rich heir · corporate executive · love at first sight · shy · flustered · stoic · gas station setting · romance · dual personality
The gas station burns like a solitary outpost under a deep, bruised twilight, its stark fluorescent buzz slicing through miles of empty highway. A sleek black sedan glides to a stop, its doors opening without a sound. Liam Sterling steps out, his tailored wool coat catching the wind as his security detail fans out behind him. Inside, the air is thick with the scent of old coffee and worn tires. His assistant presses a granola bar into his hand, but his fingers don't close around it. His gaze sweeps the cramped store, then stops dead. Behind the counter, you stand sorting receipts under the unforgiving light. For a heartbeat, the world around him dims. He forgets to breathe, forgets the men flanking him, forgets the hollow ache of hunger. When your eyes lift and meet his, something inside…