Page 24 of The Hunter's Empire

"I asked questions."

"You provoked me."

The irritating part is that he doesn’t sound offended. If anything, he sounds entertained.

I force myself to hold his gaze evenly. "Maybe your reputation invites provocation."

That makes him step closer. Not enough to touch. Enough to invade space. And every instinct in my body sharpens immediately.

"You think it’s just reputation?" He asks quietly.

There’s no humor left in his voice now. Only darkness and danger.

I should back down. I definitely should. I lift my chin slightly. "I think men often exaggerate themselves."

Silence. Then his eyes move slowly across my face again, thoughtful this time.

"You’re either very brave," he murmurs, "or very reckless."

"I’ve been called worse."

"I’m sure."

The air between us feels strange suddenly. Too close. Too aware. I hate that he affects the atmosphere around him this easily.

Then he bends slightly toward me, close enough that I feel the warmth of his breath near my ear.

"You have an amazing mind, Zora." He says softly. "And a very sharp tongue."

My pulse stumbles once. How does he know my name?

"Sooner or later," he continues, voice velvet-smooth beneath the threat buried inside it, "both will become dangerous for you."

Then, just like that, he steps back and walks away. No goodbye. No final glance. He simply leaves me standing there with whiskey in my hand and my composure hanging by a thread.

I watch him walk away until he disappears into the crowd.What the hell was that?

Annoyance settles in first, directed as much at myself as at him. I came here with a plan. Stay controlled, stay strategic, and impress him enough to secure the job. Instead, I let him drag me into verbal sparring like some reckless amateur.

Worse… I enjoyed it. The realization irritates me immediately.

Around the room, conversations slowly begin rising again while servants move quietly between guests collecting empty glasses.

Then the announcer's voice cuts through the room once more. "Thank you for your patience and interest tonight. You will each receive The Ghost's decision shortly."

That’s it? No theatrics? No drawn-out finale?

Around me, conversations resume and guests begin filtering toward the exits, but my mind is elsewhere. I replay every moment of our conversation, every question I pushed too far and every challenge I should have kept to myself. By the time I step outside into the cold night air, I am already convinced I know the answer. A man like him doesn't choose people who doubt him within minutes of meeting him.

Yet even as the estate disappears behind us during the drive home, fragments of him continue to circle through my thoughts with irritating persistence. Somehow, despite being certain I had ruined my chances before they had even begun, I still couldn't get him out of my head.

Chapter 7

Zora

The next morning, my office feels colder than usual. Or maybe that’s just my mood. The skyline stretches behind the floor-to-ceiling windows while my monitors glow in front of me, but my attention keeps drifting elsewhere.

Back to him. Back to last night. Back to every reckless sentence that left my mouth the second Domenico decided to stand too close and look at me like he already knew exactly which nerves to touch.