Craving the Truth

Chapter One: The Encounter

Chapter One: The Encounter

I never should've been out this late. The streets were empty, the city's usual buzz quieted under the weight of midnight. As I walked, my heels echoed off the pavement, sending nervous chills up my spine. I wasn't one to scare easily, but something felt off tonight. The air felt too still, too cold for an autumn night.

It had all started with a text from Lila. She was supposed to meet me at the bar, but she'd bailed last minute, leaving me stuck downtown alone. I figured I'd just grab an Uber and head home, but then my phone died. Typical. I was cursing myself for not charging it earlier when I noticed him.

He was standing under the dim light of a streetlamp, just a few feet ahead, leaning against a sleek black car. His presence was impossible to ignore. Tall, broad-shouldered, and dressed in a perfectly tailored suit that screamed money. But it was his eyes that caught me—dark, intense, and locked on me as if he'd been waiting.

I should've kept walking. Should've crossed the street and avoided whatever this was. But something in his gaze drew me in. Against my better judgment, I slowed my steps, my breath hitching as our eyes met.

"Need a ride?" His voice was smooth, deep, with a hint of something dangerous lurking underneath. The kind of voice that could melt a girl's resolve in seconds.

I hesitated, a dozen warnings flashing through my mind, but there was something magnetic about him. I couldn't help but be intrigued.

"My phone's dead," I said, shrugging, trying to seem nonchalant, even though my heart was racing. "So unless you have a charger..."

He gave a slow, amused smile. "I could offer you more than just a charger."

I knew better than to get into a stranger's car, especially at this hour, but his gaze had a pull, like gravity, keeping me rooted in place. Before I could even think through my decision, I nodded.

"Alright," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

Without another word, he opened the passenger door, a gesture that seemed too polite for someone so... mysterious. I slid into the seat, the leather cool against my legs as I settled in. He walked around the car, his movements slow and confident, like someone who was used to getting what they wanted.

When he got in beside me, the air in the car felt charged, thick with something unspoken. He didn't start the engine right away. Instead, he turned slightly, his dark eyes still trained on me.

"I'm Dominic," he said, his voice sending a shiver down my spine.

"Serena," I replied, my voice betraying the nervous flutter in my stomach.

He nodded, as if my name was exactly what he'd expected. Then, without another word, he started the car and pulled away from the curb, driving with a calm precision that only added to the air of mystery around him.

As the city lights blurred by, I found myself stealing glances at him, trying to figure him out. There was something almost too perfect about his chiseled features, the sharp line of his jaw, the way his hands gripped the steering wheel with practiced ease. But there was also something darker, something he wasn't saying. I could feel it, like a storm on the horizon.

"You're not from around here," he said after a few moments, his voice breaking the silence.

I glanced at him, surprised he'd noticed. "What makes you think that?"

He smirked, his eyes flicking toward me briefly before returning to the road. "You don't look like someone who belongs in this part of town. Too innocent."

I scoffed, more out of defense than anything. "You don't know me."

"I know enough," he replied, his voice low and cryptic.

The way he said it made my stomach flip. He didn't just mean where I was from; it felt like he knew something more, something deeper. I wanted to ask, to push, but part of me wasn't sure I was ready for the answer.

After a few more minutes of silence, Dominic pulled up in front of my apartment building. My heart raced as I glanced out the window, the reality of what had just happened sinking in. I'd gotten into a stranger's car. A stranger who made my pulse race with just a glance.

Before I could open the door, he reached out, his hand brushing against my arm. I froze, the touch sending a shockwave through me.

"Serena," he said, his voice barely above a whisper, but filled with a dangerous promise. "This isn't the last time you'll see me."

I swallowed, my mouth suddenly dry. "What makes you so sure?"

His lips curled into that same slow, confident smile. "Because I never let go of what I want."

With that, he released my arm, and I stumbled out of the car, my mind spinning. As I walked up the steps to my apartment, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being pulled into something much bigger than I could handle. Something dangerous. Something thrilling.

Dominic Hart wasn't just a stranger I met on the street. 

He was going to change everything.