Reborn from heartbreak; Soraya's story.

ZAYNE

I was halfway to the casting building entrance when my phone buzzed. The caller ID made me stop dead – Marcus, my grandfather's chief security officer. Marcus didn't call unless something was seriously wrong.

"Sir," his voice was tight with urgency. "We have a problem with the East Pier development."

"What kind of problem?" I kept walking, but slower now.

"Someone tried to sabotage the site last night. Cut the fuel lines on different equipment. If the night  watchman hadn't caught it during his rounds, the whole place could've gone up in flames."

My jaw clenched. The East Pier project was worth two hundred million dollars, and we were already behind schedule. "Accident or deliberate?"

"Deliberate. But that's not all – I've been tracking some rumors spreading around. Someone's been spreading stories that your company's projects cause health problems, environmental damage. They want you distracted, sir."

I stopped walking entirely. "Find them."

"Sir?"

"Find whoever's behind this. I don't care what it costs. If they want to play games with my business, I'll show them what a real game looks like."

"Understood. What about the East Pier security?"

"Triple it. And Marcus? When you find these people, I want to know everything about them. Their finances, their weaknesses, who they care about. If they want a fight, I'll give them one."

I ended the call, someone thought they could come after my empire and walk away clean. They were about to learn how wrong they were.

That's when I heard voices coming from around the corner – familiar voices that made me pause.

"Stay away from Zayne Kings, Marissa." Reid's voice was low, possessive.

Marissa laughed, and the sound got on my nerves. "Relax, baby. I like men I can control. Like you."

I frowned. Reid was engaged – the whole social circle had been buzzing about his upcoming wedding to some wealthy heiress. What the hell was he doing with Marissa?

"You courted my boring cousin for me," Marissa continued, her voice turning sharp. "Played the perfect fiancé while being mine in secret. Soon, when you marry Soraya, everything she inherited will be ours."

My blood went cold. This wasn't just cheating – this was fraud. Theft. And if I was hearing this right, they were targeting Soraya, Frank Levin's daughter. I'd known Frank – good man, built his empire from nothing.

"The wedding's only three months away," Reid warned. "We need to be careful."

"She'll never suspect," Marissa replied with chilling confidence. " And once we arrange that little accident after the wedding..."

I went completely still. They were planning murder.

"She's probably at home right now, taking those supplements you've been giving her," Marissa added with a laugh. "Keeping her weak and easy to control."

Jesus Christ. They were drugging her too.

A bright, friendly voice cut through their conversation: "Hey, you two!"

I stayed hidden, curiosity getting the best of me. I wanted to see the Soraya they'd been talking about.

The woman who appeared was nothing like what I'd expected. Beautiful, yes, but there was something sharp in her eyes, something calculating in the way she moved. This wasn't some helpless little rich girl.

"What are you doing here?" she asked them sweetly.

Reid looked like he'd swallowed his tongue. "Soraya! I thought you were resting today."

"I fired my medical team this morning," she said casually, and I saw both Reid and Marissa tense. "They were being disrespectful. Patricia actually told me you'd given them instructions to keep me in bed, Mari. Isn't that strange?"

Marissa's smile looked painted on. "I was just worried about your health after Uncle Frank-"

"How thoughtful," Soraya interrupted, but there was steel under the sweetness. "I feel better than I have in months. I'm even thinking about making some changes – updating my will, setting up trusts, maybe putting some protections in place in case of accidents."

The silence that followed was deafening. Reid and Marissa looked like they'd been struck by lightning.

I had to bite back a smile. This woman wasn't running scared – she was playing her own game, and doing it well.

After some more pleasantries that had, Soraya walked away, leaving her would-be killers looking rattled.

I waited a bit, then stepped out like I'd just arrived.

"Reid," I called out pleasantly. "Fancy seeing you here."

He jumped like I'd shot him. "Zayne! What are you doing here?"

"Business meeting. You?"

"Just... supporting Marissa at her audition."

Marissa had gone pale when she saw me. Good. Let them both sweat.

"Well, good luck," I said, clapping Reid on the shoulder just hard enough to make him wince. "May the best person win."

I walked toward the audition area, my mind spinning. Reid thought he could steal from and murder an innocent woman. He was about to learn that some games had deadlier players than he'd bargained for.

I was almost at the waiting area when someone slammed into me. Her purse went flying, and all the contents scattered across the floor.

"Shit, I'm sorry," I said automatically, then looked up.

It was her. Soraya. And up close, she was even more beautiful.

Our hands brushed as we both reached for her phone, and I felt something between us.

"Zayne Kings," I said, helping her to her feet.

"Soraya Levin."

"If you were a scene in a film," I found myself saying, "I'd watch it on repeat."

She laughed – not some fake, simpering giggle, but a real laugh that did things to my pulse. "Careful. I might make you the star instead."

"I'm hard to resist," I said, moving closer, "and you look like danger I would enjoy diving into."

Her smile was dangerous. "You have no idea."

We stood there for a moment, before I forced myself to step back.

"Break a leg in there," I said.

As I walked away, I pulled out my phone and dialed my assistant.

"James, I need you to find out everything about Soraya Levin. Background, finances, legal history, family connections. Be discreet."

"Understood. How soon do you need this?"

"Today."

--

Three hours later, James sent me the report. Soraya had left the audition and gone to Meridian, an upscale bar downtown. Without really thinking about it, I found myself driving there.

The place was dimly lit, sophisticated. I spotted her immediately- sitting at the bar, still in that blue dress, looking like she owned the place.

I ordered a scotch and took the seat next to her. "Well, this is a coincidence."

She turned, and her smile was knowing. "Is it?"

"You think I followed you here?"

"Didn't you?"

I laughed despite myself. "Maybe. Buy you a drink?"

"I'm already drinking." She held up her wine glass. "But you can buy the next one."

The conversation flowed easier than it should have. She was smart, funny, with opinions on everything from architecture to politics. Nothing like the naive victim Reid and Marissa thought they were playing.

"So what's your story, Zayne Kings?" she asked after her second glass of wine.

"Boring rich guy stuff. You?"

"Boring rich girl stuff." But her eyes were anything but boring.

When she excused herself to go to the washroom, I found myself following.

She was washing her hands when I walked in, locking the door behind me.

"This is the women's room," she said, but she didn't sound surprised.

"I noticed."

She turned to face me, leaning back against the marble counter. "Something you need?"

I moved closer, close enough to smell her perfume, to see the pulse jumping in her throat.

"You're not what they think you are," I said.

"Who's 'they'?"

"Reid. Marissa. Your loving family."

Her eyes flashed, but she didn't deny it. "And what do you think I am?"

"Dangerous."

She reached up and grabbed the front of my shirt, pulling me closer. "You have no idea."

When our lips met, it felt divine more than I could imagine. She tasted like wine, her mouth hot and demanding against mine. My hands found her waist, pulling her against me as she backed into the wall.

Her fingers tangled in my hair, her body arching against mine as I pressed her against the wall.

I lifted her onto the counter, stepping between her legs as she wrapped them around my waist. Her dress had ridden up, and my hands found bare skin that made her gasp into my mouth.

"We shouldn't be doing this," she breathed against my lips.

"Probably not."

But neither of us stopped. Her hands were working at my belt, mine sliding up her thighs, the air thick with heat and desire.

The smart thing would be to walk away. To keep this simple, professional.

But looking into her eyes, feeling the way she responded to my touch, I realized that was the last thing that would happen.