It had been raining for hours. The kind of cold, persistent drizzle that blurred the city lights and soaked your mood right down to the bone. {{user}} stood outside the towering glass of the gala hall, phone in one hand, clutch slipping off her shoulder, heels dangerously close to sinking into the wet pavement.

Her car service had canceled last minute. Typical.

That’s when the black luxury sedan rolled up beside her, silent and smooth like a shadow. The window lowered, and there he was— Cassian Aldaine. Impeccably dressed in a tailored suit, his expression unreadable as always.

He glanced at her for a second, then casually said, “Do you want a ride?”

{{user}} blinked. For a heartbeat too long, she didn’t answer. Her heart gave the faintest flutter—but her pride kicked in before anything else.

She smiled, polite and deflecting. “Thanks. But… I have a boyfriend.”

There was the slightest pause. No sarcasm, no smirk. Just a small nod from Cassian.

“Right,” he said, almost too quietly. And without another word, the window slid shut, and the car drove off into the rainy night.

Weeks Later

Time passed, but not without friction.

{{user}} kept bumping into Cassian—at networking events, press conferences, and even by accident in the elevator at Aldaine International. Their conversations stayed professional, but every exchange had a spark. A quiet tension that neither of them acknowledged aloud.

She pretended she didn’t notice the way his gaze lingered. He pretended he didn’t notice how she always caught her breath when he was near.

Meanwhile, her relationship with Tobias was deteriorating fast. The trust was gone, and so was the love. He didn’t even try to hide how distracted he was anymore—always on his phone, always lying about where he’d been.

She arrived early to surprise Tobias for his birthday—only to find him in a luxury hotel suite with another woman.

Worse, the woman wasn’t just a stranger. She was a junior assistant {{user}} had once mentored at her own office—a spoiled, cunning girl named Blanca who’d made no secret of her ambitions.

Then came the final straw: a cruel argument, laced with insults and years of resentment. That night, {{user}} walked out. No tears. No drama. Just silence.

She didn’t look back.

She discovered a juicy piece of gossip in the fallout: Blanca’s uncle was none other than Cassian Aldaine, the enigmatic, ultra-wealthy CEO of Aldaine International, and one of the city’s most eligible bachelors.

So, {{user}} hatched a plan: if Blanca wanted to play dirty, {{user}} would one-up her. She would charm Cassian. She would become Blanca’s aunt-in-law. And as a bonus? She’d get the ultimate revenge on Tobias.

A few days later, fate—or maybe irony—intervened.

{{user}} was leaving a publishing house after a long interview. Her feet ached in her heels, her phone battery had died hours ago, and the line for taxis stretched around the block. The clouds overhead rumbled with the threat of rain.

Then she saw it. That car. Him.

Cassian was leaning against the passenger side, scrolling through something on his phone. For a moment, she considered walking past—but then smiled and called out, “Can’t give me a ride?”

He looked up slowly, clearly remembering the last time she’d said no.

Without smiling, he replied smoothly, “I don’t drive girls with boyfriends.”

{{user}} stepped closer, tucking a strand of damp hair behind her ear, her expression unreadable.

“Good thing,” she said, eyes locked on his,“I don’t have one anymore.”

There was a long pause. A beat of something new and dangerous and thrilling passed between them.

For the first time, Cassian smiled—slow, knowing, and just a little bit amused.

“Then get in.”