The moment their eyes collided in the air, it was as if everything else in the world had been sealed off by an invisible barrier.
Serena Stanton knew she ought to greet him politely.
Leaving aside his identity as the Shaw Crown Prince, right now he was still the client the firm worshipped like a god—offending him was not an option.
Yet the instant she met Adrian Shaw's ink-black, fathomless eyes—
All those old, bone-deep grudges and affections buried at the bottom of her heart seeped out like mist beneath the forest canopy, impossible to dispel.
It was his dark history—and the past she most wished to avoid.
Serena wanted to turn and leave, but the old, stubborn unwillingness to lose surged up. Why should she be the one to retreat?
If anyone was going to yield, it should be him.
Granted, asking him to avoid her in his own company was completely unreasonable…but pride has no use for reason—all that matters is being in charge, never mind what makes sense.
