Karen had very little time to sleep last night. She kept tossing and turning with the threat message and the rumors kept her awake all through the night. At morning she got ready for work, picked up Kayden's favourite coffee from the coffee shop around the office block.
When she stepped into the office that morning she had some sense of déjà vu because Melissa and Brianna were just walking towards her desk with that look that say's "you are done for" .
She quickly walked over to Kayden's office with the coffee in hand, just so she could avoid them.
She was able to avoid "the mean girls" as she refers to them in her head throughout the morning untill almost lunch hours when she collided with Melissa at the tea room where she was given the stink eyes and shoved to the side, while the drink in her cup was slightly tilted and made to splash on Karen, she walked away without the least thing as "sorry."
Later that day,
An invitation came disguised as an order.
"Clear mine and your evening," Kayden said, not looking up from his tablet. "We're having dinner."
Karen paused mid-step. "We?" she asked carefully.
"Yes," he replied, tone neutral, as if her presence were a necessary document rather than a woman. "There are reports to review. I don't want distractions."
She nodded, though something inside her tightened.
He doesn't want distractions, she thought. Yet he keeps pulling me closer.
By the time they left the office, the city had slipped into twilight, skyscrapers glowing like watchful sentinels. Kayden's driver opened the back door, and Karen slid in beside him, their shoulders almost touching.
Almost.
The space between them felt deliberate, thin as a blade, sharp with awareness.
Kayden stared ahead, jaw set, while Karen studied his reflection in the tinted glass. In the low light, his usual severity softened. Shadows traced his cheekbones, his beard neatly trimmed but unmistakably real human.
You're not the devil they whisper about, she thought. Or maybe you are… just a careful one.
The restaurant sat tucked away from the noise of Manhattan, discreet and elegant, the kind of place that didn't announce its importance. Inside, candlelight flickered like secrets refusing to stay buried.
They were seated in a private corner.
Kayden ordered without looking at the menu, his confidence practiced, effortless.
"You've been here before," Karen observed.
"Many times," he replied. "When silence is required."
She smiled faintly. "You live in silence."
He glanced at her then. "Do I?"
"Yes," she said softly. "But it's not empty. It's guarded."
Something unreadable crossed his face.
Wine arrived. Food followed. The space between them shrank—not physically, but emotionally, like a tide creeping closer to shore.
Kayden started with talks about the upcoming deal with the Clarks enterprises also spoke of expansion, of Berlin and risks measured like chess moves. Karen listened, asked questions, offered insights that surprised him.
"You think three steps ahead," he said.
"So do you," she replied.
He shook his head slightly. "I think ten."
"And yet," she said gently, "you still look like someone bracing for impact."
The words hung between them.
Kayden set his fork down slowly. "You're perceptive."
"I pay attention," Karen said. Especially to you, she did not add out loud.
For a moment, the Ice King faltered not visibly, but internally, like a glacier groaning beneath pressure.
Why do you see me? he wondered. And why do I let you?
As they ate, Kayden found excuses, thin ones to keep her engaged.
"Stay focus" he said when she reached for her phone.
"Sit closer," when a waiter interrupted.
"Finish this with me," even when the reports were done.
Karen noticed.
You don't need me here, her mind whispered. But you want me.
The realization warmed her and frightened her all at once.
At one point, Kayden frowned slightly, distracted. Karen leaned forward instinctively.
"You have.... she hesitated, then reached out.
Her fingers brushed his beard, gentle, unthinking. She wiped a small crumb from the corner of his lips, where sauce had stained faintly.
The world stopped.
Kayden froze.
Karen's breath caught as reality crashed down on her like cold water.
What did I just do?
Her hand lingered a second too long.
Electricity surged—raw, unfiltered.
She pulled back quickly. "I—sorry. I wasn't thinking."
Kayden stared at her, pupils darkened, control straining like a leash pulled too tight.
"No," he said quietly. "You weren't."
Silence fell, thick and dangerous.
Karen's heart hammered violently.
This is it, she realized. This is where denial ends.
Because that touch hadn't been professional.
It had been intimate. Familiar. Tender.
And it had felt… right.
Kayden cleared his throat and lifted his glass, taking a slow sip.
You're losing control, he told himself. This woman is becoming a fault line.
Yet he did not pull away. Did not end the dinner. Did not retreat behind ice.
Instead, he spoke—softer now.
"My life is complicated," he said.
"I know," Karen replied.
"No," he corrected. "You don't. And that's why you should stay far from it."
She met his gaze steadily. "You don't get to decide that alone."
Something ancient stirred in him—respect, maybe. Or longing.
"You're dangerous," he said.
She smiled sadly. "So are you."
They finished dinner slowly, words fewer but heavier, like each one carried meaning beneath its surface.
As they stood to leave, Kayden placed a hand at the small of her back, guiding, protectively.
The gesture was brief.
But it said everything.
In the car ride home, Karen stared out the window, heart racing.
I came here to test you, she thought. But I'm the one being undone.
The rumors echoed in her mind. Mafia. Blood. Shadows.
And yet all she could think of was the way he had gone still under her touch.
Kayden watched her reflection again, his chest tight.
I am not a man who gets distracted, he reminded himself.
But the truth was undeniable.
He wanted her near.
Needed her close.
Even when there was no reason.
Dinner with the devil had revealed something far more dangerous than rumors.
It had revealed desire, they were both trying to ignore so hard.
How long do you think their feelings for each other will last before it explodes