Friendly Visit

She unlocked the door but didn’t open it fully. “Who are you?”

The man smiled, but there was no warmth in it. “Friendly visit.”

Elena frowned. “A friendly visit from someone I’ve never met?”

His expression didn’t change. “I’m Liam Hayes. Ethan’s best friend.”

Ethan’s name sent a jolt of recognition through her. 

Still, she hesitated.

“May I come in?”

Elena eyed him warily before stepping aside. “Make it quick.”

Liam walked in with casual ease like he owned the place. He took a slow look around, noting the small but tastefully decorated space, nothing like the luxurious life she had grown up in.

She crossed her arms. “So, what does Ethan’s best friend want from me?”

Liam turned to face her, his expression unreadable. “I want you to stop whatever you came here to do.”

Her brows furrowed. “Excuse me?”

“I know why you’re here, Elena,” he continued, voice calm but firm. “I won’t let you destroy Ethan again.”

Elena blinked, caught off guard. “Again? What do you mean by destroy him again”

Liam’s jaw tightened. “Are you pretending not to know?”

“Because I don’t know,” she shot back, frustration creeping into her voice.

He took a step closer, eyes locked onto hers. “Ethan is a good man. A better man than you think. And the last time he let someone like you into his life, he almost lost everything.”

A chill ran down Elena’s spine. “This is about my father, isn’t it?”

Liam’s smirk was humorless. “Of course it is. Do you think I trust you because you crawled your way around Ethan? Do you think I do?”

“I don't need your trust, as long as Ethan trusts me” 

“How will you make him trust you” he fired back 

Elena clenched her fists. “I don’t work for my father. And I'm ready to prove it”

Liam scoffed. “Then prove it. Because right now? You look like a woman sent to spy on another, and that never ends well.”

Elena swallowed hard. “Why are you even here?”

Liam held her gaze. “Because Ethan won’t see the threat until it’s too late. But I do.”

Elena inhaled sharply. “And if I’m not a threat?”

Liam tilted his head. “Then don’t give me a reason to think otherwise. And if you become a threat, I will take you down before your father finds you”

With that, he turned and walked toward the door. And then he was gone.

Elena stood frozen, heart pounding, mind racing.

Destroy Ethan? What the hell was he talking about?

Her phone vibrated on the table.

She reached for it with unsteady hands.

A message from Ethan.

Gala. Friday night. Formal attire. Consider it part of your training.

Elena exhaled sharply.

First her father’s warning.

Now Liam’s.

And Ethan?

They were all pulling her deeper into their worlds against her wish. 

Even if she wanted to ignore it, now she needs to show interest, in finding out what happened between Ethan and her father. 

Whether she liked it or not.

****

Elena stood before the full-length mirror in her bedroom, smoothing down the silky fabric of the red gown that hugged her figure.

It was bold.

And yet, as she stared at herself, at the way the deep crimson contrasted against her golden skin, at the way the fabric molded to her curves like a second skin, she felt powerful.

She wasn’t doing this for Ethan.

She was doing this to prove to him, to Liam, and her father, that she wasn’t some pawn to be moved around at their whim.

She adjusted the thin straps of her dress and reached for the final touch, a pair of diamond earrings, a gift from her mother years ago. Something to remind her who she was.

The phone buzzed on the vanity table.

Ethan: Car’s outside.

Right.

Time to face the devil himself.

*******

The moment Elena stepped into the grand ballroom of the five-star hotel, all eyes turned to her.

She felt the attention like a slow-burning fire on her skin, curious glances, admiration, envy.

She had been to events like this before, back when she was still Vincent Blake’s daughter and not just Elena Blake, intern.

But tonight felt different.

Tonight, she wasn’t here as someone’s daughter.

She was here as herself.

And Ethan Calloway was waiting.

She spotted him near the bar, tall and commanding in his tailored black suit, a whiskey glass in hand.

And when his gaze met hers, when his eyes, dark and unreadable, dragged over her body in that slow, deliberate way, she knew she had his attention.

Ethan rarely lost his composure, but for a fleeting second, something in his expression shifted.

Elena’s lips curled.

She made her way across the room, ignoring the whispers, and the curious stares.

Ethan was already smirking when she reached him.

“You clean up well, Ms. Blake.”

Elena arched a brow. “That almost sounded like a compliment.”

He took a slow sip of his drink. “It was an observation.”

Her lips twitched. “Well, then. I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Ethan tilted his head slightly, studying her with an intensity that made her pulse skip.

“I wasn’t sure you’d come.”

Elena met his gaze head-on. “I wasn’t sure I would either, but the order came from my boss”

For a moment, the silence stretched between them, thick, electric.

Then Ethan leaned in slightly, his voice dropping just enough to send a shiver down her spine.

“Shall we test how well you play this game, Ms. Blake?”

Elena held her ground. “I don’t play games, Mr. Calloway.”

He smiled, slow and knowing. “Let's see.”

She barely had time to process the words before he extended his hand.

“Dance with me.”

It wasn’t a request.

And when Elena hesitated, his smirk deepened. “Scared?”

Her chin lifted. “Of course not.”

Ethan’s eyes darkened. “Then prove it.”

He reached for her hand, fingers grazing hers, warm, firm, and dangerous as he led her onto the dance floor

The moment Ethan’s hand settled at the small of her back, Elena felt the heat of his palm seeping through the silk of her dress, the unspoken challenge in his grip.

She refused to let it unnerve her.

Lifting her chin, she placed her free hand on his shoulder, fingers barely pressing into the fabric of his expensive suit. 

His other hand held hers, firm but not forceful, leading her effortlessly into the slow rhythm of the waltz.

They moved as one, their steps fluid, in sync, as if they had done this a hundred times before. The ballroom lights reflected off the grand chandelier above, casting a golden glow over them. 

The scent of expensive perfume and champagne hung in the air, but all Elena could focus on was Ethan, the way his body moved against hers, the quiet intensity in his gaze.

“You’ve done this before,” he murmured, tilting his head slightly as they glided across the polished floor.

“Sure,” she replied smoothly. “I'm a Princess in case you need me to remind you.”

Ethan’s lips curled into something dangerously close to amusement. “Then I should feel honored.”

She smiled. “You should.”

His grip on her waist tightened just a fraction, barely noticeable, but enough for her to catch it. Enough to remind her who was in control here.

Or at least, who thought he was.

Elena had no intention of making this easy for him.

She let her body relax into his touch, just enough to throw him off, just enough to make him wonder. He was used to controlling people bending under the weight of his presence.

She wouldn’t be one of them.

Ethan’s fingers brushed over her spine, deliberately, as he pulled her just a little closer. “You like to challenge me, don’t you?”

Elena met his gaze, her lips curving slightly. “I don’t know what you mean.”

His chuckle was low, barely there, but she heard it. Felt it.

“Then let me make it clearer,” he said, voice smooth as silk. “You showed up tonight in red, knowing exactly what it would do to me.”

Her breath caught.

“Don’t flatter yourself, Ethan.”

He leaned in, his lips brushing dangerously close to her ear. “Too late.”

A shiver ran through her, but she masked it well. She had spent her life perfecting the art of indifference, of keeping her emotions locked away where no one could reach them.

Ethan Calloway wasn’t going to change that.

“You think I came here dressed for you?” she countered, tilting her head slightly to meet his eyes.

“I think,” Ethan said slowly, deliberately, “you came here to prove something.”

“So, do you now believe whatever I'm here to prove?” 

She wanted him to believe her so badly. That way she could peacefully do her job without trying to please him or prove anything to him.