Chapter 2: You Smiled! I Saw It!
Harper's POV
The ballroom is all glittering chandeliers and people dressed like they're heading to the Oscars. I feel like I've walked onto the wrong set.
Kai's hand settles on my waist. "You're tense," he murmurs near my ear.
"I'm not—"
I stop mid-sentence because something catches my eye.
A lot of these people have weird eye colors. Gold, amber, even this pale green that looks almost luminous under the crystal lights.
Are colored contacts really this popular now?
Then a server walks by, balancing a tray with at least twenty champagne flutes. On one hand. Like it weighs nothing.
I can't look away. That thing has to be heavy as hell.
"What's wrong?" Kai notices where I'm staring.
I clear my throat. "Nothing. Just... your friends are very... unique."
A young guy strides up to us, grinning wide. "Boss! You actually brought someone!"
"Marcus." Kai's voice carries a warning.
"Sorry, sorry." Marcus extends his hand to me. "I'm Marcus Bennett, Kai's assistant. You're the Alpha's—"
"Girlfriend." Kai cuts in fast. "She's my girlfriend, Harper."
"Right, right, girlfriend." Marcus winks, then lowers his voice. "You know what I mean."
"Alpha?" I glance at Kai, confused.
"Company nickname." Marcus jumps in with the explanation. "Boss is so intense, everyone says he's like a... like a wolf, you know? So we call him Alpha. Top dog. Team building thing."
He looks like he wants to say more, but Kai shoots him a look and Marcus practically evaporates.
"Your assistant's pretty... energetic," I whisper.
"He talks too much." Kai's expression doesn't change, but I notice his ears are turning red.
Weird. This ice-cold man gets embarrassed?
We move through the crowd and Kai keeps introducing me to people. Everyone looks at me with this curious intensity, like I'm some exotic animal at the zoo.
"Harper."
A woman's voice, sweet as honey.
I turn around.
She's maybe early thirties, wearing a red dress that probably costs more than my rent, and her smile doesn't reach her eyes.
"Kai." Her voice gets even sweeter. "It's been forever."
"Sienna." Kai's voice gets even colder.
Sienna's gaze slides over me, slow and deliberate. "So this is your new... girlfriend?"
That pause makes my skin crawl.
"Problem?" Kai asks.
"Not at all." She laughs, but there's no warmth in it. "I'm just surprised. Didn't you used to say you needed someone who could 'fight alongside you'? Some people might need protecting more than they can actually help."
The air goes still.
She's talking about me. Saying I'm not good enough for him.
Usually, I'd keep my mouth shut. Avoid confrontation.
But today, something snaps.
"Then why didn't you become that person?"
Sienna's smile freezes.
The conversations around us stop.
My heart's pounding. Oh god, what did I just say? I've screwed everything up—
Kai's arm wraps around my waist.
It's the first time we've really touched like this. His hand is warm but his grip is stiff, almost shaking.
"Mind your own business, Sienna." His voice is ice.
Then he steers me away.
When we reach a quiet corner, I whisper, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have—"
"You did fine." He releases me. "That's just how Sienna is. She likes getting under people's skin."
"Are you okay?" I notice his hand trembling slightly. "You look—"
"I'm fine." He takes a breath. "Let's go."
By the time we leave the hotel, it's almost ten.
I sink into the car seat and finally exhale.
"Tired?" Kai starts the engine.
"A little." I lean back. "Your friends are... really something."
"Mm."
"And very... different." I'm trying to find the right word. "That Marcus guy? I saw him carry a whole case of wine with one hand. Had to be at least fifty pounds."
Kai's hands tighten on the steering wheel. "He works out a lot."
"And so many people had unusual eye colors," I continue. "Are those contacts? All those gold and amber ones?"
"Maybe." His voice sounds tight. "It's trendy now."
"Oh." I nod, not thinking much of it.
Red light. The car stops.
I turn to look at him. The streetlight catches his profile, all sharp angles and cold lines. But I swear I see the corner of his mouth lift just a fraction.
"You just smiled!" I point at him, excited.
"No, I didn't."
"Yes, you did! I saw it!"
"You're seeing things."
"I'm not!"
We argue like kids the whole drive home, and somehow the mood feels lighter than it has all night.
When the car pulls up outside my apartment building, I realize something. This cold, distant man might not be as unreachable as he seems.
"See you tomorrow," he says.
"Wait." Something occurs to me. "You said six months... does that mean we have to see each other a lot?"
"Probably." He looks at me. "To make this convincing, you'll need to move in with me."
"What?!"
"Don't worry." He adds quickly, "You'll have your own room. I won't touch you."
Then his car pulls away, leaving me standing on the sidewalk, wind whipping through my hair.
What the hell kind of contract did I just sign up for?
