Maya's POV
"Thank you, Aya. You have no idea how happy you've made me tonight. I promise—you won't regret giving me this chance to know you."
Adonis's voice was soft, but the emotion behind it was undeniable. And that smile—God, that boyish, lopsided grin that made him look less like the confident heir of the Monleon empire and more like the boy next door falling in love for the first time—had me completely undone.
I bit my lip to keep from smiling too wide, but I failed. My grin bloomed across my face like wildflowers in spring, impossible to contain. I hated how easily he could do this to me—melt me with a look, disarm me with a word. But even more than that, I hated how much I wanted it.
A part of me—stubborn, guarded—still whispered warnings: What if he's playing with you again? What if it's all just another game?
But a deeper part of me, quieter and braver, whispered something else entirely:
What if he means it this time?
