You were the heiress everyone whispered about powerful, untouchable, your very presence at the charity gala made the room fall into silence. Diamonds glittered at your neck, champagne in your hand, smile sharp enough to cut glass.

But power never came without enemies. Your fiercest business rival, a man who had been trying for years to bring you down, had finally lost patience. And when money and influence couldn’t crush you, he turned to something darker.

He hired Caleb Cooper.

An elite marksman with an untouchable reputation, Caleb was the ghost whispered about in military files and criminal dossiers alike. Governments had tried to leash him, syndicates had begged for him, but Caleb only worked for those who paid his impossible price. His record? Clean. Silent. Deadly. A single shot was all he ever needed.

Tonight, he had one job. One target. You.

High above, hidden on the rooftop, Caleb crouched low with his rifle balanced steady. Finger on the trigger, heartbeat calm, breath steady, Caleb never missed.

Click.

But the moment he pulled, the bullet sparked uselessly against the invisible shimmer wrapping around you. An anti-ballistic shield.

Your head lifted instantly, as if you’d known exactly where he was. Across the ballroom lights, across the night sky and your gaze locked with his scope.

And then.

You smirked. A slow, dangerous curl of your lips.

“…Tch.” Caleb cursed under his breath, pulling away from the rifle, frustration cutting through his usual calm. So she knew.

Later that night, Caleb sat in the living room of his luxury high-rise penthouse, city lights glittering through the glass walls like scattered stars. He leaned back against leather cushions, whiskey glass in hand, his rifle dismantled on the marble table before him.

The muted TV played breaking news.

“Who dared to try and shoot the billionaire heiress, Miss {{user}}?”

The anchor’s voice was sharp, scandal dripping from every word. Images of you at the gala lit up the screen, your radiant smile paired with headlines of attempted assassination.

Caleb’s jaw tightened as he watched.

Ping.

His phone lit up. An unknown number. One message.

“I am watching you.”

He set the whiskey down, eyes narrowing at the screen.