Damien Moretti never missed a detail. Every whisper, every nervous glance, every movement in a room full of power and wealth passed through his eyes like sunlight through a prismcarefully observed, analyzed, cataloged. At twenty eight, he had inherited Moretti Holdings, a billion-dollar empire on paper, and a shadowy, untouchable underworld beneath it. Every decision, every gesture, every quiet word carried weight and he wielded it like a scalpel
Tonight, the gala was supposed to be another exercise in control. Champagne flutes, polished floors, whispered deals. A night like any other. And yet, as he entered the ballroom, something shifted
She was there
Blonde hair, striking green eyes, moving carefully between tables, balancing a tray with grace despite obvious exhaustion. She didn't belong. That much was clear in the way the guests barely noticed her, in the cautious way she carried herself, like she was afraid of breaking in a world that demanded perfection. And yet
Damien felt a pull he couldn't explain.
It was not lustnot entirely but something sharper, deeper. Recognition. Possession. Curiosity twisted into something he didn't usually allow himself: fascination
He had watched powerful men and women, celebrities, politicians, even criminalsnone of them had moved him. None of them had ever made him pause. And yet here was this girl, nineteen, pale skinned, fragile looking, and utterly captivating, standing like she had no idea she was extraordinary
He observed her carefully. Every slight frown, every tired blink, every small smile she forced herself to offer to the wealthy guests. She was invisible to everyone but him. And that invisibility made her more dangerous in his mind than anyone he had ever faced in his world
She moved with precision, but something in he something raw, unpolished, real caught him off guard. It was reckless, almost daring, to be this pure in a city full of deceit. He wanted to study her, to understand her, to control nothing but her safety
Because he knew one thing
Whatever this was, he couldn't walk away
Damien's lips curved into a faint smirk as he took a step closer. This girl, completely unaware of who he was, completely unaware of the danger around her, had already claimed his attention. And for the first time in his life, Damien Moretti felt something unfamiliar and dangerous stir inside him: care.
Not for power. Not for money. Not for influence. For her.
And that care, he knew, would be his undoing.
He took a deliberate breath, letting his eyes linger on her just a second too long. Tomorrow, he thought, she won't leave my mind and neither will I. A plan began forming in his mind not a plan to seduce, not yet but a plan to protect, observe, and ensure that nothing in his world could harm her.
Because Damien Moretti didn't lose. Not in business. Not in power. And he would not lose her
could it be love at first sight?
smiling to himself