Alex had replayed the evening too many times to count.
Not in a dramatic, chest-tightening way. It was quieter than that. More insistent. Like a tune that refused to leave his head, no matter how much he tried to drown it out with work, numbers, emails, anything that demanded logic.
He stood by the window of his penthouse, jacket long discarded, the city sprawled beneath him in a restless glitter. Normally, this view calmed him. Tonight, it only made him feel oddly detached, like he was standing behind glass in more ways than one.
Grayson.
The name tasted strange in his mouth.
He hadn't planned it that way. He had rehearsed something else entirely. A different name. A different job. A neat little lie he could deliver smoothly, without effort. But when she had looked at him, really looked at him, something inside him had slipped.
And out came Grayson.
Why Grayson?
He didn't know. Maybe because it sounded ordinary. Safe. Like someone who belonged in the middle of a crowd, not at the top of an empire.
Alex exhaled slowly and leaned his forehead against the glass.
He had enjoyed it. That was the problem.
The walk. The conversation. The way Mia Brooks spoke without weighing every word. The way she laughed easily, like it cost her nothing. She hadn't asked him what he did beyond a polite question. Hadn't pushed. Hadn't looked at him with that familiar glint of expectation.
She hadn't known him.
For the first time in years, he had been just a man walking down a street, carrying nothing but his own thoughts.
That terrified him more than it should have.
He straightened and turned away from the window. Enough. This was not something to dwell on. It had been a coincidence. A brief encounter that would fade as easily as it came.
He told himself that as he prepared for bed.
He did not entirely believe it.
Mia's night passed without drama.
She showered, changed into soft clothes, and climbed into bed with the pleasant ache of a long day settling into her bones. The staff quarters were quiet, comforting in their predictability. A place where she felt, for the first time in a long while, that she belonged.
She scrolled through her phone briefly, replied to a message from Kim, then set it aside.
The man she had met earlier didn't cross her mind again.
Not because he wasn't memorable, but because she had learned not to linger on moments that weren't anchored to her real life. People passed through each other's days all the time. Brief conversations. Shared directions. A laugh exchanged and forgotten.
She drifted to sleep thinking about breakfast prep, about whether Margaret would approve of the changes she wanted to make to the menu.
Grayson faded into the background like any other stranger.
By morning, Alex was already buried in work.
He sat behind his desk at Steele Enterprises, posture perfect, expression unreadable. To anyone watching, he was exactly what he had always been. Focused. Imposing. Unreachable.
Ethan, however, knew better.
He leaned against the edge of Alex's desk, arms folded, eyes sharp with amusement. "So," he said casually, "how did your little adventure go?"
Alex didn't look up. "It was uneventful."
Ethan snorted. "That is a lie."
Alex finally met his gaze. "I spoke to her."
"And?"
"And nothing."
Ethan raised an eyebrow. "You came back looking like a man who just discovered oxygen for the first time. Forgive me if I find that hard to believe."
Alex leaned back in his chair. "She didn't know who I was."
"That tends to be the point of disguises."
"No," Alex said quietly. "It was more than that. She treated me like I was… normal."
Ethan's teasing softened. "And you liked it."
"Yes."
Ethan nodded slowly. "That tracks."
"She wasn't impressed. She wasn't curious beyond politeness. She didn't try to get anything from me."
Ethan smiled. "Careful. You're starting to sound smitten."
Alex scoffed. "I am not."
"Yet," Ethan said lightly. "So what now?"
Alex hesitated. "Nothing."
Ethan waited.
Alex sighed. "I want to see her again."
There it was.
Ethan's smile widened. "Ah."
"But not like this," Alex added quickly. "Not at the house. Not at work. Somewhere neutral."
"Of course," Ethan said. "Because heaven forbid you behave like a normal man with a crush."
Alex shot him a warning look.
Ethan laughed. "Relax. I'm not judging. Just… be careful."
"I know."
"Do you?" Ethan asked, gentler now. "Because this is how complications start."
Alex stared at the desk. "I am tired of uncomplicated."
The weekend arrived quietly.
Saturday morning found Mia dressed casually, hair pulled back, a small bag slung over her shoulder. She was heading out to meet Kim, grateful for the chance to step outside the mansion walls and into something familiar.
Kim was already waiting when she arrived, bouncing on her feet like she had been wound too tight.
"There she is," Kim said, pulling her into a hug. "The mysterious mansion girl."
Mia laughed. "I work in a kitchen, Kim. Not a fairy tale."
"Same thing," Kim insisted. "Come on, let's walk. I need air."
They strolled down the sidewalk, Kim chattering about work, about Natalie, about how she was convinced she was destined for something bigger than a reception desk.
Mia listened, smiling, occasionally chiming in.
They turned a corner.
And then Mia stopped.
Across the street, standing near a bookstore window, was a familiar figure.
Grayson.
He looked just as surprised to see her as she felt,or he pretended to be.
For a brief moment, neither of them moved.
Then he smiled.
"Mia," he said, crossing the street. "This is… unexpected."
She blinked, then laughed softly. "That's one way to put it."
Kim's eyes flicked between them. "Am I missing something?"
Mia gestured awkwardly. "This is Grayson. We met the other evening."
Kim grinned instantly. "Of course you did."
Grayson chuckled. "Nice to meet you."
Kim extended a hand. "Kim. Best friend. Professional interrogator."
He shook her hand. "Good to know."
They fell into an easy rhythm, walking together. Kim, oblivious as ever, filled the space with commentary, teasing Mia, asking Grayson where he was headed.
"Nowhere in particular," he said. "I was just walking."
"Same," Kim said. "Walking is underrated."
At some point, Kim's phone rang.
"Oh," she said, checking it. "I need to take this. Go on ahead. I'll catch up."
She darted off, leaving Mia and Grayson side by side.
An unexpected quiet settled between them.
"Funny how that works," Grayson said. "Running into the same stranger twice."
Mia smiled. "New York is full of coincidences."
"Do you believe that?"
"I think people cross paths when they're meant to," she said simply. "Or when the city gets bored."
He laughed. "I like that."
They walked a little farther together, talking about nothing and everything. Favorite foods. Annoying habits. The strange comfort of routine.
As they neared the corner where their paths would split, Grayson slowed.
"Maybe," he said carefully, "we'll run into each other again."
Mia shrugged lightly. "Maybe."
He nodded, as if that was enough.
And as they parted ways, Alex Steele felt something settle into place.
This was no longer an accident.
This was a choice,a choice that might ruin him, a choice that might change things.