Prologue

Aria couldn’t believe her luck. 

Barely two months into her new job at one of the country’s hottest new pharmaceutical companies, and here she was sitting opposite its young CEO at a fancy hotel restaurant. He was hot, filthy rich, and most importantly, he was her boss.

He noticed her staring at him.

“Is the food not to your liking?” Cyrrus Lied looked up at her with a perfect smile. Damn, the man was flawless.

She took in his silky chestnut hair, his blue eyes tinged with green, and gulped, swallowing the piece of meat that lay forgotten in her mouth. “No, not at all! It’s delicious.”

That was the truth. In fact, it was better than anything she had ever eaten. Forgetting her nerves, Aria took another bite of the steak, closing her eyes in delight. “Mm!” 

Cyrrus looked at her, amused. “You seem to really like it. It’s my first time seeing a girl go for a rare, though.”

“You get the most out of the taste this way.” Aria sliced another chunk of meat, watching the blood drip from her fork. She made sure to catch every last drop on her tongue, moaning, “It’s sho good!”

“I’m glad to hear that.” In comparison to Aria’s barbaric table manners, Cyrrus cut into his steak with impeccable form. “Feel free to order seconds.”

“No, I would never!” Aria hastily declined. She was pushing her luck enough as it was.

In the end, she ate two steaks, three sides, and a dessert. 

“That can’t have been cheap,” she said guiltily as he drove her home. 

“Don’t worry about it.” His tone was breezy. “You can pick up the tab next time.”

“I can only afford instant ramen…”  

The dilapidated apartment at the address she gave him only served to prove her point.

She sighed. They really came from different worlds, didn’t they? She was surprised he agreed to the blind date in the first place. 

But he would surprise her one last time that night.

“Call me anytime.” He smiled at the dumbfounded look on her face after he keyed his contact into her phone. Before she could recover, he even brushed a fleeting kiss across her cheek. “I enjoyed your company, so invite me over for ramen soon, okay?”

“Uh… O-Okay.” Aria stuttered. She never stuttered.

Her heart was still pounding when she closed her creaky door behind her. She didn’t even bother turning on the lights. Sliding to the floor, she unlocked her phone and stared at the glaring screen. 

There it was. His number, saved under his name, “Cyrrus”.

She took a breath and quickly found another number on her phone. The date went so well she just had to tell someone! So she called the person she trusted the most in the world—

There was a click as the call went through.

“Hello?”

“Madam Dahlia, it’s me, Spider.” Aria’s eyes were perfectly still in the darkness. “Good news.

“—I’ve established contact with the assassination target.”