𝐀𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟐

"I want a name. Now."

His deep voice resonated within the walls of his dimly lit office. The men gathered around shifted nervously in their positions. His sea-blue eyes had almost turned black, and the men could see the chaos lurking in those eyes as the temperature of the office dropped. He leaned forward from his seat, his fingers steepled on his mahogany desk, narrowing his eyes at each of them.

"What is her name?" he inquired calmly. The men recognized the tone of his voice; it was the calm before the storm.

After a few seconds of silence, one finally decided to speak up "Um, Sir, I beg your pardon, but who exactly is the woman -" The poor man's question was cut short when his employer freezes him with an imperious stare.

"Do you mean to tell me that none of you have come to the conclusion that the woman in the red gown is the only one who has dared to steal something from me?" His fist collided with his desk, and the sound echoed throughout the room, preceded by an eerie silence.

Recognition flashed at their eyes; it was hard to forget about the woman in the red gown, the only person who confidently barged into the estate as if she owned the place.

Once again, he fixed his cold gaze at the men he assigned to check the visitors coming in and out of his luxurious estate. They, of course, avoided his eyes, knowing too well that they were the ones to blame.

Harold, the man in charge of the security, stepped forward "I will take full responsibility for this, Mr Ravensmede. I alone deserve the punishment for neglecting my duty."

Jaw clenched, he stood up from his chair and turned to face the window. His name – Hal Aiden Ravensmede, has always been accompanied by power and wealth. It has been the pride of the Ravensmede, and as the current CEO and sole heir of the family's enterprise, the series of events that happened tonight angers him greatly.

She stole something from him. In Aiden's mind, she wasn't supposed to be a thief or possibly a spy. When Aiden first saw her, he had never wanted to claim anything else than her. She had ignited a part of him he ignored and denied for years. Maybe it was because she was the first woman who didn't throw herself the second she saw him. Or it could be that she was also the first who evoked a challenge with him. But as Aiden looked from his left hand, he was reminded of who she really was.

A thief, that's what she is. Or she can also be a lot worse...

Aiden let his eyes wander to the vast garden of his estate, then shifted his gaze to the night sky, searching for answers he knew will never come. Gathering himself, he walked away from the window and stood before his men.

He couldn't blame them no matter how much he wanted to. Because just like them, he was under her spell.

Aiden finally concluded that what matters now is finding the woman in that elegant crimson gown, dark brown eyes that seemed to pull him in, the styled raven waves that probably took her an hour to get perfect, and that dangerous, enigmatic smile.

He turned to Harold "I want you to track her down, get every information about her – her address, her family and friends, her job, where she usually walks. I want to know everything, especially her name.

With a nod from Harold, Aiden dismissed his men to their jobs. He will come for her and show her what happens when a bad girl steals from him.

✤  ✤  ✤

𝐓𝐰𝐨 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫

Aiden impatiently kept taking glances from his new watch as he waited to confirm Harold's words from their call an hour ago. His men had finally tracked her down. It seemed almost impossible at first because of the possibility of her altering her face. But she messed up with the wrong person, she made a mistake by allowing him to get close to her body.