Chapter 1: Permission to stare

‘I shouldn't have agreed to come here.’ That's the first thing that comes to 20-year-old Amara Wilson's mind when she steps foot in the exquisitely decorated hall of Miraz Hotels.

The hotel looks nothing but short of a palace and the people attending the banquet look no less than royalties themselves.

All the beautiful, exquisite decorations and the people in customized and luxurious outfits only made her uncomfortable.

She was wearing a red bodycon dress that was from the house of a famous designer; she had grown up in this lifestyle. Lived a life of riches, but to this date, occasions like this have never entertained her even a bit.

It wasn't that she was an introvert, but she preferred being surrounded by people who didn't fake their personalities. And it was the total opposite case here.

If it wasn't for her grandfather asking for a favor, she would have refused.

She looked around to find her friend, Camille Mike, who accompanied her to the banquet.

She rolled her eyes, guessing that Camille must have escaped with a rich second-generation heir to have some fun. Again.

With Camille here, this banquet was at least a little bearable to her, but with her gone, she was itching to escape this mayhem.

Judging by Camille's personality, it would take her at least an hour to come back and she couldn't leave without her.

She caught the eyes of a few men, you raised their champagne glasses at her as a sign of invitation.

Amara decided to escape to a secluded corner until Camille came back. She would be far away from prying eyes and could enjoy some moments of peace and quiet on her own.

It wasn't like she didn't notice the eyes on her. She knew she was beautiful, and the dress she was wearing emphasized her beauty even more.

With that in mind, she started walking towards what seemed to be a balcony on the farthest corner of the hall.

_^^

A cool gust of wind grazed his cheek as the heavy curtains behind him rustled, indicating someone's arrival.

Jason didn't turn around to see who it was, though. His long and slim fingers held the cigar to his cold and thin lips, and he took a drag from it, releasing the excess smoke in a slow motion.

A simple act of taking a drag from a cigar turned out to be so alluring that the beautiful intruder behind him had her eyes stuck on his frame.

Curious about the man in front of her, Amara took a couple of steps towards him.

Jason, who heard the soft click-clack of her heels, didn't bother to pay any attention to her.

A few minutes passed by, but there was no movement from behind him.

Jason grew curious; he could feel the eyes on his back. “It's rude to stare without permission.”

He didn't say anything else after that and just focused on what he was doing.

Jason thought that the woman behind him must have grown embarrassed by his blunt words and was about to leave him alone when he heard the clicks of the heels again.

But all his thoughts went down the drain when the sound of heels, instead of fading away, only grew clearer and louder.

The woman was definitely coming his way.

How shameless. He thought to himself. He didn't have any time to entertain those rich ladies, who were just too fake to be true.

When the sound stopped beside him, he turned to acknowledge the woman and politely ask her to leave him alone.

Before he could utter any of those, his breath and words all got stuck in his throat.

Deep brown eyes with hues of amber in them were staring at him with such a profound gaze as if they wanted to suck him in.

Lips that were as pretty and pink as the petals of a rose were smirking with the tiniest tilt to them.

And the neck. God, the neck!

A flick of fingers in front of his face brought his attention back to the pretty face in front of him.

Amara smirked. “I can't say I don't agree with you. Staring without permission is actually quite rude.”

Jason flicked the ashes off his cigar and took another drag from it before he softly blew the smoke out and finally discarded the cigar.

Their eyes met, and he saw the way her iris darkened on the corners. If he were to be asked, he would say they were the most beautiful shade of brown he had ever seen.

Amara held out her hand towards him and said, “Amara. And you?”

Her straightforward attitude already earned her a plus in his books.

He looked at her fair and lean hand, adorned with a thin diamond-encrusted bracelet on the wrist, and her slim fingers.

Jason extended his hand to shake hers. Amara's grip was both firm and soft. A look at her, and no one would be able to say that such a small woman could have a grip like that.

As he looked at their joined hands, his mind played a scenario where Amara's hand was gripping something else instead of his hand.

He cleared his throat in hopes of clearing out the dirty thoughts in his head that involved this very woman in front of him.

“Jason.” Amara blinked at his short reply.

Just like her, he was also not open to saying his family name. And she was sure they both shared a mutual reason for that.

"So, Mr. Jason, do I have permission now?” Amara asked with a tilt of her head.

Jason, confused at her question and disturbed by his desires, asked, “For what?”

Amara chuckled before leaning on the railing of the balcony and putting her elbow on it. She cupped her chin with her hand before saying, “To stare. At you.”

Jason looked at her in silence for a moment before throwing his head back as he laughed in amusement. The scene in front of her brought sparkles to Amara's eyes.

She smiled watching the man, who looked as cold as ice and as aloof as a mafia, laugh in joy. Because of something, she said.

She never felt such a sense of accomplishment as she did then.

Jason looked back at her and saw her pretty smile, which almost seemed blinding.

He stopped laughing and answered in a tone that was sensual enough to prevent Amara from thinking straight.

“Oh, you can do much more than just stare, sweetheart.”