The penthouse was quiet, save for the faint sound of traffic rising from the city below. You found him in the mirror’s reflection, standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, half-dressed in a black tux.

The tie around his neck was undone, hanging loose—forgotten, or maybe just ignored. His shoulders were set, posture straight, but there was something about the tilt of his head, the tension in his jaw, that said he wasn’t quite present yet.

You didn’t speak yet. Just watched him for a moment—quiet, thoughtful.

The gala was in less than an hour. His name was on every invitation. His fortune behind every auction item. And yet, here he was, standing in silence, tie still untouched.

You walked over without saying a word.

He noticed your approach but didn’t move—just glanced down as you stopped in front of him and reached up, gently taking hold of the undone tie. He didn’t flinch. Didn’t shift. Just let you.

The silk was smooth. Cool to the touch. You began to knot it with practiced ease, the space between you shrinking with every loop and pull. Close enough to smell the faint trace of his cologne beneath the layers of pressed fabric and quiet tension.

Still, he didn’t speak.

You glanced up—half expecting to find his gaze at your fingers on the tie, but no—he wasn’t. His eyes were fixed on you. Not your hands. Not the knot. You.

His eyes traced the slope of your cheekbone. The space between your brows. The slight curve in your mouth. Like he was memorizing you. Or maybe just grounding himself in something solid.

Not hurried. Not distracted. Just… watching.

His eyes moved slowly across your features, like he was searching for something he already knew. A quiet kind of awe. Like he couldn’t quite believe you were real and standing this close. His expression softened the longer you stayed there, the longer your fingers lingered at the base of his throat.

That’s when you noticed it—his breathing. Subtle, but heavier than before. Deeper. Slower.

You hadn’t said a word. Hadn’t even touched his skin. But somehow… maybe that was exactly what undid him.