After taking a moment to calm myself, I tried to fix my slightly smudged makeup. I drew in a deep breath.
Calm down, El. Your world will be better off without trash like them.
I decided not to go straight home because I was still an emotional mess. This morning, I’d already made so many plans to take Adrian to different places. Just thinking about that damn bastard made me regret not throwing my heels at him earlier.
In the end, I turned the wheel toward one of the luxury salons in the city center.
I figured this was the perfect place to clear my head.
I stopped the car right in front of the salon. I stepped out gracefully and handed the keys to a salon employee to park the car.
I walked toward the entrance with my head slightly lowered, busy looking at my phone.
For some reason, I suddenly thought about contacting an old friend.
My fingers had just moved to send a message when—
Thud!
I ran into someone.
The impact sent the phone in my hand tumbling to the ground.
“Ow…”
I quickly picked it up, checking to make sure the screen wasn’t cracked. Then I took a breath and straightened up to look at the person I’d accidentally bumped into.
A couple.
They looked like they’d just finished shopping. Several paper bags hung from the woman’s hands.
“Sorry…”
“If you’re walking, use your eyes, not just your feet! What, do you think we’re not human? You just go around running into people!”
The woman immediately started berating me.
My mood had already been terrible, and now I had to deal with someone like her.
“I’m sorry. It was completely accidental. Did you hurt yourself anywhere, Miss? I’ll take responsibility.”
I continued to answer calmly.
“You couldn’t afford it. Come on, Honey. Let’s get out of here.”
The woman shot me a scornful look.
Meanwhile, the man beside her was strangely silent.
He hadn’t said a word the entire time.
Instead, his gaze was fixed on me.
I furrowed my brow.
The man looked entirely different from most of the men I’d ever met. He was tall, with sharp features and a prominent jawline. The black suit he wore looked simple, but its cut and quality alone made it obvious that it hadn’t come cheap.
Yet it wasn’t his appearance that made me feel uneasy.
It was his eyes.
Cold.
Calm.
As though he were assessing something deep inside me.
“If that’s all, I’ll be going.”
I started to leave.
“Elena?”
My steps came to a halt.
I turned around.
The man was still staring at me.
“Do you know me?”
He didn’t answer right away.
Meanwhile, the woman beside him was beginning to grow impatient.
“Darling, come on. We still have dinner plans.”
The man gave a brief nod.
“Go ahead.”
The woman looked surprised.
“But…”
“I said, go ahead.”
His voice was flat, but it was enough to make the woman fall silent at once.
She finally walked away, leaving the two of us behind.
I was even more confused.
The man then shifted his gaze back to me.
“You’re Elena?”
I nodded slowly.
“Yes. But… how do you know my name?”
“Your name is fairly well-known in Rainmere.”
I frowned.
“Well-known?”
“The daughter of the family that owns Rainmere Group.”
I let out a small, slightly awkward laugh.
“Oh, so you know my family.”
“Not just your family.”
He paused for a moment.
“I know Adrian, too.”
The smile vanished from my face.
That name.
The name I had just been trying to erase from my mind.
“Adrian?”
The man nodded.
“Yes.”
I looked at him suspiciously.
“Who are you?”
For the first time, the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
“Daniel Blackwood.”
The name left me speechless.
I’d heard it before.
Perhaps far too often.
Daniel Blackwood.
The CEO of Blackwood Corporation, one of the most influential young businessmen in Rainmere. His name often appeared in business magazines and economic news reports.
I never would have expected the man I’d just run into to be him.
“Oh…”
That was all I could manage to say.
Daniel’s gaze briefly shifted to the phone in my hand.
“Is your phone all right?”
I looked down at it.
“Yes. It seems fine.”
“Good.”
He was about to leave, but suddenly stopped.
“Elena.”
I looked at him again.
“Yes?”
“Don’t trust people too easily.”
I frowned.
The comment sounded strange.
“Excuse me?”
But Daniel didn’t explain.
He simply walked away, leaving me behind.
I stood there, frozen in place.
For some reason, his brief words felt like a warning.
And I had no idea that this short encounter would become the beginning of something I never could have imagined.
Something that would slowly change my entire life.