When the acceptance email from Kingsley Group landed in my inbox, I was standing in front of a convenience store shelf, counting coins.

My phone vibrated.

Assuming it was another low-balance warning from my bank, I didn't dare look right away.

Only when the screen lit up a second time did I glance down and catch the subject line:

Congratulations, Miss Hart.

I stared at the words, my heart skipping a beat.

Then, like an idiot, I stood rooted in front of the refrigerated display, reading that email three times from start to finish.

"I got it."

I whispered the words, barely believing them myself.

The clerk restocking shelves nearby shot me a curious glance.

"I actually got into Kingsley Group."

The coins dug sharply into my palm, but I didn't feel a thing. Relief and pure joy washed over me, wrapping me in a sudden, overwhelming warmth.

I dialed Maya.

She picked up almost instantly, loud background noise spilling through the speaker.

"What's up, babe? Don't tell me you forgot to eat dinner again."

I opened my mouth, my voice shaking slightly. "Maya, I got it."

The line went dead silent for two seconds.

The next moment, her scream was so piercing I nearly dropped the phone.

"You got it? Kingsley? That Kingsley? Oh my God, Lena Hart, you are coming out tonight! I don't care what time you work tomorrow, and I don't care how broke you are. Tonight is on me!"

"I shouldn't drink too much," I said instinctively.

"You can have a little," Maya countered immediately. "Landing a job at a company like that for the first time in your life? God would punish you if you didn't celebrate."

I couldn't help but laugh. "God isn't that bored."

"Well, I am," she fired back. "Eight o'clock, Blue Hour. Wear that blue dress."

I looked down at my faded canvas sneakers. "That dress is pretty old."

"So what if it's old? You look like a movie lead in it."

"A low-budget one, maybe."

"Shut up. Tonight, you're the main character."

I hung up and stood outside the store for a moment, letting the cool night air hit my face.

I knew I shouldn't be going to a bar.

Rent was past due, I was still short on my sister's tuition for next month, and my credit card statements were sitting in my inbox playing dead. Yet I still went.

I had waited for this day for far too long. Just this once, I wanted to let myself go. Just once.

Blue Hour was located downtown, marked by a dim blue neon sign hanging above the entrance.

When I arrived, Maya was already waving from a corner booth. She wore a red slip dress, her curls cascading over her shoulders, her smile bold, bright, and completely uninhibited.

"Over here!"

The second I walked up, she threw her arms around me in a tight hug.

"My God, you actually came." She stepped back, looking me up and down with an approving grin. "I knew this dress would work. Lena, you need to wear dresses more often. Stop wrapping yourself up like an old lady."

"I have orientation tomorrow," I said, sliding into the booth. "I can't go crazy."

"No saying 'can't' tonight." Maya slid a glass toward me. "This is a celebration, not a death sentence. Drink."

I took a sip. The liquor burned down my throat, making me wince.

Maya laughed, leaning back against the leather cushions.

"That face is adorable. When you start at Kingsley Group, if any manager gives you a hard time, just give them that exact look. It'll strike right through their conscience."

"Corporate executives don't have consciences," I said.

"Then make one fall in love with you."

I nearly choked. "Stop talking nonsense."

"I'm serious." Maya propped her chin on her hand, studying me. "Kingsley Group is packed with elites. Tailored suits, luxury watches, private elevators. Who knows? Maybe tomorrow you'll run into a gorgeous executive and move straight into a penthouse."

"I just want to survive my probation."

"Boring."

She waved over two other friends who had just arrived. They were people I knew from my part-time jobs—lively, cheerful, and always ready to party.

A few drinks later, the table grew loud and rowdy.

Someone suggested Truth or Dare.

I tried to decline, but Maya clamped a hand down on mine.

"The guest of honor doesn't get to opt out."

"I really do have work tomorrow."

"Which is why you need some bad decisions to remember tonight by."

When the bottle spun and pointed straight at me, the whole table erupted in cheers.

"Lena! Pick one!"

I stared at the empty bottle, feeling a reckless pulse of adrenaline.

Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe that acceptance email had given me a dangerous dose of courage.

"Dare," I said.

Maya's eyes lit up instantly.

"All right." She tilted her chin toward the far end of the bar. "See that guy over there?"

I followed her gaze.

Sitting at the deepest corner of the counter was a man in a dark suit. His tie was loosened, half of his face shadowed by the dim lighting.

Despite how loud the bar was, an untouchable aura surrounded him, keeping everyone at a distance.

He was striking.

His features were sharp and deeply sculpted, with a straight bridge to his nose and thin, severe lips. Everything about him screamed expensive and dangerous, completely out of place in a dive bar filled with cheap beer and noisy college students.

He was staring down into his glass, his knuckles pressed hard against the rim, as if fighting to endure something.

"Go get his number," Maya said, excitement practically buzzing in her voice.

I snapped my head back. "No way."

"You chose Dare."

"Give me another one."

"No swaps," one of the other girls laughed, nudging me. "Go on. He looks like a bad boy straight out of a movie."

"Bad boys are the ones you stay away from."

Maya leaned close to my ear, lowering her voice. "Lena, you're stepping into a whole new world tomorrow. Being a coward on your last night of freedom isn't worth it."

I looked at her.

Her smile was mischievous, but her eyes were full of genuine encouragement.

Watching her, I suddenly felt the hesitation slip away. It was just an approach. What was the big deal?

Just do it.

In a split second, my mind was made up.

I picked up my glass and stood up.

"Just the number," I said. "If he shoots me down, I'm coming right back."

"Getting shot down is half the glory!" they cheered behind me.

I wove through the crowded room toward the bar.

As I drew closer to him, a sudden wave of regret hit me.

I had never approached a man like this before.

More than that, the presence he commanded was suffocating.

By the time I reached his side, my palms were slick with sweat.

"Hi."

He didn't look up right away.

I cleared my throat. "Sorry to bother you. My friends dared me to come over and—"

"Go back."

His voice was deep, laced with an unnerving, icy rasp.

He finally turned his head toward me.

His eyes were pitch-black and frighteningly cold.

"What?" I asked.

"I said, go back." He enunciated every word. "Don't come near me."

Any sensible person would have turned around and walked away.

Yet the alcohol in my system, combined with the sheer intensity of his stare, made my chest tighten. Worse, beneath the sharp warning in his tone, I caught a strain of desperate, raw restraint.

Something was wrong with him.

"Are you feeling all right?" I asked gently.

His gaze darkened. "That's none of your business."

"You look like you're in bad shape."

"I told you to go back."

His hand left the glass and braced against the edge of the bar counter. The veins on the back of his hand stood out taut, as though he was using every ounce of strength just to keep himself under control.

Looking down, I noticed a red scratch beneath the cuff of his watch. It didn't look like an injury from a fight; it looked like someone had clawed at him.

"Do you need a doctor?"

A faint, bitter smile tugged at his mouth. "Is this how you usually talk to strange men?"

"No," I answered honestly. "I usually don't talk to strange men at all."

"Then why make an exception tonight?"

I almost said it was because of a dare.

But the words felt foolish the moment they reached my lips.

Instead, I said, "Because you look like you're barely holding it together."

The look in his eyes shifted.

The music around us was deafening, yet in that moment, all I could hear was the frantic pounding of my own heart.

He looked at me, his gaze traveling from my eyes down to my lips before rising back to my face.

There was nothing gentle about his stare. In fact, it felt distinctly dangerous.

Yet it didn't make me feel repulsed. On the contrary, heat crept up the back of my neck, making my grip on the glass waver.

"What's your name?" he asked abruptly.

I hesitated. "Lena."

"Lena," he murmured, testing the syllables.

Hearing my name roll off his tongue sent an unexpected shiver across my skin.

"What about you?" I asked.

He offered no answer.

"That's not fair," I said. "You asked for mine."

"Fair?" He let out a dry sound, as if hearing an absurd joke. "You shouldn't be talking about fair with me."

I frowned. "Are you always this intimidating?"

This time, a genuine, quiet laugh escaped him.

Caught off guard by how striking he looked, my pulse stumbled, and I quickly averted my eyes.

"I just came over for your number," I said. "Once I finish the dare, I'm out of your way."

"You're not getting a number."

"Fine." Feeling awkward, I turned to leave. "Good night, then."

"Wait."

My feet froze.

He stood up.

He was tall—taller than I had realized sitting down.

As he stepped closer, his presence pressed down on me, carrying a faint scent of liquor mingled with a cold, woody cologne.

"Don't ask for a number," he said.

I looked up at him.

Something dark and burning smoldered in his eyes, his voice strained and hoarse.

"Ask for a night."

I thought I had misheard. "What?"

"You heard me."

Heat rushed into my face with explosive force. "Are you out of your mind?"

"Probably," he said. "Which is why I'm warning you one last time. Walk away now, while you still can."

I should have walked away.

Tomorrow was the most important day of my life.

I had no business standing in a bar discussing something so absurd with a stranger who wouldn't even give me his name.

Yet, as if under a spell, I didn't take a single step back.

Looking into his eyes, I saw a reflection of the vulnerability I had carried for so long.

I thought about the past few years.

I thought about constantly pinching pennies, constantly enduring, constantly telling myself to just hold on a little longer.

And tonight, I had been accepted into Kingsley Group.

I finally had a fresh start.

Maybe it was that offer letter that lent me reckless courage, or maybe an instinctive urge to help him had taken root in my chest.

I just wanted to do something I had never dared to do before my new life began.

"What if I say no?" I asked.

"I walk you back to your friends," he said.

"And if I say yes?"

His Adam's apple bobbed slightly.

"Then don't regret it."

I heard my own voice say, "Okay."

He stared at me for several long seconds.

"Are you sure?"

I nodded.

"Lena." He said my name again, his tone dropping with gravity. "I'm not someone you should be anywhere near right now."

"I know."

"No, you don't."

I lifted my chin and looked straight at him. "Then you can tell me."

He didn't speak.

Instead, he reached out and lightly brushed the back of his fingers against my wrist.

A sharp, electric tingle shot through my skin, stirring an unfamiliar, dizzying sensation low in my stomach.

The strange intensity of it made me flinch slightly.

He pulled his hand back at once.

"Last chance," he said, his voice barely holding back the strain. "Do you want to leave?"

I looked at the deep, captivating darkness in his eyes, now heavy with an unmistakable hunger.

His thin lips were pressed into a hard line—looking so clean, so sharp, and completely kissable.

I shook my head.

He closed his eyes for a brief second, as if finally surrendering to the pull.

"Come with me."

As I followed him toward the exit, Maya stared at me from the booth, her eyes wide with shock.

I only had time to fire off a quick text: I'm fine. Talk to you later.

Her reply arrived immediately: You better be. Or I will hunt him down and kill him.

A small smile tugged at my lips at her fierce concern.

The man caught the expression on my face.

"Boyfriend?"

"A friend." I pocketed the phone. "A very protective one."

"Smart."

"Are you scared of her?"

"I'm wary of trouble."

"You don't look like someone who fears trouble."

He pulled open the car door for me. "I just dislike losing control."

The car pulled away from the curb.

Sitting in the leather passenger seat, my fingers gripped the fabric of my dress tightly.

I had to admit—I was completely out of my depth.

"You really aren't going to tell me your name?" I asked.

"No need."

"This is strange."

"You're only realizing that now?"

I fell silent, having no comeback for that.

After a moment, I spoke quietly. "Were you drugged?"

His relaxed posture vanished, and his head snapped toward me.

"How do you know that?" he demanded, his gaze pinning me down.

I rolled my eyes slightly. Wasn't it obvious?

"I don't know," I replied evenly. "I guessed. You've been fighting something the whole time, and it didn't look like just being drunk."

He remained quiet for a long stretch before letting out a soft, dry laugh.

"Forget tonight ever happened," he said.

I looked out the window at the city lights streaking past in the dark.

"It hasn't even happened yet, and you're already telling me to forget it?"

"It's better for you that way."

The remark rubbed me the wrong way.

I turned back to him. "Do you always decide what's best for other people?"

He seemed slightly taken aback by the question, a flicker of surprise crossing his features.

"Often."

"That must get obnoxious."

"Plenty of people prefer having decisions made for them."

"I don't."

He held my gaze, then gave a low chuckle. "I can tell."

The car came to a stop in front of a high-end hotel.

The lobby was bathed in warm, muted lighting. The front desk clerk recognized him immediately, asking no questions before handing over a keycard.

That was when the reality of the situation finally caught up to me, sending a spike of panic through my chest.

We were the only two people in the elevator.

The floor numbers climbed higher and higher.

I stood in the corner, trying my best to appear composed, but my fingers were practically digging through the strap of my purse.

"You can still change your mind," he said out of nowhere.

I looked up at him. "You keep telling me to leave."

"Because you don't belong in a place like this."

"And what kind of person does?"

He looked down at me. "The kind who knows exactly what they want, and exactly what it will cost them."

"I know."

"You don't."

Irritation flared in me. "You don't know anything about me."

The elevator doors slid open.

He didn't step out right away, instead turning slightly to face me. "Which is why I'm telling you to walk away."

I stepped past him out of the elevator.

He followed behind me, his stride pausing for a fraction of a second.

Once inside the room, he didn't touch me. He placed the keycard on the desk, poured a glass of water, and held it out to me.

"Drink."

I took the glass, my hand trembling slightly.

He caught the movement.

"Scared?"

"A little."

"Then leave."

Clutching the glass, I murmured, "I'm just nervous."

His gaze settled on my face. "Lena, I'm not a good man."

"And I'm not a child."

"Are you sure about that?"

I set the glass down on the table, gathering my courage to meet his eyes. "You keep asking if I'm sure. Is it because you're the one regretting this?"

His expression darkened. "No."

"Then what is it?"

He took a step toward me, then another.

I backed up until the small of my back hit the cold edge of the desk.

"Because once I start," he whispered, his voice dropping low, "I won't be able to stop."

My heart hammered so hard it felt like it would crack against my ribs.

He raised his hand, his fingertips hovering beside my cheek without making contact.

"Last time," he said. "Tell me. Are you leaving, or staying?"

I looked at him.

In his dark eyes, I saw raw restraint, burning desire, and a profound, unreadable conflict.

"Staying," I whispered.

The next second, his mouth came down on mine.

The kiss was far from gentle.

It was the kiss of a man who had held back for too long and finally broken free—commanding, scorching, and unapologetically dominant.

My knees went weak under the sheer force of it, my hands instinctively reaching up to clutch the lapels of his suit jacket.

His body stiffened for an instant, his movements suddenly slowing.

"Breathe," he murmured against my lips.

Only then did I realize I had been holding my breath.

A low chuckle rumbled in his chest as he rested his forehead against mine.

"Silly girl."

I wanted to argue, but all that came out was an unsteady, breathy gasp.

His hands moved to my waist, lifting me effortlessly and setting me onto the edge of the bed. Feeling every muscle in my body go rigid, he stopped, looking down at me.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Lena."

His voice dropped into a warning tone.

I averted my eyes.

He reached out, his fingers catching my chin and gently forcing me to face him.

"Tell me."

My cheeks burned furiously, my voice dropping so low it was barely audible. "I... I don't have any experience."

The room went dead quiet.

He stared at me, the haze of desire in his eyes parting for a moment of sharp clarity.

"What do you mean, no experience?"

I bit my lower lip.

His expression shifted, the faint flush on his skin making his sharp features look dangerously alluring.

"Is this your first time?"

I didn't answer.

My silence spoke for itself.

His hands slowly loosened their grip on my waist.

He stood straight by the edge of the bed, his chest heaving heavily as if fighting to drag his sanity back from the edge.

A sudden wave of uncertainty washed over me. "What's wrong?"

He looked down at me, his voice rough and strained almost beyond recognition.

"Lena."

"Yeah?"

"You have to answer me again."

I gripped the sheets beneath my hands, a restless, aching warmth pulsing through my limbs, craving more of his touch.

He leaned down, bracing both hands on either side of my hips, the charged air between us thick with unbearable tension.

Those dark, intense eyes locked onto mine with a gravity so profound it almost felt like an unspoken promise.

"Are you sure you still want to stay?"

One Night with the Ruthless Heir — Chapter 46 North Mountain Sanitarium

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