Aurora stood by the balcony, her hands gripping the railing as the city lights below blurred into a shimmering haze. The night air was cool, but her skin was warm with the remnants of Dominic's presence. She closed her eyes, inhaling deeply as if trying to expel the thoughts swirling in her mind.
What had just happened?
His words echoed through her thoughts, louder than anything else. You're scared of losing control. Scared of needing someone. She had been lying to herself for so long, convincing herself that her independence was a shield, that she didn't need anyone. Not even him.
But deep down, she knew he had seen through her. Dominic Raine, the cold, calculating billionaire who was always five steps ahead in the business world, had somehow managed to pierce the armor she had spent years constructing. And that terrified her.
Aurora shook her head, trying to clear the thoughts that cluttered her mind. She had to keep it together. She had worked too hard to let someone like Dominic tear down everything she had built. He was her competition, a rival, a man who would never be anything more than that.
And yet…
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of her phone vibrating on the table behind her. She turned, her heart sinking when she saw the name on the screen. It was him.
Dominic.
She stared at the phone for a moment, the weight of it pressing down on her. Was this his way of playing with her? Of reminding her that he wasn't going anywhere? Or was it something else entirely?
With a shaky breath, she answered, her voice calm but laced with tension. "Aurora."
There was a slight pause before Dominic's voice came through, low and purposeful. "I didn't expect you to answer. I thought you'd be trying to push me out of your head."
Aurora clenched her fist, trying to hold onto her composure. "You didn't come here to play games, Dominic. If you're calling to discuss business, I'm all ears. If it's something else, I suggest you don't waste either of our time."
Dominic's laugh was soft but tinged with something she couldn't place. "Always so direct. I admire that about you, but you and I both know this isn't just about business anymore. Not after what happened tonight."
She felt the words weigh heavy in her chest. What happened tonight. It wasn't just about the business deal they were supposed to finalize. No, it had escalated into something more dangerous. Into something personal.
"I'm not interested in anything other than closing the deal," Aurora replied, her voice firm, though it wavered slightly.
Dominic's silence on the other end of the line was deafening. Then, his voice broke through again, softer this time. "I don't believe that. Not for a second. You're scared, Aurora. And you're not as invincible as you think."
Her breath caught in her throat. There it was again—the truth she didn't want to face.
"You don't know anything about me," she snapped, trying to push the vulnerability aside.
But Dominic didn't back down. His words were smooth, deliberate. "I know you're strong. I know you've built an empire, a fortress around yourself. But I also know you're afraid. Afraid of trusting anyone. Afraid of letting anyone in. You don't have to keep pretending you don't need someone, Aurora."
She opened her mouth to argue, to shut him out once and for all. But the words were lost before they could form.
Dominic's voice softened, and he said something that made her freeze in place.
"I'm not asking for anything from you, Aurora. But if you keep pushing me away, you'll never know what we could be."
Her heart raced, her breath shallow. What could they be?
Before she could respond, he added, "I'm not going anywhere. I'm not going to let you push me out of your life without a fight. You've got me in your head now, whether you like it or not."
Aurora didn't know how to respond. She didn't want to feel this way. Didn't want to feel like her control over her emotions was slipping, like Dominic had a hold on something inside her that she couldn't quite name.
"I'll see you tomorrow," Dominic said before she could form a reply. "We'll finish what we started. But I'll be honest with you, Aurora. If you keep hiding from what's between us, it's not just the business deal that will fall apart."
With that, the line went dead, leaving her standing alone, her heart pounding as if she had just been pulled into a storm.
---
The next morning, Aurora couldn't shake the remnants of the conversation from her mind. She had tried to convince herself that it was just another tactic—Dominic playing his usual mind games—but deep down, she knew it wasn't. He had hit a nerve. He had made her face the truth about herself, the truth she had worked so hard to suppress.
The sound of her phone vibrating again pulled her from her thoughts. She didn't even need to look at the screen to know who it was.
Dominic.
She ignored the call, but it rang again, more insistently this time. With a sigh, she answered, her voice clipped. "What is it, Dominic?"
"I'm downstairs," he said simply. "Ready to talk?"
Aurora closed her eyes, her mind racing. He was relentless.
"Fine. I'll be down in five minutes," she said, hanging up before he could say anything more.
---
When she entered the lobby of her building, Dominic was already waiting by the elevator, his posture relaxed but with that same calculating look in his eyes. He was dressed in a sharp black suit, his dark hair perfectly tousled, and even the softest of smiles on his lips sent a shiver down her spine.
"Good morning, Aurora," he greeted, his voice as smooth as ever.
She gave him a curt nod, her mind still on edge from the conversation the night before.
"You don't waste time, do you?" she said, her words sharper than she intended.
Dominic's eyes twinkled with amusement. "I don't have time to waste."
They stepped into the elevator together, and the doors slid shut with a soft hum, enveloping them in silence. Aurora tried to focus on the task at hand—finalizing the business deal—but the weight of the unspoken tension between them lingered.
Dominic leaned in slightly, his voice low. "I meant what I said last night. If you keep hiding from me, nothing is going to stay intact. Not the deal, not us. Nothing."
Aurora swallowed hard, trying to push past the flood of emotions his words stirred in her. She had to stay focused. This was about business. Nothing else.
But as they exited the elevator and made their way into the conference room, she couldn't shake the feeling that the battle between them had only just begun. And somewhere deep inside, she wasn't sure she was ready for what was coming next.