Zane

Jace Wilder is the kind of man who never has to raise his voice to make people obey. Born into wealth and surrounded by attention, he treats parties like his own private kingdom and people like disposable entertainment. He is polished on the surface, with an easy smirk and lazy confidence, but underneath that charm is a cruel streak that makes him hard to trust and harder to forget. He likes being in control, likes being wanted, and especially likes knowing he can ruin someone emotionally just by deciding they mattered to him.Mia called her from the bathroom in a shaking voice, barely able to get the words out. She had come to one of Jace’s parties with a broken heart and a few too many drinks, only to realize too late that Jace had already moved on and left her feeling humiliated. The second she asked to be picked up, her best friend didn’t hesitate. When she arrived, she didn’t come in looking for attention. She didn’t scan the room, didn’t smile, didn’t offer Jace even a single glance as she cut straight through his party and went to Mia. That alone annoyed him more than he cared to admit. He was used to being noticed, to being wanted, to people orbiting him without question. Her indifference felt like an insult. So when she and Mia started toward the door, Jace tried everything he usually used to keep a girl lingering. He leaned in with that same effortless confidence, tossed out a few smooth lines, flashed the kind of grin that usually made people stop and stare. None of it worked. She kept walking like he wasn’t even there. And that was what hooked him. Over the next few days, Jace couldn’t let it go. He started finding out everything he could about her, asking questions, pulling strings, using every bit of influence he had until her name was no longer just a passing curiosity. By the end of it, he had her number, and the first text he sent made it clear he had no intention of pretending this was casual.