The skewer was half-eaten when the bell over the grill shop door jingled again.
Lucas didn't look up at first—just another face coming in for meat and warmth. Then he heard the voice.
Clear. Unhurried. And already aimed.
"So this is where billionaires hide when they've been roasted by boardrooms."
He glanced up.
Xinyi Zhen, hair pinned up like it was an accident, coat folded over one arm, heels unapologetically loud on the tile. She looked out of place, but somehow right there—like she'd walked out of a stock portfolio ad to drop a one-liner.
Lucas blinked. "How did you—"
She slid into the seat across from him like it was hers. "I told my team I had a lead on a hostile media leak. Which was true. They just didn't know it was about you."
Lucas leaned back slightly. "You're stalking me now?"
Xinyi smirked. "Please. If I were stalking you, I'd be wearing flats."
She flagged the waiter with a two-finger gesture and nodded at Lucas's plate. "Whatever he's eating. And one of your overpriced sparkling waters."
The waiter left. Lucas still stared.
She leaned in, voice lower now. "PR204. Your hair was longer. You sat in the back. I remember because you corrected Professor Nie on a media ethics clause… and she actually agreed."
Lucas squinted. "You remember that?"
"You did my homework, Lucas. Of course I remember." Her eyes sparkled. "You were that nerd."
He smirked. "And you were the spoiled heiress who thought 'PR' meant personal runway."
"That's still up for debate," she said, crossing her legs.
ATHENA buzzed gently in his ear."Public-facing media team under Xinyi Zhen is drafting a soft-launch piece linking your names romantically. Potential title: 'First Flame Rekindled.'"
Lucas rubbed his jaw. "You're trying to rewrite history."
"I'm monetizing it," Xinyi said, deadpan. "It's a feel-good narrative. We were young. We were split by class, ambition, chaos. Now we're reunited—two heirs building the future while healing the past."
"Sounds like a drama."
"It's PR," she corrected. "But it could be romantic too. If you don't mess it up."
The food arrived.
She took a bite. Chewed thoughtfully. Then leaned forward again.
"Let me be clear. I'm not here for nostalgia. I'm here because I want you on my side. If we're playing in public, I'd rather do it hand-in-hand than headline-to-headline."
Lucas sipped his beer slowly. Eyes on her.
"I know what this looks like," he said. "But I'm not playing house for the cameras. I want something real. I didn't grow up with billion-dollar expectations. I grew up with two parents, part-time jobs, and meals that didn't require a publicist."
Xinyi didn't blink. "And you think real love survives in our world?"
"I think it has to," Lucas said quietly. "Or what the hell's the point of any of this?"
She studied him, face unreadable for a long beat. Then, softer than before, "I wanted that too. Once. But you try living in a glass house built out of legacy and legal teams. Every person you love becomes a liability or leverage."
Lucas leaned forward, voice low.
"I've got a lot of lines I'm willing to bend for strategy. But relationships? That's one of my bottom lines. If I'm in, I'm in. Otherwise, we shake hands and play nice in boardrooms."
Xinyi tilted her head, lips curving.
"Lucas," she said, reaching for the skewer he handed her earlier. "I'm very good at getting what I want."
"Even when it wants something different?" he asked.
"Especially then."
Their eyes locked. Between them, the steam from the food curled upward, thin and temporary.
ATHENA chimed low."Warning: Subject Zhen's negotiation profile has been reclassified to strategic entanglement. Recommend maintaining boundaries."
Lucas didn't respond to the AI. He didn't break eye contact.
Instead, he let the silence stretch just a little longer.
Then, with a half-smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, he said, "I've got time. All the time, actually."
Xinyi's eyes glinted.
She lifted a hand, summoned the waiter with a flick of her fingers, and said simply, "Dessert. The house special."
When it arrived—delicate golden mango slices over black sticky rice and a scoop of lychee sorbet—she didn't pass him a spoon. She scooped a bite herself, then leaned in and held it out for him.
"Smile for the cameras," she murmured.
Across the street, someone definitely was taking a photo.
Lucas glanced at the spoon, then at her, then parted his lips just slightly and took the bite.
Xinyi pulled the spoon back with surgical grace. "Perfect."
He swallowed. Licked his bottom lip.
"I thought this was a business dinner," he said.
She leaned in, matching his tone. "It is. Dessert is just… branding."
Lucas leaned back, feigning casual. "So, we're dating now? For the brand?"
"We're on a date," she corrected. "What happens after depends on how well you keep up."
He chuckled low. "You always did like leading."
"And you always let me think I was."
ATHENA buzzed faintly."Public image trending: 'Old Flames, New Power.' Six reposts. One viral fan edit in progress."
Lucas leaned forward again, picked up a spoon of his own, and scooped a bite back toward her.
"You want me to play the boyfriend, Xinyi? Fine. Just remember—dates end. Games don't."
She smiled as she took the bite.
Then, with the softest brush of her thumb, she wiped a drop of mango from the corner of his mouth—slow, practiced, camera-aware.
"You know," she murmured, eyes locked on his, "after this hits the feed, every heiress in the region's going to start circling you like designer hawks."
Lucas didn't flinch. "Let them circle. Doesn't mean I'm landing."
Xinyi leaned back, clearly satisfied. She adjusted her coat, lifted her chin toward the waiter, and rose from the table with the elegance of someone who knew exactly how she looked while doing it.
He stood with her, of course. Like always. Calm, composed, five steps behind and still in control.
"I'll see you at the Thursday briefing," she said lightly, as if this wasn't the beginning of something far more calculated. "Wear something that looks like I didn't pick it."
Lucas gave her a slow nod, offering no promises.
Xinyi walked out, heels clicking confidently across the floor as if she owned the restaurant, the camera flash, and the entire narrative.
She slipped into the back seat of a sleek car waiting just outside, tinted windows swallowing her whole.
Lucas stayed behind, hands in his coat pockets, watching the taillights vanish before exhaling through his nose.
ATHENA chimed softly."Footage captured from five distinct angles. You are currently the number three trending topic across three platforms."
A black SUV pulled up to the curb.
The window rolled down.
"You finish seducing the media or should I park and order dessert?" Julius asked, sunglasses still on inside the car.
Lucas opened the door and slid in.
"She did the seducing," he muttered. "I just didn't stop her."
Julius handed him a bottle of water and arched an eyebrow. "Better hydrate. Your dating life's about to become a global asset."
The SUV pulled into traffic.
And the next move waited.