Morning arrived slowly over Rodsfield Tower.
Sunlight crawled across the polished marble floors of Lucian Rodsfield's penthouse touching shelves of books he rarely opened and furniture that looked expensive but unused. The place was designed by architects, interior designers and consultants who specialized in luxury living
None of them had designed it for comfort
Lucian stood in the kitchen staring at his coffee machine like it had personally offended him
He hadn't slept much
His mind kept replaying the same moment from the night before the café window the rain the girl sketching in a notebook.
It was strange how clearly he remembered her voice
Lucian checked his phone no messages. No missed calls
Of course not they had only met once.
Still something about the encounter lingered like the echo of a song
He took a sip of coffee and grimaced
too bitter
The silence in the penthouse pressed against him again
So he did what Lucian Rodsfield always did when his mind refused to sit still
He went to work.
rodsfield tower was already alive when he arrived.
Assistants moved quickly through the lobby. Screens displayed global market data. Investors from Tokyo, London, and Singapore waited in digital queues for meetings with executives
The building functioned like a living machine.
And Lucian was its central processor
Morning, sir.
His assistant stepped beside him as the elevator doors opened on the executive floor
Her name was Mara Kline precise, efficient, and frighteningly organized.
Your schedule is full today she said, handing him a tablet. Three investor meetings, a media call, and the board review at two
Lucian skimmed the list. Cancel the media call
They've already confirmed.
Cancel it anyway
Mara made a note without arguing.
They walked into the main conference room where several executives were already waiting.
Among them sat adrian vale who looked up from his laptop with a tired expression.
You look terrible Adrian said
Lucian sat down
Good morning to you too.
Adrian leaned back
did you go to the party after all?
No.
Then why do you look like someone stole your sleep
Lucian paused for a moment.
Then he said casually,
I met someone
The room went quiet.
Mara blinked
Adrian slowly closed his laptop.
You what?
Lucian frowned.
Is that surprising?
Yes Adrian said immediately. Because in ten years you've rejected approximately forty two attempts by friends, investors, and one very determined model to introduce you to a woman.
Lucian ignored that.
She's an artist, he said. Name's Eva
Adrian stared at him for a few seconds
Then he smiled
Well, look at that. The billionaire has discovered human interaction.
The meeting began shortly after but Lucian found it difficult to focus
Numbers moved across screens executives talked
Charts appeared
yet every so often his mind drifted back to the café
To eva's smile to the sketch in her notebook.
He almost missed the moment when someone cleared their throat loudly
Lucian looked up
Across the table sat a woman he hadn't seen before.
She was probably in her late twenties dressed simply but professionally with dark braided hair pulled behind her shoulders a tablet rested in front of her filled with notes
Adrian noticed Lucian's confusion
Oh right Adrian said you weren't here yesterday when we hired her
The woman offered a polite nod
Vida Laurent
she said. Data analyst.
Lucian studied her briefly
New?
First week she replied calmly.
There was something steady about the way she spoke like someone who observed more than she talked
lucian gave a small nod
Welcome to Rodsfield Group
Thank you
The meeting resumed.
But as the discussion moved on, Vida occasionally glanced toward Lucian—not rudely, not suspiciously.
Just… carefully.
As if she were trying to understand something.
Later that evening lucian returned to the café