Inside a dimly lit suite at Skyline Hotel, the city lights glittered far below the floor-to-ceiling glass windows. Their glow spilled softly into the dark room, casting shifting reflections across the walls.
On the king-size bed in the center of the suite, two figures lay tangled beneath white sheets.
Their breathing slowly calmed after a moment of heated passion.
For a few seconds, silence filled the room.
Then Martin broke it.
"That was intense," he said with a satisfied chuckle.
The woman beside him stretched lazily. Her fiery red hair spilled across the pillows as she turned toward him with a playful smile.
"Just the way you like it," she purred.
Martin smirked.
"You do it better than her."
The woman's expression changed instantly.
Charlotte sat up abruptly, clutching the duvet over her chest.
"Then why haven't you left her for me yet?" she demanded, her lips forming a pout.
Martin sighed and pulled her closer, kissing her bare shoulder.
"Very soon, love."
He leaned back against the headboard and rubbed his temples.
"If only we had secured the Shincity contract today…"
Charlotte's eyes flickered with curiosity.
"I thought you said that woman was capable," she said casually. "Isn't she the one who does everything you ask? Why couldn't she win the contract for you?"
Martin exhaled slowly.
"It's not her fault. Our competitor is… powerful."
Charlotte scoffed.
"Then maybe she didn't try hard enough."
She tossed her red hair back confidently.
"If it were me, I would have done better. I would have definitely secured that contract for you."
Martin didn't reply.
But the faint smile on his lips made it clear he wasn't about to defend Sarah.
Across the city, Sarah Arcadia sat on the floor of Martin's office.
Documents and papers were scattered everywhere.
She had searched through them repeatedly, trying to understand where their proposal had failed.
After hours of frustration, she finally dropped the last file and buried her face in her hands.
"I worked so hard for this…" she whispered weakly.
Her voice trembled.
"Only for him to crush our chances like that."
She ran her fingers through her hair again and again until it became a tangled mess.
Sebastian Monday.
That man was simply too powerful.
No one could compete with him.
Sarah reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone.
She dialed Martin's number again.
For the tenth time.
The call rang.
And rang.
And rang.
No answer.
Her shoulders drooped.
She had been calling him since morning, hoping to comfort him… maybe even apologize for failing to win the contract.
Because right after the meeting ended, Martin had left without saying a word.
"My poor Martin…" she murmured sadly.
"He must be devastated."
Her eyes became misty.
"He might even be blaming himself right now."
She wiped her face quickly and stood up.
"I should cook something for him later," she said quietly.
"He'll probably be too upset to eat."
What Sarah didn't know was that at that very moment, Martin was enjoying an expensive five-course dinner on the rooftop of Skyline Hotel.
And Charlotte sat beside him, laughing at something he had just said.
At a busy construction site across town, Sebastian Monday stood like a statue overlooking the rising steel structures.
Workers moved around him in organized chaos.
Machines roared.
Metal clanged.
Concrete poured.
Everything was progressing exactly as planned.
Sebastian exhaled slowly, releasing a thin trail of cigarette smoke into the air.
Everything around him looked perfect.
Yet something still felt missing.
Something important.
Something he couldn't ignore.
And he knew exactly what it was.
Sarah Arcadia.
For years she had occupied a quiet corner of his thoughts.
But today…
Seeing her again had stirred something far stronger.
Sebastian crushed the cigarette beneath his shoe.
Then he pulled out his phone and dialed a number.
Inside her apartment, Sarah was in the bathroom when her phone began ringing loudly on the bedside table.
The sound was drowned out by the rushing noise of the shower.
A minute later, the call stopped.
Moments afterward, a new message appeared on her screen.
Sarah stepped out of the bathroom, wrapping a green towel around her body as she dried her damp hair.
Her first instinct was to check her phone.
Maybe Martin had finally called back.
But when she picked it up, her expression changed.
One missed call.
And a message from an unknown number.
Frowning, she tapped the message.
Her brows immediately knitted together.
The text read:
"I will see you soon."
No greeting.
No explanation.
Just pure arrogance.
Sarah snorted in annoyance.
"Who does this guy think he is?"
She tried calling the number back.
The call went straight to voicemail.
Rolling her eyes, she blocked the number without hesitation.
"Good riddance to bad rubbish."
She returned to Martin's contact and dialed again.
Still no answer.
Her expression softened with worry.
"Oh, my baby…"
She clasped her hands together and looked up solemnly.
"Universe… Please take care of him for me."
Meanwhile, several miles away, Sebastian sat behind the desk in his enormous office.
His eyes were fixed on his phone screen.
The message he had sent showed two grey ticks.
But no reply.
Then suddenly the profile icon turned blank.
Sebastian raised an eyebrow slowly.
"She blocked me?"
For a few seconds, the room was silent.
Then a slow, dangerous smile spread across his face.
"So… that's how you want to play this."
He leaned back in his chair, amusement glinting in his dark eyes.
"Interesting."
No woman had ever ignored him before.
But Sarah Arcadia just had.
And now something inside him had fully awakened.
A hunter's instinct.
Sebastian tapped his phone thoughtfully.
"You can run for now, Sara."
His voice dropped into a quiet whisper.
"But sooner or later…"
His smirk deepened.
"I will catch you."
And when that day came
She would have no choice but to face him.