Chapter 2

"Valerie! Where are you going?" My assistant caught up with me in the hallway, looking panicked.

She took one look at my face and quickly tried to make excuses for Alexander.

"Mr. Williams only gave the necklace to Miss Bennett for PR. The Bennett family is the biggest investor in his new film. Mr. Williams is just playing the game..."

I stopped, looking at her frantic eyes, and suddenly smiled.

"Playing the game?" I wrapped my shawl tighter around my shoulders, my voice so calm it even surprised me.

"Well, he’s a fantastic actor then."

The calmer I was, the more terrified she became.

She knew I loved Alexander past the point of sanity.

Usually, if he so much as frowned, I would worry for hours. There was no way I should be this indifferent.

"Go back inside. I'm tired."

I ignored her pleas and walked straight out of the hotel.

A cold wind blew, whipping up my thin dress.

I hailed a taxi and gave the driver an address.

An underground racetrack on the outskirts of the city.

The place was filled with the roar of engines, the acrid smell of burning rubber, and deafening rock music.

It was the exact opposite of the suffocating, fake high-society party I had just left.

Wearing an expensive gown and high heels, I walked into the crowd, looking completely out of place.

But I didn't care.

I walked to the edge of the track, leaned against a rusty iron railing, and lit a cigarette.

I didn't actually know how to smoke. I had just breathed in Alexander’s secondhand smoke for three years and picked up the habit.

"Hey, beautiful. You alone?"

A young guy in a black racing suit walked over.

He had a faint scar over his eyebrow, and his eyes were wild and untamed. He practically radiated pure testosterone.

Diego. The wildest wolf on this track.

He and Alexander were from two completely different worlds. Alexander was a man of cold calculation, always keeping his emotions locked away.

I blew out a puff of smoke, looking at him through the hazy screen.

"Need a co-driver?" I asked casually.

Diego paused, then grinned, showing sharp canine teeth.

"Princess, my car is a death trap. That dress doesn't look like it's made for speed."

"Win this race, and I'm yours tonight."

Tinged by the alcohol I had at the gala, I leaned in close to him on purpose.

As the distance closed, I could clearly feel his muscles tense and his breath turn hot.

Honestly, I didn't know how to flirt.

My movements were stiff and awkward, but I just wanted to force myself out of Alexander's suffocating cage.

Diego’s adam's apple bobbed. His eyes darkened.

He reached out, his hand moving toward my waist.

But just before his fingers could touch my dress—

BANG!

A row of metal oil drums nearby was kicked over violently, making a deafening crash.

The entire place fell dead silent.

The crowd was roughly pushed aside, and two big men in black suits cleared the way.

Then, Alexander strode in.

He was still wearing his tuxedo from the gala, though his tie had been loosened, and his sharp jawline was dangerously tight.

His face, usually so calm and unreadable, was now dark enough to kill.

His eyes bypassed Diego, locking onto me like twin daggers.