But the calm didn’t last.

With the noise gone, her thoughts rushed in instead.

She found herself turning inward, questioning something she had never truly examined before, her senses. It wasn’t just her hearing. Her eyesight, too, was sharper than it should be, capable of picking out details at distances most people wouldn’t even notice.

Back then, she had never found it strange. Living among werewolves had set her standard to them; compared to them, she had always felt lacking, especially after realizing she was wolfless. In that environment, she had never once considered that she might still be different.

But now, placed among ordinary humans, the contrast was undeniable.

Was it normal for someone to hear whispers from across a crowded space? To see something as small as ants moving several meters away with perfect clarity?

The answer was obvious.

No, it wasn’t.

And for the first time, Ashley began to truly question it.

But why was she different? What had made her this way? If she wasn’t truly human... then what exactly was she?

The questions came one after another, each heavier than the last, and none of them offered an answer. A faint tension built behind her eyes as Ashley lifted her uninjured hand, rubbing the bridge of her nose in an attempt to ease the pressure before it could turn into a headache.

No matter how much she thought about it, there was nothing to grasp.

So she stopped.

With a quiet breath, she forced the questions aside, pushing them to the back of her mind. There was no point dwelling on something she couldn’t understand, at least, not right now.

Ding!

Luckily, they arrived at the fifth floor, where Aunt Lavinia intended to begin. Since Ashley had come with nothing, they would need to purchase nearly everything she required, though basic toiletries could easily be taken from the household’s own supply.

Still, if Ashley preferred to choose her own, there was no reason not to. With that in mind, Aunt Lavinia guided her toward the section where inner garments and select essentials were displayed.

But the moment the elevator doors slid open, Ashley’s attention was caught.

A pair of polished black leather shoes stood directly in her line of sight. Behind them, the faint outline of several figures.

Instinctively, her gaze lifted.

And then she saw him.

A pair of deep, smoky grey eyes met hers, bottomless and unreadable, like an abyss that pulled her in before she could look away. Her pupils dilated, breath hitching as recognition struck. She had only seen him once before, briefly, but the impression he had left was impossible to forget.

It wasn’t just his appearance, though he was devastatingly handsome. Nor was it merely the quiet authority that seemed to surround him, the kind that made people instinctively fall in line. It was something else, something she couldn’t name.

And then there was the familiar inescapable scent that clung to him. The rich bitterness of coffee laced with the sharp, burning note of rum drifted into her senses, wrapping around her without warning.

It was intoxicating, overwhelming in a way she couldn’t quite understand, making her head feel light as if she were being drawn toward him by something unseen.

The pull was subtle yet relentless, stirring something restless within her, something that made her feel unsteady... and dangerously close to losing control.

And she remembered the time she first met this person, back then, she had seen him bursting out of her former father’s office. Just one glance from him had been enough to make her heart flutter, his image etching itself into her memory without permission.

She had buried that moment quickly, dismissing it as nothing more than being momentarily dazzled by his appearance. After all, she had been Nathan’s fiancée then; there had been no room for such thoughts.

So she had pushed it aside.

Forgotten it.

Or at least, she thought she had.

Because now, standing before him again, all of it came rushing back with overwhelming force. Her breath caught in her throat, her heartbeat spiking wildly in her chest as if it might break free altogether.

’What’s going on?’

The question surfaced in Ashley’s mind, but it did little to steady her. She couldn’t bring herself to look away from the man standing before her. It was as if something held her there, something she couldn’t resist. And worse, she could feel it... his gaze, fixed on her just as intently.

It was too much.

There was a depth to it that made her feel exposed, as though every layer of her had been stripped bare under those smoky grey eyes. As if he could see through her, past the surface, past whatever she tried to hide.

A flicker of unease crept in.

Her fingers tightened unconsciously, clutching the fabric resting on her lap as she tried to ground herself. She pressed her teeth together, attempting to steady the erratic rhythm in her chest, afraid, irrationally, but unmistakably, that in the stillness between them, he might actually hear her loudly pounding heart.

Because right now, all she could hear... was the sound of her own heartbeat, pounding wildly in her ears.

"Sir Gideon... are you here for an inspection?"

Aunt Lavinia’s voice cut cleanly through the tension, smooth and composed as ever. She guided Ashley’s wheelchair forward, pushing them out of the elevator and into the open space, her expression calm as if nothing unusual had occurred.

Her gaze lifted to the man before them, Gideon, taking in his presence with quiet recognition. Behind him stood a line of executives, their posture stiff, their expressions carefully controlled yet unmistakably tense.

They hovered just a step behind, deferential and watchful, as though even standing too close might be considered overstepping. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

The contrast was clear.

And in that moment, it was obvious who held the power in the room.

"...Yes," Gideon answered indifferently, as he stepped aside to give way to Aunt Lavinia and Ashley. Yet even as he moved, his eyes never left her.

His jaw tightened, his gaze darkening with an intensity that felt almost tangible. Seizing the moment, Ashley broke eye contact and lowered her gaze, but it did little to shield her; she could still feel him watching, that heavy, unrelenting focus trailing over her like a touch. It made her shiver.

And yet, it wasn’t the same as before. It wasn’t like the crude, lingering stares she had endured from other men, those that clung to her skin and left behind a sense of disgust.

This was different. His gaze was deep, almost predatory, but there was something else beneath it, something that made her breath hitch instead of recoil. Her heart fluttered erratically, her chest rising as though the air itself had grown thinner under his scrutiny.

She hated to admit it, but it didn’t feel entirely unpleasant.

Gideon was, undeniably, a man crafted to perfection. His features were striking without being excessive, the sharp bridge of his nose balanced perfectly against a chiseled jaw, his bone structure refined yet distinctly masculine.

His deep-set, smoky eyes held a quiet intensity that drew attention without effort, while the faint shadow of stubble along his otherwise clean-shaven chin only enhanced his rugged allure.