The sun was already mocking Mina from above as she weaved through traffic, her hands gripping tightly on the handles of the delivery bike. Her stomach growled again—loud and rude, like it was protesting her life choices.
"Shut up," she muttered to her stomach.
She had never delivered to some big, scary glass tower before, and Kael Enterprises was exactly that—terrifying, spotless, and so tall it scraped the clouds like it had something to prove.
She skidded to a halt in front of the building, almost knocking over a metal trash bin.
"Oops. Sorry, elegance," she whispered, steadying the bike.
She stared up at the looming structure. The doors were polished black glass, and a security guard stood at the front like a Greek god dipped in cologne and gym time.
Okay, Mina. Don't drool.
And why am I drooling?
It's like I hit second puberty. First the dream, now I'm drooling on a security guard?
She hopped off the bike, grabbed the delivery bag, and strutted inside like she belonged—even if her sneakers squeaked every step like they were exposing her.
"Delivery for Kael Enterprises," she said to the lady at reception. The woman didn't even glance up—just pointed toward the private elevator.
"Top floor."
Top floor? Damn.
These rich people didn't do "middle ground," huh?
She stepped into the elevator, the bag clutched to her chest like a newborn. As the doors closed, she stared at her reflection—pale, a bit sweaty, but eyes bright with something dangerously close to hope.
"Don't screw this up, Mina," she whispered.
The elevator dinged.
She stepped out and—
The floor was... luxury.
Soft carpets. Massive windows. Air that smelled like lavender and dominance. Everything was tinted in a rich, obsidian aesthetic that made her faded uniform look like a stain.
Then, her eyes landed on the woman at the desk ahead—black pencil skirt, hair tight in a bun, eyes sharper than scissors.
"Delivery," Mina said, trying not to sound like a peasant.
The woman looked up, blinked once, then stood. "This way."
Mina followed.
Each step felt like walking into a future she wasn't invited to. She could hear her own heartbeat—and her sneakers squeaking betrayal again.
The woman knocked once on a thick, black double door and pushed it open.
And there she was.
A mesmerizing beauty.
Sitting behind a wide glass desk, legs crossed, a pen in hand, and eyes colder than death on Christmas morning.
Her dark hair cascaded over one shoulder, and her amber eyes looked up slowly—slowly—like Mina wasn't even worth a blink.
Mina's breath caught.
Wait. Wait. No freaking way.
Who could look this killing?
That face, those eyes... that presence.
She was frozen. Staring.
Xiraya didn't even blink. "Is that my coffee or your resume?"
Mina almost dropped the bag.
She stepped forward, placed the bag on the desk, and mumbled, "Your order, ma, from Favorite Café."
Xiraya stood, walked over—slow, like every step she took cost the earth a favor.
"I know the café. I always order from there. No need to say the name."
She was taller up close. Taller and terrifying.
Her fingers grazed Mina's as she took the order from her hands. That single touch sent a jolt through Mina's spine straight to her stomach—and possibly lower.
Fuck, the dream did mess with me, Mina thought.
"Do I know you?" Xiraya asked, knowing well she had pulled off an erase spell on her and Mina couldn't remember—but she just wanted to test it.
Mina looked up too fast. "No! I mean—I don't think so. I just do deliveries."
Xiraya's gaze lingered a second too long. Her head tilted slightly, a flicker of curiosity behind those emotionless eyes.
"Hmm."
Just that?
A simple, soul-shaking "Hmm."
Then she turned and walked away, as if Mina didn't exist anymore.
Dismissed.
Mina backed out, nearly tripping over her own legs as she turned to leave.
She made it into the elevator and only when the doors closed did she let out the breath she'd been holding.
Her hands trembled.
Her chest thudded.
And her head?
A mess.
Out of all temptations…
It had to be a rich-ass woman.
Get it fucking straight, Mina.
Shit.
She hadn't collected payment.
Her heart kicked into gear again. She turned sharply and marched straight back inside, ignoring the receptionist's raised brow, and slammed the elevator button like it had personally offended her.
By the time the elevator doors slid open on the top floor, Mina's chest was already rising and falling with nervous frustration. She stormed toward Xiraya's office and pushed the door open.
Hard.
"Ma, you didn't pay."
Xiraya looked up slowly, her face a picture of calm fury. Her amber eyes narrowed.
"I see you're new to the job," she said, rising from her seat. "And what exactly gave you the right to barge into my office like that?"
Mina stood there, lips parted, no words forming. Her brain was stuck between being rude or apologising. After all, she'd spent two hellish days searching for this job. This wasn't the time to gamble.
"I... I'm sorry, ma," she said quietly, bowing her head a bit.
Xiraya's eyes widened slightly. Shocked.
The girl she remembered had guts... if only she knew the colorful insults brewing in Mina's head right now.
But Mina wasn't stupid. She knew better than to explode—no matter how entitled this woman sounded.
Still, she held her ground.
"I know I barged in, and I'm sorry... but the payment, ma."
Xiraya stared at her for a beat longer.
"Are you daft?" she snapped. "Couldn't you have asked the receptionist for clarification? Honestly, maybe I'll stop ordering from that café altogether."
Mina's eyes stretched wide. Her heart sank like a brick.
Just got the job. And now I'm about to lose it. Great.
"I didn't know you'd paid already... I thought—"
"What if you'd damaged my door?" Xiraya asked coldly.
"But I didn't," Mina fired back, voice sharper than intended.
Xiraya's brows lifted. "Excuse me?"
Mina blinked.
Shit. Did I just backtalk?
But something in her snapped. "Are you being serious right now? I made one mistake. And I apologized. That's it."
Xiraya took a slow step forward, amber eyes boring into hers.
"Well, what if I was in a meeting?" she asked, voice low and dangerous.
Mina didn't flinch.
"I literally just walked out of your office. How the hell am I supposed to know you're suddenly in a meeting? What do you want from me, ma? I've said sorry."
There it was again—that look. Like Mina was a problem that wouldn't go away.
Xiraya's eyes trailed down slowly, pausing at Mina's uniform, then rising again to meet her eyes.
She stepped closer. Too close.
Then her voice dropped to a whisper. Cold. Cruel.
"Go naked for me here... and I'll let you go without being fired."
Mina's brain went blank.
Her mouth parted in shock.
Did she just... say that?
Was this a joke? A test? A hallucination?
Mina stared at her like she'd grown a second head. "Are you out of your mind?"
"I said what I said," Xiraya replied, completely serious. "Strip. And I'll forget this whole little... incident."
Mina's breath hitched.
She took a step back, her fists trembling. Her heart raced with anger, disbelief, humiliation... and something else she didn't want to name.
It was one thing to be broke.
Another to be disrespected.
But this?
This crossed a line she wasn't even sure how to process.
She looked around the office—polished, elegant, cold.
Then back at the woman in front of her.
This couldn't be real.
But it was.
And the worst part?
A tiny voice in her head whispered: If you say no... you're back to square one. Jobless. Hopeless.
---—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vaelrix stopped in his tracks. He had been hunting for the dark spell book like a madman.
He paused...
One second he was moving through the city crowd like smoke, and the next—a pulse slammed into his chest. Barely a second long.
Old magic.
Dark. Familiar.
His eyes snapped up.
People brushed past him, clueless. Cars honked. Rain fell soft, almost lazy.
But none of that mattered.
The spell book.
He felt it.
Someone who had come in contact with it had passed him.
His jaw tightened as his gaze swept the sidewalk. A girl had just passed in a dark hoodie—fast steps—but she was gone before he could even blink. Vanished into the sea of humans.
No scent. No signature.
Just... gone.
"Fuck," he swore under his breath, turning sharply as the sensation tugged him across the street—to a café.
FAVORITE CAFÉ, the sign read.
"Of course they'd hide it somewhere this... obvious." He smirked.
He pushed the door open. Bell chimed.
Warmth and espresso hit his nose. Nothing magical. Just noise, chatter, coffee machines. A barista laughed behind the counter. Students typed. Someone cursed into a phone.
Disappointment washed over his face.
But it was gone now, the power pulse couldn't be felt.
His eyes scanned every face. Nothing. No one. No trace.
Still, he walked to the café. Slow. Careful. Watching.
Nothing.
The pulse never came back.
He stood by the door a moment longer. Silent.
Then he stepped out into the street again, lips twitching—not quite a smile. Not quite a frown. Just... focus.
"It was here," he muttered.
"And I'll come back for it."
Rain dripped from the awning.
Behind him, the café door swung shut.
Vaelrix disappeared into the city again—
But now he had a location.
And he never let go of a lead.
---—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sneak Peek ...
"Women are not my love interest," Mina deadpanned.
.
.
.
"Does it matter right now?" Xiraya asked, grazing her finger along Mina's shoulder.