C18 Secrets

SYDNEY

I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

The veins. The eyes.

The way Alaric kissed me like he wanted to consume me and then—just like that—shoved me away as if nothing had happened.

I paced my office like a caged lioness, my heels clicking on the marble floor. Paige sat on my desk, chewing on a pen and watching me with mild amusement.

“Okay, spill,” she said. “You’ve been acting like a soap opera villain since this morning. And don’t say it’s about the quarterly meeting, because even you don’t get this dramatic over profit margins.”

I froze mid-pace, then spun around, throwing my hands up. “He kissed me, Paige!”

Her pen dropped. “Oh. Ohhh.” A slow grin spread across her face. “So the ice king finally melted.”

“No.” I clutched my head like the world was ending. “It wasn’t just a kiss. It was… it was like—like my whole body caught fire. Like every nerve was screaming, yes, more of this, please.”

Paige laughed so hard she nearly fell off my desk. “You? The woman who dumped three boyfriends because they chewed too loudly, reduced to poetry because of one kiss? This is historic.”

I shot her a glare, but my cheeks were burning.

---

“And then,” I continued, lowering my voice, “I saw his eyes. They changed, Paige. And the veins on his face—like something out of a horror movie. It was… it was terrifying.”

Her laughter died instantly. “Wait. Are you saying—he’s on drugs? Or… or maybe you imagined it? You were hurt, your adrenaline was spiking—”

“I know what I saw.” My voice cracked on the words.

Paige studied me carefully. “So what do you think he is? A Marvel villain? A… vampire?”

The word hit me like a jolt. I actually laughed—too high-pitched, too frantic. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

But the thought lodged in my brain, refusing to leave.

---

I sat down, staring at my reflection in the glass wall of my office. My heart hammered like it was trying to punch its way out of my chest.

He wasn’t just handsome. He wasn’t just cold, aloof, impossible to read. He was different.

Dangerous.

And I hated that every dangerous thing about him made me want him more.

---

Paige crossed her arms. “So… what’s the plan? You gonna confront him about it? Or just daydream in your office until you explode?”

I straightened. “Both. Obviously.”

She groaned. “Sydney…”

“No, listen,” I said quickly. “I made a bet with Rivera and Cindy, remember? I said I’d make him mine within a month. And right now, he thinks he can push me away, pretend he doesn’t feel it. But that kiss—”

I bit my lip, remembering the hunger in his eyes before he stopped himself.

“That kiss proved he’s not immune to me.”

Paige smirked. “So you’re doubling down?”

“Exactly. If he thinks he can scare me off with his little… whatever-that-was, he’s wrong. I’m going to make him fall for me. And when he does, he won’t know what hit him.”

I leaned back in my chair, smirking at my own reflection.

Step two of my plan was about to begin.

And Alaric Stallone—whatever secrets he was hiding—wasn’t ready for me.

Not even close.

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