Dont Trust Rich Men
The drive home felt too quiet.
Rain slid across the windows in silver streaks while soft music played somewhere through the speakers, low enough to barely notice. The city blurred outside beneath streetlights and traffic signals, glowing gold against the storm.
Lia sat stiffly in the passenger seat.
Not because Adrian drove recklessly.
Actually, he drove with the same calm precision he seemed to do everything else with.
Hands steady on the wheel.
Eyes focused.
Controlled.
That almost made it worse.
Because people who lost control occasionally felt human.
Adrian Monteverde never seemed to.
Lia stared out the window instead of looking at him.
Mostly because every time she looked at him lately, she noticed something new.
The sharp line of his jaw beneath dim lighting.
The silver watch resting against his wrist.
The way he loosened his cufflinks slightly while driving, like discomfort annoyed him.
Tiny details she shouldn't have been paying attention to.
"You're thinking too loudly."
She blinked and glanced at him.
"That doesn't even make sense."
"It does when your expression changes every few seconds."
Lia exhaled softly and leaned back against the seat.
"You parked outside my apartment building."
"Yes."
"You admitted that way too easily."
Adrian's gaze stayed on the road.
"You prefer dishonesty?"
"No. I just think most people would at least try to deny being creepy."
A pause.
Then:
"I already told you I'm aware it's unusual."
"That's one word for it."
Thunder rolled softly overhead.
The city lights reflected briefly across Adrian's face as he turned at an intersection.
Lia watched him carefully now.
"You really don't think you've crossed boundaries?"
"Probably."
"That's not reassuring."
"I wasn't trying to reassure you."
Again.
Honest.
Always honest.
Lia rubbed at her forehead tiredly.
"You know what the worst part is?"
"What?"
"You say insane things so calmly that it takes people a second to realize how insane they actually are."
For the first time since leaving the gala—
Adrian laughed quietly.
Low.
Brief.
Real.
The sound surprised her enough that she stared openly.
His eyes flicked toward her for half a second.
"What?"
"...Nothing."
"You're surprised I laugh."
"No," Lia lied immediately.
Adrian hummed softly like he knew she was lying.
Which he probably did.
Rain battered harder against the windshield as the car slowed near a red light.
The city outside looked colder now.
Quieter.
Lia's apartment district sat far from the glittering business towers downtown. The streets grew narrower the farther they drove.
Less polished.
Less safe.
Adrian's expression changed almost imperceptibly the moment they entered her neighborhood.
Sharper.
More alert.
His eyes scanned the sidewalks carefully while the car moved through dimly lit streets.
Lia noticed.
"You really think this area's dangerous?"
"Yes."
"You sound certain."
"I am."
"Have you even been here before?"
The silence that followed answered the question before he did.
Her stomach tightened slightly.
"...You have."
Adrian kept his attention ahead.
"Yes."
"How many times?"
Another pause.
"Enough."
Lia stared at him in disbelief.
"You are genuinely terrifying."
"That's becoming repetitive."
"Because you keep giving me reasons."
A faint flicker of amusement crossed his face again.
The car eventually stopped outside her apartment building.
The broken streetlamp still flickered weakly near the sidewalk.
Rain poured heavily now, drowning the city in gray noise.
Neither of them moved immediately.
Lia looked toward the building entrance.
Then slowly back at Adrian.
"You watched this place?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
His eyes settled on her calmly.
"I wanted to know if anyone else was watching too."
The answer hit differently this time.
Not possessive.
Protective.
And somehow that confused her more.
Lia frowned slightly. "You barely know me."
Adrian studied her quietly.
"I know enough."
Something about the way he said it made her chest tighten unexpectedly.
Before she could respond, her phone buzzed.
Sienna.
The second Lia answered, Sienna practically screamed through the speaker.
"ARE YOU ALIVE?"
Lia winced. "Please lower your voice."
"WHERE ARE YOU?"
"In a car."
"With him?!"
Adrian glanced sideways briefly, clearly hearing every word.
Lia turned slightly toward the window out of embarrassment.
"Yes."
"Oh my god."
"Sienna—"
"Does he look rich while driving?"
Lia closed her eyes briefly.
"What kind of question is that?"
"The important kind."
Adrian's mouth twitched faintly beside her.
Traitor.
"I'm hanging up now."
"WAIT." Sienna lowered her voice dramatically. "Lia."
"What?"
"Be careful."
The teasing disappeared completely now.
"He's the kind of man people get obsessed with," Sienna continued softly. "And men like that usually destroy people without meaning to."
Lia looked down at her lap quietly.
Because part of her already knew that.
After ending the call, silence returned inside the car.
Rain echoed around them.
Adrian finally spoke.
"Your friend dislikes me."
"She doesn't trust rich men."
"She's smart."
Lia blinked at him.
"That's not the response I expected."
"You expected arrogance."
"A little."
Adrian leaned back slightly against the seat.
"Money makes people careless. Entitled. Cruel."
"You say that like you're not one of them."
"I didn't say that either."
Again.
That brutal honesty.
Lia studied him carefully now beneath the dim dashboard lighting.
"You know," she said quietly, "I still can't figure you out."
Something dark flickered behind Adrian's eyes.
"You shouldn't try."
"Why?"
"Because curiosity makes people ignore danger."
The words settled heavily between them.
Outside, lightning flashed briefly across the sky.
Lia suddenly became aware of how isolated they were.
How easily Adrian could've hidden darker intentions beneath expensive suits and calm smiles.
Most dangerous people didn't look dangerous at all.
And yet—
despite every warning in her head—
she still didn't feel afraid of him.
Not fully.
That realization unsettled her more than anything else.
Slowly, Lia reached for the door handle.
"I should go upstairs."
Adrian's gaze dropped briefly toward her hand.
Then back to her face.
"You didn't eat enough tonight."
Her brows pulled together immediately.
"...What?"
"At the gala." His voice remained calm. "You only touched the fruit and champagne."
Lia stared at him.
"You noticed what I ate?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
A pause.
Then Adrian answered quietly:
"Because I notice everything about you."
The atmosphere inside the car shifted instantly.
Too intimate.
Too intense.
Lia's heartbeat stumbled hard enough to irritate her.
No one had ever looked at her this carefully before.
Not teachers.
Not classmates.
Not even family.
Adrian paid attention like her existence itself interested him.
And maybe that should've frightened her more.
But exhaustion loosened her honesty tonight.
So instead, she asked softly:
"Why me?"
For the first time since meeting him—
Adrian looked genuinely caught off guard.
Just for a second.
Then it disappeared again beneath calm control.
But Lia saw it.
And somehow—
that tiny crack in his composure felt more dangerous than anything else.