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After a few rings, Ivy answered.
"Hey, Ivy," Larry began. "Christian is heavily drunk right now. We’re at the auction event at Velocity Hall. Can you come and take him away?"
A pause. Then Ivy muttered, "I can’t. I’m in an important meeting right now. Sorry. You can ask Samuel."
She hung up without waiting for a response.
As she put her phone away, she looked up at her new boss. Gavin, a young and recently married executive, was wrapping up his presentation. The meeting ended a few minutes later, and as the attendees left, Jerry, a senior colleague, stopped her.
"Ivy, stay back for a moment."
She nodded and followed him.
"There’s a big event tonight at Velocity Hall," Jerry said. "I was wondering if you’d like to come along with Gavin? It’d be great for networking and gathering insights. What do you think? He’s leaving in half an hour."
Ivy was taken aback by the invitation. It was an important event, but since she hadn’t received an official invite, she had assumed she wouldn’t be attending.
But hearing the name ‘Velocity Hall’ triggered a memory—Larry’s words from earlier.
Her heart clenched.
She found herself nodding. "Sure. I’ll need a dress, though. I’ll grab one on the way and change before we arrive."
"Sounds great," Jerry said.
An hour later, Ivy stepped into Velocity Hall with Gavin
She wore a red gown that cascaded to the floor, the single-shoulder strap elegantly wrapping around her neck. A delicate ribbon draped down her back, adding a soft, graceful touch to her look.
Gavin glanced around the venue and murmured, "This party is more extravagant than I expected. If I can make the right connections, this could really boost business."
Ivy nodded absently, scanning the room.
Looking for him.
Across the hall, Larry spotted Ivy the moment she walked in. Nudging Christian, he smirked. "Hey, look. She came to get you after all."
But his smirk faltered when he noticed she wasn’t alone.
Christian followed Larry’s line of sight, his gaze locking onto Ivy and then the man beside her. His expression darkened instantly.
"She refused to come get you for ‘work,’ Larry muttered, raising an eyebrow as he took a slow sip of whiskey. "But she came here with someone else?"
Christian shoved his drink into Larry’s hand and strode toward her.
"Wait! Christian!" Larry hissed, trying to stop him, but Christian was already striding across the hall.
Ivy’s eyes widened the second she saw him approaching. And before she could react, Christian ignored Gavin’s presence entirely, wrapped an arm around her waist, and pulled her flush against him.
Then, without hesitation, he leaned in and kissed her—shamelessly, possessively.
His lips claimed hers with raw, unapologetic hunger. She pressed her hands against his shoulders, trying to keep him from deepening the kiss, but he was relentless. It only grew deeper, more insistent, until she was breathless.
When he finally pulled back, his arm stayed firmly around her waist.
He turned slightly, eyes locking onto Gavin.
Gavin extended a hand. "Hello?"