CHAPTER 2 – "You Don't Walk Away From Me"
Zara Valtoria did not linger.
Not for men. Not for conversations. And definitely not for danger.
Yet somehow…
She hadn't moved.
The night air wrapped around them, thick with tension, charged with something sharp and unspoken. Lucien Valtieri stood in front of her like a man who had already made a decision—and was simply waiting for the world to catch up.
Zara didn't like that.
She didn't like men who assumed.
She didn't like men who looked at her like they already owned a piece of her.
And she especially didn't like the way her pulse had shifted—just slightly—under his gaze.
So she did what she always did.
She ended it.
"I don't repeat warnings," she said coolly, stepping back, breaking whatever invisible line had formed between them. "You should walk away while you still have your dignity intact."
Lucien didn't move. and as well didn't blink.
If anything, his gaze darkened, like she had just challenged something inside him.
"Dignity?" he repeated softly, as if testing the word. Then he gave a low, almost amused chuckle. "You think I care about that?"
Zara turned, already bored. "You should."
She walked past him. Or at least—she tried to.
His hand caught her wrist again.
Faster this time. Stronger. A mistake she didn't like not one bit.
Zara's eyes dropped to his hand, then slowly lifted to his face. And this time—there was no patience in them. No calm warning.Just ice. I said "Let go."
Lucien didn't.
The world seemed to shrink around them, the distant music from the ballroom fading into nothing. His grip wasn't painful—but it was firm. Intentional. Like he was testing how far he could go before she snapped.
Dangerous game.
"I don't like being dismissed," he said quietly.
Zara let out a soft laugh. It wasn't amused. It was sharp. Mocking. "And I don't like being touched."
For a second, something flickered in his eyes. Not fear. Not hesitation. Something darker.
Interest.
"Then this is new for both of us," he murmured.
Zara tilted her head slightly, studying him now—really studying him.
Most men would have backed off by now. Apologized. Tried to recover.
This one?
He stood there like he expected her reaction. Like he welcomed it. That made him dangerous.
And Zara didn't tolerate danger. She controlled it.
With one smooth movement, she twisted her wrist free from his grip. Effortless. Precise. Then she stepped closer—close enough that her perfume lingered between them, intoxicating, deliberate.
"You're either very brave…" she said softly, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper.
Her fingers lightly brushed against his wrist—the same one that had held her.
"…or very stupid."
Lucien didn't flinch.If anything, his jaw tightened slightly at the contact, his eyes locking onto hers with something that burned hotter than before.
"And you," he replied, voice lower now, rougher, "are used to men pretending they don't want to touch you."
Zara smiled a Slow Deadly smile.
"No," she said. "I'm used to men knowing better."
And just like that—She walked away.
This time…He let her.
But his eyes followed her all the way back into the ballroom.
Every step. Every movement. Every man who looked at her like she was something to worship.
His jaw clenched.
"Sir…" Ken his right-hand man approached cautiously. "We should leave."
Lucien didn't respond immediately.
Because something had shifted within him, Something irreversible.
"I want everything on her," he said finally.
Ken blinked. "Everything?" Lucien's gaze hardened. "Everything."
Zara didn't look back,but she felt it.
That gaze...Heavy,Possessive,Unrelenting.
It followed her through the crowd like a shadow she couldn't shake. And for the first time in a long time…
It irritated her.Not because it existed.
But because it lingered.
"Who is he?" she asked suddenly, stopping near the bar.
Her assistant Julie froze. "Who?"
Zara took a slow sip of her champagne. "The man on the balcony."
A pause. Then— "Oh." Her assistant lowered her voice. "That's Lucien Valtieri."
Zara stilled. Just slightly.
Valtieri.
The name carried weight, Power,Influence that stretched across continents. She had heard of him.
Everyone had. "You didn't think to mention that?" she asked, her tone dangerously calm.
"I—I didn't think he'd approach you," Julie admitted nervously.
Zara let out a soft hum, her eyes flicking briefly toward the balcony doors.
Interesting, Very interesting.
Across the room, Lucien stepped back inside.
And this time—He didn't stay in the shadows.
He moved.Straight toward her.People parted without realizing why. Conversations faltered. The energy shifted.
Power recognized power.
Zara saw him coming. Of course she did.And instead of leaving…
She stayed. Because running?
Wasn't her style. Lucien stopped in front of her, close—but not touching this time.
This is Progress. he thought.
"Zara Valtoria," he said, her name rolling off his tongue like he'd already claimed it.
She raised a brow. "You've done your research fast."
"I don't waste time.""Clearly." Yea I thought as much.
"You're leaving?," he asked when Zara turned.
It wasn't a question. Zara smirked. "And?"
"I'm coming with you."
Silence.
Then laughter. Soft, disbelieving, and dangerous.
"You're very confident," she said. Lucien stepped closer. "No."His voice dropped.
"I'm very certain."
Zara leaned in slightly, her lips just inches from his ear.
"You don't walk into my life and start making decisions," she whispered.
Then she pulled back, her eyes locking onto his.
"I decide who stays." Lucien's expression didn't change. But something in his eyes did.
Something dark and dangerous.
"Then decide carefully," he said quietly.
"Because I don't leave." For the first time in years…
Zara felt it something she hadn't felt before
Not fear.
Never fear.
But something close.
Something that dangerous.
And as she turned and walked away again—
One thing became very clear.
This man…
Was not going to be easy to get rid of.