"Ohh. Luca. Who is that new custor today? He doesn’t seem interested in your food at all," Serena said, settling into her usual spot near the island kitchen. Her eyes were locked on the man sitting outside on the patio. He was handso—strikingly so. Handso enough to make even the attractive chef in front of her, busily working at the stove, pale in comparison.
Luca glanced up from his pan, following her gaze to the man outside. His lips pressed into a tight line. Like hell, he would know why that guy was sitting there. The man had been lounging in that spot since early morning, well before the restaurant even opened. This was the problem with handing investors the duplicate keys. They tended to drop by uninvited. And then, when he went out to question him? He was shooed off with the answer that he was waiting for soone. Ha!
He didn’t trust him, not one bit. Now, watching Serena’s interest, Luca’s suspicions deepened. That man was probably here for her. A muscle in Luca’s jaw ticked as he turned back to the stove. Over his dead body would he get anywhere near her. He had plans for Serena that involved courting her, not sending her to him!
"He’s no one. Pay him no mind," Luca said with a resentful gaze. "He’s just a squatter taking up space and wasting everyone’s ti."
Serena raised an eyebrow at his curt tone but didn’t comnt. Her curiosity was piqued, and she couldn’t resist another glance toward the patio. The man was still there, sitting with a casual air, his long legs stretched out as if he didn’t have a care in the world.
And good Lord, his face. It was almost unfair how good-looking he was. His chiseled features seed sculpted by a master carver. That jawline, the sharp lines of his cheekbones, and even the subtle curve of his Adam’s apple—it all added to a devastatingly perfect picture. There were handso n and then there was this... hypnotic man.
Her gaze lingered longer than she intended, and just as she thought she could discreetly study him, his eyes snapped up to et hers. Serena froze, her breath catching in her throat. Holy hell. His eyes were sothing else—dark, piercing, and impossibly intense. They seed to look straight into her. Yep... Too hypnotic this man...
To her horror, his lips curved into a slow, knowing smile. The kind that made her pulse quicken for reasons she couldn’t explain. And then, with an infuriatingly smooth gesture, he lifted his hand and crooked a finger, beckoning her to co closer.
Serena stiffened, not because the man had actually had the gall to beckon her like she was so slave but her body had almost moved. Had she not been paying attention, she would have skipped over to him and directly deposited herself on his lap, which was shocking.
Was the man the Pied Piper or sothing? Hypnotizing people and then whisking them away to who-knows-where? Serena shook her head, trying to dispel the absurd notion. She didn’t even know the guy, and yet here she was, imagining herself falling under his spell.
Just then, Luca placed a steaming bowl of sothing in front of her. The aroma wafted up, rich and tantalizing, though she couldn’t quite identify the dish if her life was on the line. Because the ’dish’ on the patio was looking much more appetizing.
After a murmured and distracted thanks ot Luca, she deliberately turned her attention to the bowl, determined to ignore the man who had managed to disrupt her thoughts so easily.. Serena picked up her fork and took a bite, eating the sand like thing in front of her.
What is this?" she asked, glancing at Luca.
He shrugged, a satisfied smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "Sothing new I’m working on. Don’t think about it too hard. Just eat."
Serena rolled her eyes but obediently took another bite. It was good, she’d give him that, but her mind refused to stay on her plate. Against her better judgnt, she allowed her gaze to flick back toward the patio, curious if the man was still there.
Her stomach dropped when she realized the chair was empty. He was gone.
A pang of disappointnt hit her, sharp and unexpected. Why did she care if he’d left? He was just so stranger who’d probably co to waste ti, exactly as Luca had said. Still, she couldn’t help but feel a little cheated. The way he’d looked at her, the way he’d beckoned her closer—it had felt like the beginning of... sothing interesting.
***
"How did you find her? What are you doing here?" His gloved hand gripped Aiden’s throat, pinning him against the wall with enough force to make the plaster crack. A dark mask obscured his face, but his voice was low and nacing. Usually, by this ti, any man would have been clawing at his wrist to try and escape but Aiden simply stared at the man, his face impassive, despite the burning in his lungs and his instinct to try and fight for survival.
With a growl, he released his hold, shoving Aiden hard against the wall before stepping back. Aiden stumbled but straightened almost imdiately, his stance unwavering as he rubbed his neck.
"Aiden Hawk," the man sneered, his voice dripping with disdain. "Don’t even think of going near her. I don’t know how you managed to find her, but if you so much as take a single step toward her, I’ll make sure you’re unable to walk again." His tone was cold, final, like a blade slicing through the air.
With that, the man turned sharply, his polished shoes clicking against the floor as he prepared to walk away. But before he could take another step, Aiden’s voice cut through the tension like a dagger.
"Do you really think you can keep away from Serena, Dale Brown? Or should I call you... Edwin Dawn?"
Dale stilled in the middle of walking away. How did he find out things so quickly? No one had even been able to escape his traps or surpass his plans but it had barely been two weeks and yet Aiden had reached them so soon. How did this happen?
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