Chapter 1.
Our house never slept .
Even at night, it breathed. Light spilled from towering glass windows, reflecting off polished marble floors and the sparkling fountains at the center of the compound. Staff moved silently through the hallways, shadows flitting across walls lined with priceless art. The low hum of the generators reminded everyone inside that wealth didn't exist in silence,it existed in control.
I had lived like this my entire life: safe, surrounded by opulence, but confined. My father's rules were invisible walls, and though I was free in appearance, my every step had always been measured. I had grown up learning that luxury without freedom was its own kind of cage.
The gates were already open when my father's car rolled into the driveway. The headlights caught the fountain, the water glittering like frozen fire. My heels clicked against the stones as I stepped from the house into the driveway, straightening the emerald silk dress that hugged my curves in all the right ways. I knew I was beautiful,everyone did but beauty in our world was a tool, a distraction, a warning. And I had never needed it… until now.
Our home loomed behind me, three floors of glass, stone, and quiet authority. Chandeliers glimmered like stars trapped indoors. Sculptures and paintings lined the walls, each a symbol of power and taste. Everything about this house screamed control, even to those who weren't supposed to notice it. I had spent my life learning to exist here without breaking it or myself.
"Meelan."
My father's voice was calm, firm, and full of weight. He stood near the car, tall, immaculately dressed in a dark tailored suit. He didn't smile often. When he did, it was brief, calculated like a sign of approval or warning, never affection.
"You'll be joining us tonight," he said. Not a question.
I nodded, aware that "joining" didn't mean mingling freely. It meant performing, Standing, smiling, observing, being beautiful, being graceful and being silent.
Abi arrived as I reached the grand staircase, slipping through the house like a breeze that didn't belong. She had always been my rebellion, my breath of air in a life boxed by luxury and rules. Her laughter was soft and irreverent, her eyes sharp, her presence untouchable.she's my friend.
"Wow," she whispered, surveying the hall. "Your house somehow manages to get more extravagant every year."
I smiled faintly. "That's the illusion."
Abi tilted her head toward me, her grin widening. "And you,Meelan. You're dangerous, Beautiful, curvy, confident. You walk like you own the room, even if your life is… well, this." She gestured vaguely at the walls, the staff, the polished perfection.
I rolled my eyes. "Abi, stop."
"Nope," she said. "Facts. Your father could auction you tonight, and people would pay double just to look at you."
I laughed, though a small pulse of unease ran through me. Abi always noticed everything I pretended didn't matter.The way I carried myself, the way I observed rather than participated. Tonight, that attention felt different.
Guests began arriving, a blur of suits, gowns, and carefully curated smiles. Conversations overlapped in a symphony of politeness and quiet competition. I moved through it all like I always did, standing by my father, nodding, smiling, observing, never speaking too much. A life caged in wealth but disciplined by rules, always measured.
And then I felt it.
A shift in the air that was Subtle and magnetic.
I turned toward the balcony doors.
He was there.
Tall, broad-shouldered, lean yet undeniably strong. One hand rested casually in his pocket, the other held a glass untouched. He wasn't moving, wasn't smiling, wasn't trying to be noticed. And yet… he commanded attention.
Our eyes met.
Everything else fell away ,the music, the chatter, the distant clinking of glasses. My breath caught. My heart slammed against my ribs. The room shrank to a narrow corridor of light and shadow, him at the center.
He was handsomely dangerous. Not the soft, flattering kind of beauty. The kind that made you aware of every detail. Dark hair swept back, strong jawline, high cheekbones, eyes like sharp knives softened by mystery. A mouth that hinted at charm and danger at once. He didn't smile, and yet I felt the pull of something I couldn't name,a mixture of fascination, fear and something far too exciting.
I didn't move infact I couldn't.
Abi's hand nudged my arm, whispering, "Meelan… who is that?"
I didn't answer. My voice caught in my throat. I couldn't explain it.
He didn't look away.
Neither did I.
The tension wasn't lust,it was danger, power, and inevitability. Something passed between us in a single look: awareness, curiosity, and the silent promise of chaos. My chest tightened. My pulse raced. I had never felt this before, and I had never wanted anything I couldn't have.
Abi leaned closer. "He's… unreal. You feel it too, right?"
I exhaled sharply, trying to focus. I had been raised to observe, to comply, to obey rules. Yet this man, this stranger, was breaking every rule my life had imposed.
Minutes passed. Guests mingled, conversations drifted around me, but I remained fixated. He hadn't moved, hadn't interacted with anyone, yet his presence was absolute. Every subtle shift in his posture, every tilt of his head radiated control.
My father's hand rested lightly on my shoulder. "Stay near me tonight," he said. Calm words, but firm. He sounded protective perhaps, Warning certainly. My father didn't speak about people lightly, anyone he considered dangerous was noted, tracked, and judged.
I glanced at Alaiz one last time. His gaze swept across the room once more, lingering just enough that I could feel it in my chest. I didn't know his name, his intentions, or why he was here. All I knew was that my life ,the comfortable, safe, locked-in life I had always known had shifted.
Abi whispered again, voice almost lost under the hum of the crowd, "Mark my words… tonight changes everything."
I nodded silently, my thoughts tangled. She could see it,the tension, the pull, the spark. And I knew she was right.
I didn't move. I didn't speak. I simply watched.
And then… the world felt still.
Because I realized, without a single word, without touch or introduction, that this man Alaiz ,would not let go.
And when our eyes met once more across the room, I knew something about him had already staked a claim in my thoughts and there was no turning back.