Just Once

Chapter17-Sofia

The warmth of Zayden's kiss lingered long after we parted, like an ember smoldering deep in my chest. My forehead still rested against his, our breaths mingling in the quiet hallway. For a fleeting moment, the chaos of the world seemed to shrink into nothingness.

But reality was quick to intrude.

I pulled back, straightening myself, though my legs felt unsteady beneath me. His gaze was fixed on mine, searching, questioning, but I couldn't meet it for long. I couldn't afford to let him see the cracks forming in my armor.

"This doesn't change anything," I said, the words feeling hollow even as I spoke them.

His lips quirked into a faint smirk, though his eyes remained serious. "Doesn't it?"

I hated how easily he could see through me, how effortlessly he unraveled the persona I'd spent years perfecting.

"It can't," I replied, my voice firmer this time. I stepped back, putting space between us, though every fiber of my being screamed against it. "We have bigger things to deal with."

"Bigger than us?" he asked, his tone light, but there was a weight behind his words.

I didn't answer. I couldn't.

Instead, I turned on my heel and walked away, forcing myself not to look back. My suite was just a few steps away, but it felt like miles. When I finally closed the door behind me, I leaned against it, pressing my hands to my face.

What was I doing?

I paced the room, my mind racing. I'd spent years building my empire, fighting tooth and nail to carve out my place in a world that wasn't designed for women like me. I didn't have the luxury of distractions, of vulnerabilities.

And yet, Zayden Meadows had managed to slip through the cracks.

I sank onto the edge of the bed, my head in my hands. The memory of his touch, his kiss, his words—they were a storm in my mind, threatening to pull me under.

This changes things.

Of course, it did. It changed everything.

I couldn't afford to let my feelings for Zayden cloud my judgment. Marcus Lang was still out there, a key piece in the puzzle that was The Society. We'd come to London for answers, for leverage, and I needed to stay focused.

But as much as I tried to convince myself, I couldn't shake the image of Zayden's eyes, the way they softened when he looked at me, as though he saw past all the layers I hid behind.

A knock at the door snapped me out of my thoughts.

For a moment, I hesitated, my pulse quickening. But when I opened the door, it wasn't Zayden. It was Victor, his expression as stoic as ever.

"We've got a lead," he said, holding up his phone. "Lang's hosting a private auction tomorrow night. High stakes, exclusive guest list. We're on it."

I nodded, slipping back into the role I knew best—the strategist, the leader, the one who always had a plan. "Good. Get me the details. I want to know who's attending, what's being auctioned, and how we're getting in."

Victor hesitated for a moment, his sharp eyes studying me. "You okay, Sofia?"

"I'm fine," I said quickly, brushing past him and heading to the desk where my laptop sat. "Focus on Lang. We need to be ready."

He didn't push, though I could feel his gaze lingering before he left.

Once I was alone again, I exhaled slowly, my hands gripping the edge of the desk. I stared at the screen, the lines of text blurring together as my thoughts drifted back to Zayden.

This was dangerous.

Not just The Society, not just Lang, but this... whatever it was between us.

And yet, as I sat there in the silence, I couldn't help but wonder if maybe, just maybe, some risks were worth taking.