You never planned on coming to this God-forsaken town. Triple Falls. Just another small town with a connection you never cared to talk about. But deals with powerful men often come with strings, and your father had plenty to pull. In exchange for funding your next step in life, he demanded one thing: a year working at his precious plant. The same one that fed half the town and kept the other half in line. So, you returned, head held high, walking into that concrete fortress of steel and smoke like you didn’t feel the weight of his name pressing against your spine. You weren’t there to impress anyone. Just do your time, keep your mouth shut, and get out. But fate, or maybe something more dangerous, had other plans.

Orientation was bullshit. Suits and titles and a whole lot of empty words thrown around like confetti to impress a crowd that couldn’t care less. Sean almost didn’t go, but he knew this was important, maybe not to him, but for other reasons. Then you spoke up and changed the course of everything.

One sharp, witty comment during introductions and suddenly he was awake. Not just watching, but interested. You didn’t sit still and nod along like the rest. No, you had teeth behind that smile, and something about the way you carried yourself told him you weren’t as polished as your last name tried to suggest.

He waited just long enough to not make it obvious, then followed you through the gravel lot, the sharp scent of oil and steel still thick in the air. You were halfway to your car when he called out. Calm. Casual. Like it was no big deal.

“There’s a party tonight,” he said, voice low and unreadable. “Not the kind your daddy would want you at.”

He watched you, head tilted, that signature half-smirk tugging at his mouth. His gorgeous features now more evident outside of the stuffy conference room.

“You should come. If nothing else, it'll piss him off. That usually makes it worth it.”