“You don’t seem like a man who lives quietly.”
His smile was soft.
“I prefer influence without spectacle.”
She studied him, intrigued.
“And your family?”
“Small,” he replied. “Private. Protective. They value loyalty above everything. It can be… suffocating at times, but it teaches clarity.”
She nodded, understanding more than she said aloud.
Then he asked, gently but directly:
“How is it that someone like you is single?”
The question landed without pressure — curious, not possessive.
She exhaled slowly.
“I spent a long time believing attention meant connection,” she admitted. “It took me years to understand the difference.”
He held her gaze steadily.
“And now?”
“Now I am learning what I actually want,” she said quietly.
“And what is that?”
She hesitated only a second.
“To
