Page 5 of Titus

“I arrived to ensure your event succeeded.”

“That’s not what I said.”

“No,” she said quietly. “It isn’t.”

For the first time, something flickered in her expression. Not nervousness or fear, but something sharper. It was a challenge, and damn it if it didn’t turn me on.

Then she said the one thing that made my irritation sharpen into something far more dangerous. “If you’d prefer, Mr. Hawk,” she said unfazed, “I can leave.” She gestured lightly toward the deck. “However, if I do, you’ll need to find someone else capable of managing thirty billion dollars’ worth of investors before dinner.”

Wyatt inhaled sharply.

“Jesus Christ,” I heard Colton mutter.

And I realized something in that moment: Catalina Veléz wasn’t trying to impress me…she was evaluating whether I was worth working for.

Most people wanted access to my empire, and this woman was deciding whether to be a part of it.

I studied her for a long moment. “You’re staying,” I said, trying to regain control over this woman who was unknowingly unraveling me with each sparring word she said against my own.

Her expression didn’t change. “Of course I am.”

I arched an eyebrow, “And it’s only because I said so.”

“No,” she remarked, “because the event isn’t finished.”

Another beat of silence passed, then she stepped past me.

It was just close enough that the faint scent of her perfume caught the Mediterranean air.

“Now that we’ve settled that, I have investors to manage,” she said and walked away.

Wyatt appeared beside me immediately. “Well, well.” He took a sip of bourbon. “I’m in love with her.”

I watched Catalina cross the deck, issuing instructions to the staff like she’d been running my operations for years.

And for the first time that evening... I smiled. But it wasn’t the smile of a happy, carefree boy. It was the smile of a wolf before it pounces on its prey.

CHAPTER TWO

“I’m telling you, honey, you’re going to love this space,” Nat, my real estate agent and friend, said, already a half step ahead of me as we crossed the street.

I slowed down, taking in everything around me. Expanding my business to this level was everything I’d envisioned when I decided this would be my profession. This was my legacy. My chance to stand apart from every other event planner catering to the elite.

My eyes were instantly drawn away from the stunning building Nat was guiding me to and toward another new, impressive skyscraper. It was all glass and steel, and the tallest building around. It was clear that the building was designed to feel imposing.

Whoever worked there wasn’t just walking through those doors—they were making a statement. Next to Jim Mitchell’s skyscraper, which dominated downtown Los Angeles, I hadn’t seen another building come close… until now. This was exactly the kind of building that dominated the skyline, pulling your attention whether you wanted to give it or not, which was probably the reason I’d been eyeing this place instead of the one Nat was bringing me to.

My gaze lingered longer than it should have, tracking the sharp lines, the reflective surface, the quiet arrogance of something that knew exactly what it was worth.

“I know that look on your face,” Nat said, glancing back at me with a smirk. “But don’t fall in love with the wrong building, darling.”

I chuckled, glancing over at Nat sipping her coffee. “Yeah, it’s not my style. I like my spaces the way I like my clients.”

“Controlled?”

“Refined,” I arched an eyebrow at her.

“This, I already know,” she arched a brow. “That’s why I brought you all the way down to Newport Beach to tour this stunning building. You’re going to love this place.”