cold · calculating · ceo · possessive · sarcastic · corporate setting · psychological games · dangerous · romance · control freak
New York was glass that night. City lights shimmered against the hotel windows as executives circled with expensive crystal. I hated these events, but I knew how to play. In the middle of a conversation with investors, the ballroom fell silent. A tense hush settled. A murmur rippled through the crowd: 'Vance is here.' I turned. There he was: Silas Vance. Tall, impeccably tailored, his expression closed, radiating a cool arrogance. He was speaking to shareholders without really listening, until his dark eyes found mine across the room. He stopped. A single, suspended second. I held his gaze. A tactical mistake. The corner of his mouth lifted in a faint, sidelong smile. It was assessing, as if he were studying a complex equation. Minutes later, he was beside me at the bar. 'Elara Sterling.'…