I stared at the screen longer than I should have.
The message didn't blink. It didn't soften. It just sat there… waiting.
WHAT DOES A RICH SNUB LIKE YOU WANT FROM A NOBODY LIKE ME?
The words weren't loud, but they carried weight. The kind that doesn't come from anger… but from experience.
I exhaled slowly.
For once, I couldn't default to control. There was no boardroom answer. No strategic phrasing. No polished version of truth that would land exactly where I wanted it to.
Because she didn't want that.
She never did.
—
My fingers hovered over the screen.
Typed. Deleted. Typed again.
Every sentence sounded wrong. Too formal. Too distant. Too much like… me.
And that was the problem.
She wasn't asking Gregory Zhang, the name.
She was asking me.
—
I leaned back, staring at the ceiling.
What do I want?
Simple question.
Impossible answer.
—
I sat up again, phone still in my hand.
No more editing. No more filtering.
Just… something real.
—
You're not nobody.
I paused. Looked at it.
It felt weak.
I added more.
—
And I'm not trying to be what you think I am.
Another pause.
Still not enough.
Still not honest enough.
—
I erased it.
All of it.
—
Then I typed again. Slower this time.
No rush. No pressure.
Just truth.
—
I don't know.
I stared at it.
That was it.
That was all I had.
—
I sent it.
—
Three dots appeared instantly.
Then disappeared.
Then came back again.
—
My chest tightened slightly.
Ridiculous.
I've negotiated deals worth billions without a second thought.
And now…
This.
—
Her reply came.
—
That's not a good answer.
—
I let out a quiet breath.
Of course it wasn't.
—
I typed again.
It's the only honest one I have.
—
This time, the dots stayed longer.
I imagined her reading it. Re-reading it. Deciding what to do with it.
—
Finally—
You flew back for me?
—
I didn't hesitate.
Yes.
—
You bought the station… for me?
—
I paused.
Because that answer mattered more than the last one.
—
Not just for you.
A beat.
But you're the reason I didn't hesitate.
—
Silence.
Longer this time.
—
I stood up, pacing slowly across the room.
The suite felt too big now. Too quiet.
Every step echoed more than it should.
—
My phone vibrated.
—
That's insane.
—
I smiled faintly.
I've been called worse.
—
A pause.
Then—
You don't even know me.
—
I stopped walking.
That one landed deeper than the rest.
—
I'm trying to, I replied.
—
By watching me?
—
There it was.
Sharp. Direct.
—
I didn't lie.
Yes.
—
A long pause.
Long enough for doubt to creep in.
Maybe I went too far.
Maybe this was where it ended.
—
Then—
That's… not normal, Gregory.
—
I exhaled slowly.
Neither is what I feel.
—
Silence again.
But this one felt different.
Less defensive.
More… uncertain.
—
What do you feel?
—
I sat down.
Looked at the phone like it might answer for me.
—
What do I feel?
Not attraction. That would be easy.
Not curiosity. That would fade.
This was… something else.
Something deeper. Something that didn't fit into categories I understood.
—
Like I've known you longer than I have, I typed.
I hesitated.
Then added—
Like you matter more than you should.
—
I stared at the message for a second.
Then sent it.
—
The dots appeared almost immediately.
Stopped. Started again.
—
You're intense.
—
I let out a quiet laugh.
I've been told that too.
—
Another pause.
Then—
You don't scare easily, do you?
—
No.
A beat.
But you do something else.
—
What?
—
I didn't overthink it.
You make me unsure.
—
That one took longer.
Much longer.
—
I leaned back, running a hand through my hair.
This… this was new territory. No structure. No predictability. Just two people navigating something neither of them fully understood.
—
My phone buzzed again.
—
I don't know what you expect from me.
—
Neither did I.
That was the truth.
—
I don't either, I replied.
I just know I don't want to walk away from this.
—
The message sat there.
Unanswered.
—
Minutes passed.
Then more.
—
I stood up again, walked to the window. Looked out over the city.
London stretched endlessly. Lights flickering. People moving. Lives unfolding.
Somewhere out there… she was reading my words.
Deciding what I was to her.
A mistake.
A curiosity.
Or something else entirely.
—
My phone vibrated.
—
Then don't.
—
I turned back immediately.
Read it again.
—
Don't walk away, she added.
—
Something in my chest eased.
Not fully.
But enough.
—
I won't, I replied.
—
A pause.
Then—
But we need rules.
—
I frowned slightly.
Rules?
—
Yeah.
A beat.
No more… watching me.
—
Fair.
More than fair.
—
Done, I said.
—
No buying things just to get closer to me.
—
I hesitated.
Then—
I'll try.
—
She replied instantly.
Not try. Do.
—
I smiled slightly.
Okay. Do.
—
Another pause.
—
And… you talk to me like a normal person.
—
That one almost made me laugh.
I thought I was.
—
You're getting there.
—
I shook my head faintly.
This was… different.
No one talks to me like this.
No one sets terms.
No one pushes back.
—
And I liked it.
More than I should.
—
Anything else? I asked.
—
A pause.
Then—
We start over.
—
I read that twice.
Slowly.
Carefully.
—
Start over.
Not from power.
Not from obsession.
Not from imbalance.
—
From… something equal.
—
Okay, I typed.
—
Okay, she replied.
—
Silence followed.
But this time, it wasn't heavy.
It was… open.
—
I set my phone down on the table.
Looked around the room again.
Same space. Same quiet.
But everything felt different.
—
For the first time since I met her…
I wasn't chasing.
I wasn't observing.
I wasn't trying to control anything.
—
I was just… in it.
—
My phone buzzed again.
I picked it up immediately.
—
So… Gregory Zhang, she wrote.
What do you do when you're not being confusing?
—
I smiled.
Really smiled.
—
Right now? I typed.
—
Yeah.
—
I looked around.
Then back at the screen.
—
Waiting for you to tell me what comes next.
—
The reply came slower this time.
—
Then listen carefully.
A pause.
Coffee. Tomorrow morning.
No bodyguards. No weird behavior.
—
I exhaled softly.
—
Same place? I asked.
—
Same place.
—
A beat.
Then—
And Gregory?
—
Yeah?
—
Don't be late.
—
I leaned back, letting the phone rest in my hand.
A quiet laugh escaped me.
—
"Unbelievable…" I muttered under my breath.
—
Days ago, I was standing in a hospital, watching my father fight for something as basic as breath.
My life was supposed to be about control. Stability. Legacy.
—
And now…
I was looking forward to coffee.
—
I stood up slowly, walking toward the window again.
The city hadn't changed.
But I had.
—
Tomorrow.
No strategy. No advantage. No safety net.
Just… me.
And her.
—
I didn't know what would happen.
Didn't know where this would go.
Didn't know if any of it made sense.
—
But for once…
I didn't need to.
—
I just needed to show up.