udia checked her phone after the battery died, only to find five missed calls and a string of texts from Alexander. A smirk tugged at her lips. "He just can''t stay away, can he?" she muttered to herself. Without hesitation, she called him back. He picked up on the first ring,


    and before she could say anything, Alexander''s voice cut through-sharp, serious.


    "You need to make a public statement, udia," he said, not even bothering with a hello. "My business partner is concerned. Thest thing we need is rumors swirling around your sudden reappearance. It''s bad for the new projectunch and definitely bad for the new hotel in Vegas."


    udia sat on her bed, her gaze drifting to her freshly manicured nails as Alexander kept talking. His voice droned on about the importance of timing, image, and the agreement they''de to.


    "I already agreed to your ridiculous profit demand," Alexander pressed. "Now it''s your turn to follow through. rify everything."


    udia''s lips curled into a yful grin, and she let out a small chuckle. "Oh, I''ll do it," she said, her tone light and teasing, "but only if you have dinner with me."


    There was a brief pause. Then came Alexander''s exasperated reply, "Are you out of your mind? This is a simple request, and you''re making itplicated!"


    Sheughed, her voice lilting. "Nothing''s free in this world, Alex."


    He hissed through his teeth, frustration evident. "Fine. Just-fine. Text me the details."


    udia''s smirk grew. "I''ll let you know where. Be ready."


    Before he could respond, she hung up. Alexander stared at the phone for a moment, his brow furrowed in disbelief. "Why can''t anything with her be easy?" he muttered to himself, sighing as he resigned himself to the inevitable. Two days.


    He had barely gone two days without seeing her, and here he was, about to meet her again.


    The French restaurant was dimly lit, the kind of ce where the waitstaff spoke in low tones and everything felt refined, almost too perfect. Alexander walked in, feeling out of ce in his business-casual attire. A waitress greeted him with a smile. "Do you have a reservation, sir?"


    "I''m here to see udia Wright," he replied, his tone formal.


    The waitress''s smile widened knowingly. "Ah, yes. Right this way."


    She led him to a table tucked away in the back, far from prying eyes and ears. udia was already there, sipping on a ss of red wine, her eyes glinting with mischief when theynded on him.


    "Well, well, look who actually showed up," she teased, setting her ss down. "Didn''t think you''de."


    Alexander rolled his eyes, sitting down across from her. "Let''s just get this over with. I don''t n on staying long."


    "Why so dramatic?" udia asked, her tone dripping with amusement. "I barely caused a mess. Your friend is the one overreacting."


    Alexander shot her a sharp look. "A mess? You''ve caused a PR nightmare, udia. People are talking."


    She waved her hand dismissively. "People always talk. What''s new?"


    He leaned forward, his expression hard. "This is different. You disappeared for months without a word and then just popped up like nothing happened. Everyone''s wondering why." udia arched an eyebrow. "Isn''t that part of my charm? The mystery? The allure?"


    Alexander groaned, rubbing his temples. "No, udia, it''s not charming. It''s reckless. My business partner doesn''t want any drama rted to this project."


    She smirked, swirling the wine in her ss. "Drama, huh? You make it sound so serious."


    "It is serious!" he snapped, his voice rising slightly before he caught himself. He took a breath, lowering his tone. "Look, you know how these things work. One rumor spreads, and suddenly everything we''ve worked for is at risk." udia leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. "And here I thought you liked a bit of risk, Alexander. Like what you did with my father."


    Alexander rolled his eyes. "You can stop mentioning that. I have already agreed with your request and the way you said it, makes it look like I kill your father."


    udia tilted her head, a sly grin ying on her lips. "Well, I''ll make it easy for you this time. I''ll handle the statement, calm the waters-whatever you need. But..." Her grin widened. "You owe me more than just dinner after this." Alexander''s patience was wearing thin, but he forced himself to remain calm. "What do you want now, udia?"


    She tapped her chin thoughtfully, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "Hmm... I''ll let you know when I think of something."


    He shook his head. His face looked annoyed. "Not a chance. I am not doing anything you tell me too. I have done my job and now it''s your turn."


    udia leaned back in her seat and a mischievous smile appeared on her lips. "How about we have dinner while talking about this matter? Maybe we can reach another agreement."


    Alexander narrowed his eyes to udia and leaned back in his chair. "Fine," he said with a sigh, throwing his hands up in mock surrender.


    udia raised her hand to signal the


    waiter. She began speaking in rapid French, ordering an borate meal with a nodded enthusiastically, scribbling down her requests before hurrying off.


    confident ir. The waiter


    Turning back to Alexander, she shed a mischievous smile. "Hope you don''t mind, I ordered for you," she said, her eyes twinkling.


    He smirked. "Well, it''s not like protesting would make a difference since you''ve already ced the order," he replied sarcastically. udia chuckled. "Always so agreeable," she teased.


    Alexander leaned forward, casually grabbing her ss of wine. He took a slow sip, keeping his gaze locked on hers While we wait for this


    surprise feast, maybe we should


    talk, he suggested, setting the ss


    back down.


    She raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what should we talk about?" she asked, leaning back with an air of nonchnce.


    He shrugged. "Maybe you could enlighten me on why you decided to ruin ire''s press release," he said, his toneced with usation.


    udia''s eyes widened in feigned surprise. "Ruin? I didn''t ruin anything," she retorted. "I was merely there to give you a warning."


    Alexander chuckled, shaking his head. "If you wanted to warn me, you could''vee to my office instead of turning the event into a circus," he pointed out.


    She waved a dismissive hand. "I


    don''t know where your office is. Besides, have nothing against


    ire. She''s hardly on my radar et


    she said, inspecting her perfectly manicured nails. "I was there for you."


    His lips curled into a sly smile. "Is that so?" he mused.


    Noticing his grin, udia frowned. "What''s with the smile?" she demanded.


    Without a word, Alexander stood up and pulled out his phone. He held it up, revealing a recording of their conversation. udia''s jaw dropped.


    ??? ?


    figured you''d try to dodge the issue, so I came prepared," he said smugly. "Can''t let you interfere with my ns anymore."


    "You can''t use that against me!" she eximed, a mix of anger and panic shing across her face.


    He shrugged nonchntly. "Watch me," he replied. "Thanks for the lovely dinner, but I have to go." He turned and began making his way toward the exit.


    "Wait! Alexander!" udia called out, scrambling to her feet. She hurried after him, but her heel caught on the rug, causing her to stumble.


    Just then, the waiter reappeared, bncing a trayden with dishes. She collided with him, and the contents of the tray went flying. Pasta, sauce, and sd sttered all over her designer dress. She let out a shriek. "You clumsy fool!" she yelled at the waiter.


    "I''m so sorry, ma''am!" the waiter stammered, his face turning red. "Let me help you."


    "Get away from me!" she snapped, pushing his hands aside. "Do you have any idea how much this dress costs?"


    Alexander paused at the doorway, ncing back just long enough to see the spectacle. A satisfied grin spread across his face before he slipped out into the night.


    udia red daggers at the waiter. "I will make sure you get fired for this!" she hissed.


    "Please, ma''am, it was an ident," he pleaded, picking up the fallen dishes.


    She scoffed, grabbing her purse. "Unbelievable." Ignoring the curious stares of other diners, she stormed out of the restaurant.


    Outside, the cold night air hit her, and she looked around frantically. Alexander''s car was nowhere in sight. "Ugh! That insufferable man!" she muttered, hugging herself against the chill.