr Vince? Here? Good day sir. You never mentioned you'd be coming today. We would have have arrangement "
Befire Roland could even react, Nathan strode forward, gently looping an arm around Celeste and giving her a playful tug. She let him, smiling up at him, laughter soft and warm.
Roland watched them, the air suddenly feeling hollow "it's fine, Nathan. I was about leaving too." He responded. Nathan saluted, like this was some kind of mission
Roland Vince stood there, watched them go. All that was left for him was her smile , still lingering in his mind, and the echo of her laughter.
He stepped back, hands tightening on the edge of a table, head thudding in an odd mixture of longing and admiration. And in that moment, he realized he could remember her, not just how she looked, but the light she carried, the potential she didn't yet see in herself, and the way she had for a brief moment completely disarmed him.
The door clicked softly behind him as Roland stepped out of the studio. The early evening air hit him, crisp and carrying the faint scent of exhaust and city streets. He pulled the collar of his jacket higher, letting the wing tease his hair, ruffling it just enough to make him feel untethered. The sky was streaked with pinks and golds, the fading sunlight reflecting off the glass facades of buildings lining the avenue. Normally, he would barely notice. He would have been thinking about meetings, shareholders, numbers even. But tonight, none of it mattered.
His car was waiting a few blocks away, sleek black, humming quietly as he slid into the drivers seat. The streets were busy but familiar, winding towards the quiet of the suburbs where his house stood. He drove slowly, as turn me up- by Tems blasted in his speaker, letting the city blur past the windows windows, his thoughts unwilling tethered to her. Celeste. The name alone stirred something in him he hadn't expected. Something dangerous, magnetic.
Every then of the wheel brought her closer in his mind. He pictured the way she held herself, timid yet radiant. The way her bag had been clutched like a lifeline. Wishing he was the bag in that moment. Being held, clutched unto. He couldn't stop replaying the way she had smiled when he spoke, the subtle curve of her lips. The hint of mischief and vulnerability dancing together. It was maddening, distracting in a way that made him grip the steering wheel tighter, more aware of the road but somehow less able to focus on it.
By the time he pulled into the driveway of his mansion, the sun had dipped fully below the horizon. The house looked silent, immaculate, almost sterile in its perfection. He parked, left the engine running for a moment longer, letting himself sit in solitude, the quiet only amplifying her presence in his mind.
Inside the house smelled faintly of polished wood. Roland she's his jacket, loosened his tie, and headed to the bathroom, the tiles cool under his feet. The shower came alive with a rush of warm water, steam curling around him. He closes his eyes, letting the heat wash over him, but it wasn't enough to distract him from the image of her.
His mind wandered, dangerous thoughts, intimate thoughts. Thoughts he usually would never allow himself to entertain. He imagines her touch, the curve of her neck beneath his fingers, the softness of her hair, the way her big eyes would meet his in quiet surrender. He scolded himself mentally yet the images refused to fade, insistently vivid and intoxicating.
The water sluices over him, hot and steady, but it could not drown out the pull she had left in his chest. He wanted her, not just for the way she made him feel. Awake, unsettled, human.
The sound of the door creaking upstairs startled him, making his pulse spike. He wasn't expecting anybody, who could it be? He barely had time to catch his breath before a voice, warm teasing and familiar in a way he could place called from somewhere beyond the steam.
"Hey Rolly!"
The words lingered in the bathroom, and for a moment, he froze under the spray, heart hammering , kinda chaotic whirl of heat of memory.