[Side Quest: Conquer the Auctioneer - 2 hours, 17 minutes remaining]
The notification had been burning in Alex's vision all day, counting down like a bomb timer. Now, standing outside Tatiana's mansion at exactly seven o'clock, wearing another expensive suit he'd bought that afternoon, Alex felt his heart pounding in his chest.
The mansion looked different at night. Quieter. Most of the windows were dark, and there were no valets rushing around, no guests arriving in expensive cars. Just silence and the soft glow of lights from a few rooms.
Alex walked up the steps and knocked.
The door opened almost immediately. A butler - older, silver-haired, expressionless - gestured for him to enter.
"Miss Dijakovic is expecting you. This way, please."
Alex followed him through the quiet hallways. Their footsteps echoed against the marble floors. No music. No laughter. No sounds of a party. Just the two of them walking through an empty mansion that felt more like a museum after hours.
They stopped at a door Alex hadn't seen before. The butler opened it and stepped aside.
"Enjoy your evening, sir."
Alex walked in.
The room was a private dining room. Smaller than he expected. Intimate. A single table sat in the center, set for two with white linens, crystal glasses, and candles that cast flickering shadows across the walls. Floor-to-ceiling windows showed the Paris skyline beyond, the Eiffel Tower glowing in the distance.
And standing by the window, looking out at the city, was Tatiana.
She wore black tonight. A dress that was somehow both elegant and dangerous - high neck, long sleeves, but cut in a way that showed every curve of her body. Her dark hair was down, falling in waves over her shoulders.
She turned as he entered, and smiled.
"Right on time. I like that in a man."
Alex closed the door behind him. "I'm nothing if not punctual."
"Among other things, I'm sure." Tatiana walked toward the table, her heels clicking softly against the hardwood floor. "Come. Sit. Dinner should be ready shortly."
Alex moved to the table, pulling out his chair. Tatiana was already seated across from him, pouring wine into both glasses. Red. Something that probably cost more than his rent.
"To new... friendships," she said, raising her glass.
Alex lifted his own glass. "To new friendships."
They drank. The wine was smooth, rich, probably aged longer than Alex had been alive.
Tatiana set her glass down, studying him across the table. "You look nervous."
"Do I?"
"A little." She smiled. "It's charming, actually. Most men try too hard to appear confident around me."
"Maybe I'm just smart enough to be cautious."
"Cautious." Tatiana tilted her head. "Is that what you are, Alex? Cautious?"
"When the situation calls for it."
The door opened and staff entered with the first course - something that looked like art on a plate. They set it down without a word and disappeared just as silently.
Tatiana picked up her fork. "Tell me something. Why did you really come here tonight?"
"You invited me."
"Yes, but you could have said no. You could have walked away. Found another way to get what you want." She took a delicate bite. "But you came anyway. Why?"
Alex looked at his plate, then back at her. "Maybe I was curious."
"About?"
"You."
Tatiana's smile widened slightly. "Careful, Alex. Curiosity can be dangerous."
"So can beautiful women."
She laughed, a genuine sound that softened her face. "Flattery. How predictable."
"Is it flattery if it's true?"
"That depends." Tatiana set her fork down. "What else do you think is true about me?"
Alex took a sip of his wine, buying himself a moment. "I think you're smarter than you let people see. I think you play games because you're bored. And I think you invited me here because I'm different from the people you usually deal with."
"All true." Tatiana leaned back in her chair. "What else?"
"I think you're lonely."
The words hung in the air between them. Tatiana's expression didn't change, but something flickered in her eyes.
"Lonely," she repeated softly. "That's an interesting observation."
"Am I wrong?"
"No." She picked up her wine glass again. "But you shouldn't have said it."
"Why not?"
"Because now I know you're paying attention." Tatiana's eyes locked onto his. "And that makes you dangerous too."
The staff returned, clearing the first course and bringing the second. Neither Alex nor Tatiana looked away from each other.
When they were alone again, Tatiana spoke. "You're not what I expected, Alex Mercer."
"What did you expect?"
"Someone easier to read. Someone who would try to charm me with lies and empty compliments." She took a bite of her food. "But you're not doing that, are you?"
"Would it work if I did?"
"No."
"Then why bother?"
Tatiana laughed again. "See? That's what I mean. You're refreshing."
They ate in comfortable silence for a while. The food was excellent - each course better than the last - but Alex barely tasted it. His focus was on Tatiana, on the way she moved, the way she spoke, the way she watched him like he was a puzzle she was trying to solve.
**[Side Quest: Conquer the Auctioneer - 1 hour, 43 minutes remaining]**
The notification pulsed in his vision. Time was running out.
"Tell me about yourself," Tatiana said suddenly. "The real you. Not the lies you've been telling."
Alex set his fork down. "What do you want to know?"
"Everything. Where you're from. What you want. Why you're really here." She leaned forward. "The truth, Alex. Just this once."
Alex met her gaze. "I'm from a small town you've never heard of. I worked in tech before... all of this. I'm here because I made a mistake that changed everything."
"What kind of mistake?"
"The kind you don't come back from."
Tatiana's eyes narrowed. "And Lisa? Why do you really want her?"
"Because she doesn't deserve what happened to her."
"Noble." Tatiana finished her wine. "But not the whole truth."
"It's enough truth for tonight."
She smiled. "Fair enough."
The staff cleared the main course and brought dessert - something chocolate and decadent. They ate slowly, the conversation drifting to lighter topics. Books. Travel. The absurdity of wealth.
By the time dessert was finished, Alex realized the staff hadn't returned. It was just the two of them in the candlelit room, the city glowing beyond the windows.
Tatiana stood, walking to the window. "Come here."
Alex joined her. They stood side by side, looking out at Paris.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Tatiana said softly. "All those lights. All those people. Each one living their own little drama."
"Do you ever wish you were one of them?" Alex asked. "Just... normal?"
"Sometimes." She turned to look at him. "Do you?"
"Every day."
They were close now. Close enough that Alex could smell her perfume - different from the red dress night, softer, more intimate. Close enough that he could see the rise and fall of her breathing.
**[Side Quest: Conquer the Auctioneer - 58 minutes remaining]**
"Alex," Tatiana said quietly.
"Yeah?"
"You know why I really invited you here, don't you?"
"I have an idea."
"And?"
"And I think you're not used to people saying no to you."
Tatiana's lips curved into a smile. "Are you going to say no?"
Alex reached up, his hand cupping her face. Her skin was warm, soft. "What do you think?"
"I think—"
He kissed her.
It wasn't gentle. It wasn't tentative. It was possession and hunger and all the tension that had been building between them since the moment they met.
Tatiana made a small sound of surprise before melting into him, her hands fisting in his jacket, pulling him closer.
When they finally broke apart, both of them breathing hard, Tatiana looked up at him with eyes that were darker, more dangerous.
"Well," she breathed. "That was unexpected."
"Was it?"
"No." She smiled. "But it was good."
Alex's hand slid from her face to her neck, his thumb tracing her jawline. "Where's your bedroom?"
Tatiana's eyes flashed with something fierce. "Upstairs. Second door on the left."
"Lead the way."
She took his hand and pulled him toward the door, but Alex stopped her, spinning her back around. His hand found her waist, pulling her against him.
"One more thing," he said, his voice low.
"What?"
"Tonight? You're mine. Not the other way around. Understood?"
Tatiana's breath caught. For a moment, she just stared at him. Then that dangerous smile returned.
"Understood."
Alex kissed her again, harder this time, his hands possessive on her waist. When he pulled back, her lips were swollen, her eyes unfocused.
"Now," he said. "Bedroom."
Tatiana turned without a word and led him out of the dining room, through the quiet hallways, up the grand staircase.
**[Side Quest: Conquer the Auctioneer - 47 minutes remaining]**
The timer ticked down as they walked, but Alex wasn't thinking about the quest anymore.
He was thinking about the woman in front of him, the way her hips swayed as she walked, the way she looked back at him with heat in her eyes.
They reached a door. Tatiana opened it.
Inside was a bedroom that matched the woman - elegant, dangerous, and impossible to look away from.
Alex stepped inside and closed the door behind them.
The lock clicked.
Tatiana turned to face him, her back against the far wall.
"So," she said, her voice breathless. "What now?"
Alex crossed the room in three strides, caging her against the wall with his arms.
"Now," he said, his lips brushing against her ear, "you stop talking."
---
[Author's Note: Thank you for reading. Support with power stones and comments!]