A devil's "Attention"

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He tilted his head, eyes never leaving hers.

“What’s your name?”

Aria blinked. “You planning to order my name off the menu?”

The faintest twitch pulled at his mouth. If it had been anyone else, she’d call it a smirk. But on him, it was something darker, like he found her amusing when he shouldn’t.

“Most people,” he said slowly, voice low and smooth like smoke, “answer when I ask a question.”

“Well, lucky for you, I’m not most people,” she shot back, pen tapping against her notepad. “Coffee? Food? Or do you just rent booths to glare at waitresses?”

One of his men muttered something in Italian—sharp, angry—but Aryan silenced him with a glance. His gaze returned to her, sharper now, measuring.

“Coffee,” he finally said. “Black.”

Aria scribbled it down, ignoring how her hand wanted to shake.

“Anything else?”

“You’ll bring it.” It wasn’t a request.

Her brows rose. “That’s not how this works.”

For a heartbeat, silence stretched. No one talked to Aryan like this—not in this city, not in any room he walked into. Yet here she was, standing in a cheap apron, chin tilted like she wasn’t standing in front of a wolf.

And instead of anger, something flickered in his eyes. Curiosity.

She turned on her heel before he could reply, heading back toward the counter. She didn’t notice his stare follow her every step, as though he’d already decided: this girl wasn’t walking out of his world so easily.

Aria returned to the counter, wiping her hands on her apron, pretending not to notice that the man in the corner hadn’t stopped watching her. Customers looked away quickly when she caught their eyes. But not him.

Aryan sat like he owned the place, one hand lazily draped on the table, the other curled around the cup. Aarav leaned closer, murmuring something that made him chuckle under his breath—a low, sharp sound that sent a ripple through the quiet.

“Strange choice of café,” Aarav remarked. “You don’t usually step into places like this.”

Aryan’s gaze flicked back to Aria as she moved between tables. “I didn’t come here for the coffee.”

Aarav followed his line of sight, then smirked. “Huh. Interesting.”

At the counter, Aria could feel it—his stare, heavy and deliberate. She refused to look up, focusing instead on refilling sugar jars. Her pulse quickened in spite of herself. She hated that.

Finally, the chair scraped against the floor. She looked up just in time to see Aryan rise. Tall, broad-shouldered, shadows clinging to him as though he carried them inside. He walked to the counter slowly, each step measured.

Aria straightened. “Need something else?” she asked, steadying her voice.

His lips curved—not in kindness, but in amusement. “Your name.”

She blinked. “Excuse me?”

He leaned just close enough for her to catch the dangerous calm in his tone. “I asked for your name. I don’t like not knowing what to call… people who stand out.”

Her heart thudded, but she forced a shrug. “It’s written right here.” She tapped the small name tag pinned to her apron: Aria.

Aryan’s gaze lingered on the tag, then drifted back to her eyes. “Aria,” he repeated, almost tasting the syllables. Then he smirked and turned away, coat brushing his side as he walked out. Aarav threw her a parting smile, following after him.

The bell above the door jingled shut. The air felt heavier in their absence, and yet—her chest was lighter, buzzing with a strange unease.

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Hello lovely Readers so here's the 2nd chapter.. hope you'll like it.. Take care.. ♡

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