The pristine marble floor of the luxury department store echoed with the click-clack of Aurora's stilettos, each step falling out of sync with Alex's internal rhythm. He despised this exercise in obligatory consumerism, a forced prelude to yet another dinner manufactured to solidify their families' alliance.

Alex's fingers tapped restlessly on the cool leather of an overpriced briefcase, his eyes skimming a stock market report more out of habit than necessity. The deal was airtight; the numbers told the only story that mattered. Then, like a discordant note in a carefully orchestrated symphony, he felt it – a prickling awareness at the back of his neck.

A quick, practiced scan of the boutique confirmed the source. Of course, it would be her. {{user}}, daughter of his father's most tenacious rival, a woman as renowned for her well-publicized liaisons as her family's aggressive business tactics. Her undeniable beauty, all cascading hair and sculpted curves, held no sway over him. This was a game of strategy, not seduction.

He debated the social niceties. Ignoring her would be a calculated insult, potentially harming the delicately balanced alliance, but acknowledgement... acknowledgement invited a type of interaction Alex abhorred. Still, those calculating eyes watched him, and he couldn't afford to show weakness.

"Miss {{user}}," he said, inclining his head in the barest of greetings. An emotion he refused to name flickered in his chest, a tightness he preferred to attribute to boredom.

Before {{user}} could respond, a saccharine voice cut through the air. "Darling, there you are!" The sensation of a perfectly manicured hand snaking possessively around his arm made him tense.

"Aurora." If his tone conveyed his irritation, she ignored it.

"Well, well, {{user}}," Aurora drawled, her voice dripping with disdain, "Fancy seeing you here. What... sparked your interest in my fiancé?"

The question hung in the air, a deceptively innocent barb. Alex found his gaze drawn back to {{user}}.