DAMIEN’S POV

“You can stop staring now,” she teased, her lips curling into a small yful smirk as she pulled out the chair and sat down gracefully.

I let out a soft chuckle, rubbing the back of my neck to hide how caught off guard Iv

“So,” I cleared my throat, leaning forward, “how was your night?”

“It was alright,” she replied, her tone calm buth!

“Mine was okay,” I nodded, forcing my voice

gaze briefly drifting, like her mind was already upied with other thoughts. “And yoursb?/bb” /b

sound casual. Then I added, “Again, congrattions on your win yesterday. You were basically the centre

of attention. Honestly, I didn’t even expect you to bid that amount.”

She crossed one leg over the other and folded her arms lightly, her expression turning a bit imore /iserious, though the corner of her lips twitched as if she found my surprise amusing. “Sometimes when you want to get something done, you have to go extreme,” she said. “Plus, I was tired of ying with them.”

“That guy, Adrian Westwood,” I said, lowering my voice slightly. “It seemed like he was after more than just the car. But… Well, he couldn’t achieve bit/b.”

“That’s the past now,” she replied almost instantly, her voice firmer, as if shutting the door on the topicpletely.

“You’re right,” I agreed, raising my hands in a small surrender. “But winning that car will live with you in the past, present, and future,” I added, letting a yful grin spread across my face. “Which is why I think we should celebrate.”

Her brows rose just a bit, curiosity breaking through her guarded look. “As tempting as that may sound,” she started, the amusement fading slightly, “I can’t drink much alcohol or go clubbing. I have my te full now that my dad ising over.”

“Who said anything about clubs or alcohol?” Iughed softly, shaking my head. “No, no, I’m talking about something different. Something calm. Probably like the time we went out when we first arrived in the city. Remember that?”

She paused, her expression softening as she clearly recalled that day. “Hmm… well, I did enjoy my time that dayi,” /ishe admitted, her tone lighter. “So tell me, what do you have in mind this time?”

“Like I said,” I began, leaning forward with more excitement than I meant to show, “I want us to do something unique. And what’s more unique than a nice canoe ride down theke?”

“What?” she repeated, breaking intoughter that sounded so genuine it caught me off guard.

“Are you serious?” she added, still smiling, though

searched mine to see if I was joking

“Of course I am,” I said, my grin widening as I inodde /i

“?

think it would be a good way for us to bond. Away from all the noise and business talk.”

“You do realize that it’s almost impossible to find a cleanke in New York, right?” she pointed out, amusement dancing in her eyes.

“Don’t worry,” I reassured her, feeling my heart pick bup /bslightly just seeing her amused expression. “I have my ways.”

She raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. “I find that hard to believe, given that this is your first time in Americai,/ii” /ishe teased, her voice bcarrying /bthat soft humor that always made her so captivating.

“I’ve got it covered, don’t worry,” I repeated, more confidently this time.

bShe /btilted her head slightly, studying me as though trying to decide whether to challenge me further or y along. “Hmm… and how blong /bbare /bbwe /bnning on spending there?” she finally asked, a yful challenge lingering in her tone.

“Maybe an hour or two,” I shrugged. “But you know how it is–when you’re having ba /bgood timeb, /btime bruns /breally bfast/bb./bb” /b

b10:08 /bbSun/b, b27 /bbJul /b

She held my gaze for a moment longer, then finally nodded. “Alright then,” she said, pushing her chair back as she stood bup/bb. /b“bI /bguess I should bprepar /bmyselfb./b”

Her voice carried a faint warmth that told me, despite her walls, she was genuinely considering it not just humoring bme/b.

“And I’ll excuse you, then,” I replied with a small grin, rising from my seat and stepping towards the door.

Once I stepped out of her room, I couldn’t stop the grin tugging at the corners of my mouth. I squeezed my fist in celebration, whispering under my breath, “Yes.”

It might sound silly, but getting her to say yes to this felt like a small victory. It wasn’t the first time we were going out together, but somehow, I had ia /ifeeling this trip would be different–special, even. Maybe it was because it wasn’t about business, power, or reputation. It was just us, and maybe, bI /bbcould /bget her to open up a little more.

Of course, there was the small detail of me having never actually been in a canoe before, let alone knowing how to paddle one. But how hard could it bbe/bb? /bIt’s just water and a paddle, right?

I changed into something casual for the ride–a simple t–shirt and navy shorts. I checked myself quickly in the hallway mirror, raking a hand through my hair and deciding it looked good enough. Then I waited, pretending I was just scrolling through my phone when in reality I was counting the seconds.

A few minutester, the door opened and Olivia stepped out. My eyes lifted, and I froze for a moment. She wore denim shorts paired with a ck crop top, her hair tied loosely behind her head. It wasn’t anything shy, but it was the most casual I had ever seen her–and it caught mepletely boff /bguard.

“Ok… you look different,” I managed to say, keeping my tone calm as if I hadn’t been standing there rehearsing what to say.

She gave me a faint smile, one that almost made my heart iskip/i. “Thanks. It’s the best choice for this little trip. Now, shall we?” Without waiting, she walked ahead, leaving ime /ito catch up.

At least she seemed interested. Maybe even imore /ithan I was.

The car ride there felt quick, though my mind ikept /ireying every word Julian had said earlier. He’d lived in New York long enough to know the best spots, so ihe /isent me the names of a few quietkes. I picked ithe /ione that seemed the calmest and cleanest, wanting today to be perfect.

When we arrived, theke was everything I’d hoped for–blue water reflecting the soft morning sun, a few scattered canoes floatingzily, and barely anyone around. A breeze rustled through the trees lining the shore, and for a moment, I ijust /istood there, taking it all in.

We paid for the boat, and then came the unexpected part: actually dragging it into the water. The canoe was heavier than I’d expected. I braced myself, digging my heels into the sandy iground/i, and after a few strained minutes, I finally got it floating at the edge of theke.

I turned to Olivia, a bit out of breath but trying to act unfazed. “Alright, I’m not really a fan of this… so, how exactly do I paddle?”

She paused mid–istep/ii, /ieyebrows shooting up, and then sheughed–an unguarded, genuineugh that I’d barely heard from her before. b“/bbWow/bb, /bbreally/bb?/bb” /bshe teased, her voice dancing between disbelief and amusement.

“You suggest we go on a canoe ride and iyou /idon’t know how to paddle?” she added, trying and failing to hold back moreughter.

“Well, you can’t me me,” I said, scratching the back of my neck. “It’s my first itime /idoing something like this. I was hoping you’d bguide /bbme/bb. /b

She

toge

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