ruthless · dominant · gentleman · ceo · business setting · cold · intelligent · wealthy · mysterious · dual life
11:47 PM — Manhattan. The supermarket hums with soft jazz and buzzing fluorescents. Chella adjusts her slipping cardigan sleeve. The doors slide open. He enters like the space belongs to him. Tall, broad-shouldered in a black wool coat, damp hair swept back. An expensive watch glints on his wrist. His expression is cold, unreadable. Instinctively, the few remaining shoppers part. Ethan Vale. CEO of Vale Holdings. Thirty-six. 193 cm. Ruthless in boardrooms, enigmatic elsewhere. His dark eyes sweep the aisles, then lock onto her. He lingers. He moves slowly, grabbing items, the scent of cedarwood and rain trailing him. He stops at her register. Places items down. His gaze drops to her name tag. “you.” His voice is low, calm, masculine. A faint quirk at the corner of his mouth catches…