The Secret Spouse

The art gala shimmered with opulence, but Mia Carter's focus wasn't on the glittering gowns or the clinking glasses.

Her pulse quickened as she scanned the room, her instincts prickling with the unmistakable sensation of being watched.

She hadn't been followed,she was certain of that,but someone here had found her, and she needed to know who.

Her fingers tightened around the stem of her champagne glass as she turned slightly, her gaze sweeping the crowd. And then she saw him.

He stood near an abstract painting, his presence as sharp and deliberate as a blade. Dark hair swept back from a face carved with precision, but it was his eyes,piercing blue and unrelenting,that pinned her in place.

He wasn't just looking at her; he was studying her, dissecting her with a calm intensity that sent a shiver down her spine.

Mia's breath hitched. She forced herself to remain still, to keep her expression neutral even as alarm bells screamed in her mind.

Who was he? A stranger? Or something far worse?

She turned away, pretending to admire a nearby sculpture, but her heart pounded in her chest like a war drum. She could feel his gaze following her, burning into her back. This wasn't coincidence,his was. deliberate, Calculated.

Her training kicked in. She placed the champagne glass on a passing waiter's tray and began weaving through the crowd, careful not to move too quickly or draw attention to herself.

The gala was crowded enough to provide cover if she needed it, but every step felt like walking a tightrope over an abyss.

She reached for the small clutch tucked under her arm, fingers brushing against the cold steel of the compact weapon hidden inside,Just in case.

"Mia Carter," a voice said behind her, smooth and deep like velvet dipped in danger.

Her stomach dropped. No one here should know that name,not that name.

She turned slowly, masking the panic that clawed at her throat. It was him,the man with the piercing blue eyes,standing impossibly close now, his presence suffocating yet magnetic.

"Do I know you?"she asked coolly, tilting her head as if he were just another stranger at another party.

A faint smile tugged at his lips, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Not yet," he said softly. "But I think we should change that".

Mia's pulse thundered in her ears, but she kept her expression smooth, her lips curving into a polite, practiced smile.

"I'm afraid you have me confused with someone else," she said lightly, though her voice didn't betray the storm brewing inside her.

His smile widened, just enough to make her uneasy. "I don't think so." He took a step closer, his presence radiating confidence and something darker,something that made Mia's instincts scream at her to run.

"You can change your name, your hair, even your story... but your eyes? Those always give you away."

Her stomach twisted into knots. Who was this man? How did he know about her past? She had been careful,meticulous, even.

The life she had built in New York was seamless, every detail crafted to perfection. There was no way anyone could have traced her here.

Unless they were looking for her.

"What do you want from me?" she asked quietly, cutting through the pretense.

Leo leaned against the railing casually now that they were alone on the balcony overlooking Manhattan's glittering skyline.

For a moment, neither of them spoke,the silence stretching taut between them like a wire ready to snap.

"You've been hard to find," he said finally, his voice softer now but no less intense.

Mia crossed her arms over her chest, masking the unease that coiled tighter with every word he spoke. "Maybe I didn't want to be found."

"Maybe" he agreed easily, his gaze never leaving hers. "But people like us don't get to disappear,not really."

Her heart skipped a beat at his words,at what they implied about him and what he knew about her. People like us.

"You seem awfully sure of yourself," she said lightly but edged with steel. "Do you always approach strangers with cryptic lines like that?"

He chuckled softly,a sound low and dangerous. "Only when the stranger isn't really a stranger." His gaze flicked over her face again, sharp and assessing. "But don't worry,I'm not here to cause trouble. Quite the opposite."

"And what exactly are you here for?" Mia asked warily.

"To talk," he said simply, his voice calm but laced with an undercurrent of something she couldn't quite place. "That is... if you're willing to listen."

She hesitated for a fraction of a second before glancing around the room behind them through the glass doors of the balcony.

The gala buzzed on without them,oblivious to this quiet battle of wills taking place just outside its glittering walls.

"Fine," she said finally, keeping her tone neutral. "Let's talk."

Leo straightened slightly as if satisfied by her answer but didn't move closer this time,a calculated gesture that made Mia even more uneasy.

"You might not think so now," he said quietly after a long pause, his voice low enough that only she could hear it over the city's hum below them.

"But trust me... whatever you're running from? It's closer than you think."

Her breath caught in her throat as his words settled over her like a storm cloud,heavy and foreboding.

And then he stepped aside without another word and disappeared back into the crowd inside as if nothing had happened at all.

Mia stood frozen on the balcony for several long moments after he left, staring out at Manhattan's glittering skyline without really seeing it. Her mind raced with questions and possibilities,none of them good.

Who was Leo Sterling? How much did he know? And most importantly... how much danger was she really in?

As the city lights flickered below like distant stars, one thing became painfully clear: whatever game Leo had just pulled her into wasn't one she could afford to lose.