The following evening, Davis received a message from Isabella.
Are you free tonight? I need someone to accompany me to dinner.
He smiled.
Is this a business emergency?
Her reply arrived immediately.
Possibly.
Should I bring my financial adviser?
No. Bring yourself.
Davis looked at the message for several seconds.
Then he replied.
Seven o'clock?
Seven o'clock.
They met at a quiet restaurant overlooking the river.
Unlike Maison Aurelle, this place was small and intimate. Soft lights illuminated the tables, and the windows offered a beautiful view of the water.
Isabella was already seated when Davis arrived.
She wore a simple cream-coloured dress and had left her hair loose around her shoulders.
"You look different," Davis said as he sat down.
"Different good or different bad?"
"Different beautiful."
Isabella blinked.
Then she smiled.
"That's a surprisingly smooth answer."
"I've been practising."
She laughed.
Dinner began with easy conversation.
They discussed business, the charity gala, and the ridiculous rumours circulating about Davis's sudden wealth.
Eventually, Isabella's expression became serious.
"I saw Sidney at your reception."
"I know."
"Was it difficult?"
Davis considered the question.
"A little."
"Do you miss her?"
"Sometimes I miss having someone who knew me before everything changed."
Isabella nodded.
"That makes sense."
He looked at her.
"What about you? Have you ever been betrayed?"
She laughed without humour.
"More times than I'd like to admit. My family has money, Davis. That means some people want to marry me, some want to use me, and some want to control me."
"Does that make it difficult to trust people?"
"Very."
Their eyes met.
For the first time that evening, neither looked away.
Isabella reached for her glass.
"Can I tell you something embarrassing?"
"Please do."
"When I first met you, I thought you were arrogant."
"I've heard that before."
"Then you bought Sterling Tower, and I thought you were either brilliant or insane."
"And now?"
She smiled.
"Now I think you're a man who has been hurt badly and is trying to make sure it never happens again."
Davis fell silent.
She had seen through him more easily than he expected.
"And what do you think of that man?" he asked.
"I think he deserves to be happy."
The words settled between them.
Davis looked at her face.
She wasn't trying to impress him.
She wasn't asking for money.
She wasn't pretending to love him because of his success.
She was simply there.
And he found himself wanting to know what it would feel like to let someone close again.
"Isabella?"
"Yes?"
"I like you."
She smiled, but there was uncertainty in her eyes.
"I like you too."
"I don't want to rush into anything. My last relationship ended badly, and I'm still learning how to trust people."
"Then don't rush."
He looked surprised.
She continued.
"We can get to know each other. We can spend time together. We can see what happens without making promises we aren't ready to keep."
Davis felt something loosen inside his chest.
"That sounds fair."
"Good."
She smiled.
"Now, can we please talk about something other than our emotional difficulties?"
He laughed.
"Certainly. How do you feel about buying another skyscraper?"
She threw a napkin at him.
For the rest of the evening, they laughed more than they talked about business.
When dinner ended, Davis insisted on walking Isabella to her car.
The night was cool, and the river shimmered beneath the streetlights.
They stopped beside her vehicle.
"Thank you for tonight," Isabella said.
"Thank you for inviting me."
She hesitated.
Then she stepped closer.
"Davis?"
"Yes?"
"I want to do something, but I don't want you to misunderstand."
He looked at her.
"What is it?"
Instead of answering, Isabella reached for his hand.
She searched his face for a moment, giving him time to move away if he wanted to.
He didn't.
She leaned forward and kissed him.
It was a gentle, tentative kiss.
For a brief moment, Davis forgot about the system, the Meridian Consortium, and the people who might be plotting against him.
There was only Isabella.
When they separated, she looked slightly embarrassed.
"Well," she murmured, "that was either a very good idea or a very bad one."
Davis smiled.
"Definitely a good one."
She laughed softly.
Then she kissed him again, this time with greater confidence.
Davis held her hand.
He didn't know what their future would look like.
But for the first time since Sidney had betrayed him, he felt ready to discover it.
Later that night, Davis returned to his penthouse.
He loosened his tie and sat beside the window.
DING!
The system appeared.
[RELATIONSHIP MILESTONE DETECTED.]
[HOST HAS ESTABLISHED A MUTUAL ROMANTIC CONNECTION.]
[POTENTIAL PARTNER: ISABELLA STERLING.]
[SPECIAL REWARD UNLOCKED: RELATIONSHIP INSIGHT.]
Davis frowned.
"What exactly is relationship insight?"
[ABILITY DESCRIPTION: HELPS THE HOST RECOGNIZE SOCIAL CUES, COMMUNICATION PATTERNS, AND POTENTIAL RELATIONSHIP CONFLICTS.]
He laughed.
"So now you're trying to teach me how to date?"
[SYSTEM RESPONSE: THE HOST'S PREVIOUS PERFORMANCE INDICATES ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT.]
Davis stared at the screen.
"Did you just insult me?"
[SYSTEM RESPONSE: THE SYSTEM PROVIDES OBJECTIVE OBSERVATIONS.]
He shook his head, laughing.
Then another notification appeared.
The tone was different.
More serious.
[URGENT FAMILY LEGACY ALERT.]
[THE BLACKWOOD ARCHIVE BOX HAS BEEN ACCESSED BY AN UNKNOWN DEVICE.]
Davis stood immediately.
"What?"
[WARNING: AN EXTERNAL CONNECTION HAS BEEN DETECTED.]
[POTENTIAL DATA EXPOSURE: HIGH.]
He rushed to the desk where he had placed the archive box.
The lid was still closed.
But the small storage device inside had begun flashing.
Someone was trying to access the files remotely.
Davis opened the system interface.
[UNKNOWN CONNECTION LOCATION: AURELION FINANCIAL DISTRICT.]
[POSSIBLE AFFILIATION: MERIDIAN CONSORTIUM.]
Davis's expression hardened.
Someone knew he had recovered the archive.
Someone wanted its contents.
And that person was willing to reach into his home to obtain them.
He looked at Isabella's photograph on his phone.
For a moment, he considered calling her.
But he didn't want to pull her into a dangerous situation without understanding what was happening.
He returned his attention to the screen.
"System, can you trace the connection?"
[TRACE INITIATED.]
A progress bar appeared.
[12%...]
[38%...]
[64%...]
Then the screen went dark.
A single message appeared.
[TRACE BLOCKED.]
Beneath it was another message.
[THE HOST IS NOT THE ONLY PERSON SEARCHING FOR THE BLACKWOOD LEGACY.]
Davis stared at the words.
His romantic life had taken its first hopeful turn.
His business empire was growing.
But the mystery surrounding his family was becoming more dangerous by the day.
He walked to the window and looked out at the city.
Somewhere in Aurelion, an enemy was watching him.
And soon, Davis Blackwood intended to discover exactly who it was.