Roseanne wasn't the type to obsess over men.
She had seen her friends fall into the depths of heartbreak—Luna had been crushed once, crying for weeks over a guy who barely remembered her name. Rose had always thought it was pathetic.
"You won't ever see me chasing after some guy," she had once scoffed. "If he doesn't want me, I won't waste my time."
Lies.
It was all lies.
Because now, as she lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, all she could think about was him.
Zephyr.
The way his hand had wrapped around her wrist, firm and possessive. The sharp angles of his face illuminated by the fire. The cold indifference in his eyes after saving her life—like she had meant nothing.
She hated that.
She didn't want to be nothing to him.
She wanted to consume his thoughts, to invade his mind the way he had invaded hers.
Her fingers tightened around her bedsheet.
"Zephyr…" she whispered his name, testing how it felt on her tongue. A shiver ran down her spine.
Luna had tried to call her after the wedding disaster, probably worried sick, but Rose hadn't picked up. She didn't care about the wedding. She didn't care about anything anymore.
Except him.
She needed to see him again.
But she didn't know anything about him—not his last name, not where he lived, not even what he did. Just his name: Zephyr.
The wedding fire was all over the news the next day. Everyone talked about the chaos, the destruction, and the near-death experiences. But for Roseanne, none of that mattered.
All she could think about was him.
Zephyr.
His name was burned into her mind, his face permanently carved into her thoughts. The way he had grabbed her, the way he had pulled her through the flames without hesitation—it was intoxicating.
She wanted more.
She needed more.
And she wasn't the type to wait for fate to hand her what she wanted.
Luna, oblivious to the storm brewing inside her best friend, was still shaken up from the fire. They sat together in their usual café near campus, sipping on coffee. But Rose wasn't listening to her chatter about how terrifying the whole night had been.
"Rose, are you even listening?"Luna sighed, snapping her fingers in front of her face.
"Huh? Yeah, sure. You were saying something about the cake?"
Luna narrowed her eyes. "Forget the cake! You've been zoning out since last night. Are you okay? Did you inhale too much smoke or something?"
Rose shook her head. She couldn't tell Luna the truth. Not yet.
"Do you know who Zephyr is?" she asked suddenly.
Luna blinked. "Zephyr? You mean the guy who saved you?"
"Yeah. Him."
Luna tapped her chin, thinking. "Well… I don't know him personally, but I think I've heard the name before. He's from some crazy rich family, I think. My cousin Amy might know more. Why?"
Rose's grip tightened around her coffee cup. Crazy rich family. That explained his expensive suit, his effortless arrogance, the way he had walked away from her without even sparing a second glance.
"Can you ask Amy?"Rose's voice was calm, but her mind was racing.
Luna raised an eyebrow. "What, are you planning to thank him or something?"
"Something like that."
It wasn't a lie. She would thank him.
For saving her.
For ruining her.
Because from the moment he had touched her, she was no longer the same person.
That night, she didn't sleep.
She grabbed her phone and opened social media. Searching.
Nothing.
Her fingers trembled as she typed into Google. Zephyr—wedding—fire—guest list.
Her breath caught when she found something.
A single article about the incident. And at the bottom, a small list of important guests, including the groom's distant cousin—
Zephyr Astor.
Rose's pulse spiked.
The name alone felt powerful. Prestigious. She clicked, and suddenly, her world expanded.
CEO of Astor Enterprises. Son of one of the most powerful businessmen in the country. A rumored genius.
She scrolled through images. There he was.
Standing at a charity event, dressed in a crisp suit. Expression unreadable. Hands tucked in his pockets. He looked like he owned the world—and didn't give a damn about it.
She wanted to shatter that emotionless mask and make him look at her.
Rose clicked on his company's website. His office address. His frequent public appearances.
Her heart pounded. This wasn't enough.
She wanted to hear his voice. She wanted to breathe the same air as him.
And she would.
She had to.
She stared at the picture of him on her screen, his sharp gaze piercing even through the photograph.
"You don't know it yet, Zephyr…" she whispered, running a finger over his face on the screen. "But you belong to me now."
And just like that, her obsession began.