Gie had never been this off-balance in her life.
She was supposed to walk in, deliver the cufflinks, and leave.
That was it.
That was the entire plan.
But now?
Now she was sitting in Alexander Millers's office, watching as he admired the cufflinks she had poured her soul into, feeling like she had just stepped into a game she didn't know how to play.
They talked more.
And the more they talked, the more dangerous this became.
Because Alexander wasn't just polite conversation and smooth professionalism.
He was focused.
He was listening.
And she was talking too much.
About her process.
About how every piece she made felt like she was leaving a part of herself behind.
About how some designs haunted her until she brought them to life.
"Like the earring," he mused, brushing his fingers over it lightly.
Her stomach fluttered at the movement.
"That one took me weeks," she admitted.
His lips curved slightly. "You were obsessed with it."
Gie flushed. "I was obsessed with making it perfect."
"For me."
She swallowed.
Because—yes.
And that realization sent a fresh wave of heat through her body.
She needed to leave.
She needed to get out of here before she got too comfortable.
Before she did something really stupid.
Like imagine how he'd look wearing nothing but the jewelry she designed.
She straightened, ready to stand, ready to excuse herself.
But then—
He said it.
"Stay for dinner."
The words stopped her cold.
Her heart skipped a beat.
She blinked. "What?"
He leaned back in his seat, looking perfectly at ease, perfectly unbothered, as if he hadn't just flipped her world upside down.
"Dinner," he repeated smoothly. "With me."
Gie stared at him.
She hadn't come here expecting—this.
This was supposed to be a casual delivery.
A business meeting.
A quick in-and-out before she could embarrass herself any further.
Not a dinner invitation from one of the most dangerous, powerful men she had ever met.
And yet—
The way he said it.
So casual.
So effortless.
Like he had already decided it was happening.
Like she just needed to catch up to the fact.
She hesitated.
"I— I didn't think this was… that kind of meeting," she said slowly.
A small smirk touched his lips.
"It wasn't," he said. "But now it is."
Her breath hitched.
She wasn't even sure why she was stammering like an idiot.
She had been to thousands of dinners with clients before.
This was nothing new.
So why did this feel different?
Like she was stepping into something she wouldn't be able to control?
Like this wasn't just a business dinner.
Like this was something else entirely.
She forced herself to sound normal. "I'm sure you have better things to do—"
"I don't," he said simply.
She blinked.
He tapped his watch, his gaze still on her.
"I just cleared my schedule."
Oh, God.
Her stomach flipped violently.
He wasn't playing fair.
And worst of all?
She wasn't walking away.
She was still sitting there, pulse pounding in her throat, feeling like she had just been thoroughly trapped without even realizing it.
And then—
He held out his hand.
Gie stared at it.
At his long fingers, his perfectly groomed nails, the way he offered it so naturally, so effortlessly—like he wasn't even considering that she might refuse.
And the worst part?
She didn't want to.
She felt lightheaded, lost, floating—completely unmoored in his presence.
Like he had walked into her carefully controlled world and shattered it with nothing but a look.
Like she was falling and hadn't even noticed.
Like she had just stepped into something she wouldn't be able to stop.
And the moment she placed her hand in his?
She knew.
She was in so much trouble.