The Private Floor
After that conversation, Lia avoided Adrian for exactly one day.
Which honestly felt impressive considering how impossible he'd become to escape.
She ignored his messages.
Took different hallways between classes.
Even skipped her usual library corner because she had a terrifying suspicion Adrian somehow knew about that too.
And maybe the worst part?
He let her.
No surprise appearances.
No black car outside her apartment.
No texts reminding her to eat or sleep or breathe properly.
Nothing.
The silence should've felt peaceful.
Instead—
it felt wrong.
By Thursday evening, Lia realized something deeply concerning:
she missed him.
Not rationally.
Not healthily.
But enough to notice his absence everywhere.
"You look miserable," Sienna announced while stirring instant noodles inside Lia's apartment kitchen.
"I'm tired."
"You're emotionally constipated."
Lia blinked slowly.
"That's not even a real phrase."
"It is now."
Sienna carried the bowl toward the couch dramatically before collapsing beside her.
"You ignored your terrifying billionaire for twenty-four hours. How's that working out?"
Lia stared at her phone lying face-down on the coffee table.
Badly.
Very badly.
Because no matter how hard she tried pretending Adrian overwhelmed her—
part of her had grown used to him being there.
The messages.
The attention.
The feeling of someone always watching closely enough to notice when she wasn't okay.
And maybe that was the real danger.
Not Adrian's obsession.
The fact she was slowly starting to depend on it.
Her phone buzzed suddenly.
Both girls looked down immediately.
Sienna gasped.
"Speak of the devil."
Lia hesitated before finally unlocking the screen.
Message
Adrian: Your kitchen light flickers when overloaded. Don't plug the heater into the same outlet.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Sienna slowly lowered her noodles.
"...How does he know that?"
Lia looked toward the flickering kitchen light.
Then toward the window instinctively.
No black car.
No visible sign of him.
And somehow—
that made it worse.
Message
Lia: Are you outside my apartment right now?
Adrian: No.
Lia: Then HOW do you know that?
Adrian: You forget your curtains are thin.
Sienna physically grabbed a pillow.
"I'm afraid of him."
Lia pressed both hands over her face slowly.
Because honestly?
So was she.
But not entirely in the way she should've been.
Another message appeared.
Message
Adrian: You've been avoiding me.
Lia: Observant.
Adrian: You skipped the library.
Lia: There it is.
Three dots appeared instantly.
Then:
Message
Adrian: Come see me tomorrow.
Lia frowned immediately.
Message
Lia: That sounded like an order.
Adrian: It was.
Lia: You're impossible.
Adrian: 4 PM. Monteverde Holdings.
Her heartbeat stumbled slightly.
Monteverde Holdings.
His world.
Not university events.
Not crowded hallways.
His actual space.
Sienna leaned closer dramatically.
"Oh my god. Is this a business meeting or kidnapping?"
"I hate you."
"No you don't."
Unfortunately—
she didn't.
—
The next afternoon, Lia stood outside Monteverde Holdings trying not to feel intimidated.
Again.
Rain covered the city in silver mist while towering glass buildings disappeared into gray clouds overhead.
Employees moved quickly through the lobby entrance dressed in sharp black suits, all looking terrifyingly efficient.
Lia suddenly became hyperaware of her simple sweater and jeans.
She texted Adrian before she could lose her nerve completely.
Message
Lia: I'm downstairs.
Adrian: I know.
Of course he did.
Seconds later, the lobby receptionist approached her carefully.
"Ms. Valencia?"
Lia blinked.
"Yes?"
"This way please."
The woman guided her toward a private elevator at the far side of the building.
Not the main elevators.
Private.
Great.
The elevator doors opened silently.
Inside, soft lighting reflected against dark mirrored walls while quiet instrumental music played overhead.
The receptionist smiled politely.
"Top floor."
Then left her alone.
Lia swallowed carefully as the elevator began rising.
Higher.
Higher.
Higher.
The city slowly unfolded beneath glass walls around her.
By the time the doors finally opened—
her stomach felt tight.
The top floor looked less like an office and more like another world.
Dark wood.
Floor-to-ceiling windows.
Soft lighting.
Silence expensive enough to feel intimidating.
And near the massive windows overlooking the rainy skyline—
Adrian stood waiting.
Black dress shirt.
Sleeves rolled slightly past his wrists.
No jacket.
No tie.
For some reason—
seeing him here felt different.
More dangerous somehow.
This was his territory.
His real life.
And suddenly Lia understood just how powerful Adrian Monteverde actually was.
He turned the moment she stepped out of the elevator.
His gaze moved slowly over her.
Not rushed.
Careful.
Like he was reassuring himself she'd actually come.
"You came."
Lia crossed her arms lightly.
"You ordered me here."
A faint flicker of amusement touched his mouth.
"You still came."
Fair.
The elevator doors closed quietly behind her.
Now it was just them.
Completely alone.
That realization settled heavily into the room.
Lia looked around carefully.
The office stretched massive and elegant around them while rain hammered softly against the windows.
It smelled like him.
Cedarwood.
Coffee.
Something darker underneath.
"You work up here alone?"
"Usually."
"That sounds lonely."
Adrian's eyes settled on her calmly.
"I don't dislike loneliness."
The answer felt strangely personal.
Lia walked farther into the office slowly.
Bookshelves lined one wall beside expensive artwork and neatly stacked files.
Everything looked controlled.
Perfect.
Not a single thing out of place.
Which honestly felt very Adrian.
Then her attention caught on something near the desk.
A sketchbook.
Open slightly.
Her brows furrowed.
Because the page visible beneath dim lighting looked familiar.
Too familiar.
Lia stepped closer slowly.
And froze.
It was her.
A pencil sketch.
Quick lines capturing her sitting in the university courtyard with her hair falling across her shoulder while reading.
Her heartbeat stopped completely.
Several more sketches rested beneath it.
Her in the library.
Her near the fountain.
Her laughing.
Watching.
Always watching.
Silence filled the office.
Heavy.
Sharp.
Lia stared down at the drawings while something unsettled moved slowly through her chest.
Because they were beautiful.
Careful.
Detailed enough to reveal how closely Adrian looked at her.
And suddenly—
she remembered Marco asking if she still drew.
Her throat tightened unexpectedly.
Slowly, she looked toward Adrian.
"You drew these?"
Adrian remained completely calm.
"Yes."
The honesty hit again.
Always the honesty.
Lia looked back at the sketches.
"You never told me you could draw."
"You never asked."
"You drew me."
"Yes."
Her pulse turned uneven beneath her ribs.
Because nobody had ever looked at her long enough to create something like this before.
Not really.
The sketches didn't feel casual.
They felt studied.
Observed.
Admired in the quietest, most dangerous way possible.
Lia swallowed carefully.
"How long have you been doing this?"
Adrian watched her steadily from across the room.
"A while."
The answer should've frightened her more than it did.
Instead—
her chest tightened with something dangerously close to feeling wanted.