Chapter 1
Tabitha’s POV
The bank’s rhythm was familiar, a steady, reliable pattern that made me feel anchored. It was a comfort, knowing that no matter what was going on outside these walls, inside, everything stayed in balance. The numbers made sense. The tasks were clear. There were no surprises. Just the quiet hum of routine.
I liked that.
“Tabby, you’re working too hard.” Cat’s voice broke through my concentration, her usual playful tone pulling me back to reality. She leaned over my desk, her long, dark curls brushing against my arm. “It’s Friday. You should be daydreaming about cocktails and dancing, not… whatever this is.”
I glanced up from my screen and smiled. “It’s a balance sheet, and I like knowing things are in order before the weekend.”
Cat groaned dramatically, rolling her eyes as she perched on the edge of my desk. “You always like things in order. You need to loosen up. Seriously, when was the last time you actually let go and had fun?”
“I have fun,” I protested, though we both knew it wasn’t entirely true. Sure, I went out with her sometimes, and we had a few laughs, but I always held something back. I’d gotten so used to keeping control over everything—my job, my life, my heart—that I wasn’t sure I remembered how to let go.
Cat arched an eyebrow, her grin widening. “You, my dear friend, are about to have fun tonight. No excuses. We are going out.”
I was about to respond when something shifted in the air around us. A presence entered the room, subtle at first, but it drew my attention like a magnet. The atmosphere seemed to change, growing heavier, as if every sound in the bank had softened to a low hum.
I looked toward the entrance, my gaze drawn to a man walking through the door. Instantly, everything seemed to narrow, my focus zeroing in on him. He wasn’t like anyone I’d seen in here before.
He was tall, broad-shouldered, dressed in a tailored suit that clung to his body perfectly. His dark hair was slicked back, revealing a sharp jawline and features that looked like they belonged on the cover of a magazine. But it wasn’t just his looks that made me stare—it was the way he moved. Confident. Controlled. Like he owned the space he was walking into. He didn’t rush, didn’t fidget or glance around nervously like most people who came in here.
No, this man was different. He didn’t look like he was here for a bank transaction. He looked like someone who was used to being in charge, used to people following his orders.
“Who is that?” I whispered, more to myself than to Cat.
She followed my gaze, her eyes widening. “Whoa. That’s not your typical nine-to-five kind of guy.”
I couldn’t take my eyes off him as he walked further into the bank. His presence was magnetic, drawing my attention in a way I couldn’t explain. There was something about him—something intense, dangerous even. He looked around the room like he was surveying it, his dark eyes sharp and calculating.
And then, for the briefest moment, those eyes locked onto mine.
The world seemed to stop. My breath caught in my throat, my heart skipping a beat as his gaze held me in place. There was something about the way he looked at me—focused, deliberate, like he saw more than just a girl sitting behind a desk. It was as if, in that instant, he had figured out something about me that I hadn’t even realized yet.
I felt a strange warmth spread through my chest, my pulse quickening. I should’ve looked away, but I couldn’t. I was caught, frozen in his gaze, and for that one fleeting moment, it felt like we were the only two people in the room.
And then he turned away, breaking the spell. He continued walking, heading toward one of the private offices at the back of the bank. I blinked, trying to shake off the strange sense of disorientation that lingered after he left. The room felt colder without his presence, as if he had taken some of the air with him when he walked away.
“Earth to Tabby.” Cat waved a hand in front of my face, snapping me out of my daze. “What was that?”
“What was what?” I asked, though my voice came out a little breathless, like I’d just run a mile.
She smirked, clearly amused. “That look. He was totally staring at you, and you were just… frozen. Who is that guy?”
I shrugged, trying to play it off even though my heart was still racing. “I don’t know. Probably just another client.”
Cat gave me a look, the kind that said she wasn’t buying it. “Uh-huh. Sure. He looked like more than just another client to me. He looked like trouble.”
I let out a laugh, though it sounded more nervous than I intended. “Maybe. But he’s not my kind of trouble.”
Cat snorted. “Yeah, right. Since when do you even have a ‘kind of trouble’? You’ve been playing it safe for way too long, Tabby.”
She wasn’t wrong. I’d been careful with everything in my life—especially when it came to men. I’d dated, sure, but it never felt like more than surface-level interactions. I never let anyone get close enough to really know me. I liked keeping things in control, predictable. Safe.
But something about that man had shaken that sense of control, even if only for a moment.
“Look,” Cat said, leaning in conspiratorially, “I’m just saying, maybe it’s time you stop playing it so safe. Live a little.”
“I live plenty,” I replied, though my mind was still stuck on the stranger, the way his eyes had seemed to pierce through me.
“Uh-huh,” she said with a knowing smirk. “Well, you’re definitely coming out tonight. Who knows, maybe you’ll run into your mystery man again.”
I rolled my eyes, trying to shake off the strange feeling that had settled over me. “You never know.”
But deep down, I had the unsettling sense that I would see him again. And when I did, I wasn’t sure if I’d be ready for it.
