The evening had begun with the promise of an intimate dinner between old friends, a rare moment for Sofia to step out of her cold, calculated world and into something softer, even if just for a night. As she sat across from Julie, laughing lightly at some shared memory, the last thing she expected was to be thrust back into a past she had been carefully avoiding.

Suddenly, a voice cut through their conversation—firm, familiar, and unwelcome.

"Oh, I thought I saw wrong, but you're really here," Julie said, her tone surprised but warm as she looked up and waved. Sofia turned to see Feng Hue, Julie's brother, approaching their table. His familiar grin was plastered on his face, his eyes sweeping across the room before landing on Sofia.

"Ah, Sofia, you're here too. How have you been?" he asked, his voice friendly, as if this were a casual reunion between friends. But before Sofia could respond, the door behind him swung open wider, revealing Feng Hue wasn't alone.

And then she saw him.

The moment the figure behind Feng Hue stepped into the restaurant, Sofia's world lurched. Her pulse quickened, an involuntary reaction she hadn't felt in months, not since that final confrontation in Death Valley. Standing there, under the dim lights of the restaurant, was Christ.

It was like a wave crashing over her. His name echoed in her mind like a forgotten song that had suddenly returned, haunting and relentless. Christ. He had been her shadow for so long, a presence she could never quite forget, no matter how many nights she drowned herself in work, in plans, in ruthless ambition. The last time she had seen him, his eyes had been cold, distant, as if she had never mattered to him at all. His parting glance had been one of a stranger, and she had forced herself to believe that was what he had become. She had been wrong.

Now, seeing him again set a storm in motion inside her that she hadn't anticipated. Her pulse raced, her mind a mess of conflicting emotions—desire, anger, confusion. She had convinced herself that they could never allow emotion to cloud their paths, that she could lock away whatever it was she felt for him, just as she had buried everything else. But one look at him—tall, composed, the same dark fire in his eyes—and it all threatened to unravel.

Christ had barely expected this encounter either. He had come here for business, to meet Feng Hue for a deal that demanded his full attention, his usual meticulous focus. But the moment his eyes found Sofia, sitting there, more stunning than ever in a red dress that clung to her body like a second skin, his heart betrayed him. Inside, a war was raging. He had thought of her every day for the past three months, fighting against the flood of emotions she stirred in him. His mind had told him time and time again that he couldn't afford such weakness, that allowing himself to care for her would only lead to ruin. But now, seeing her again, all his carefully constructed walls began to crack.

For a moment, neither of them spoke. The room around them fell away, and it was as if only they existed, bound by a history too complex and too dangerous to acknowledge. Christ's calm exterior hid the storm within, his heart pounding against his chest in defiance of the cool smile he forced onto his face.

"Hello, Sofia," he finally said, his voice steady but hollow. He greeted Julie next, a formal nod to her as if nothing unusual had transpired.

Sofia blinked, collecting herself. She had mastered the art of control, and she wasn't about to let her emotions betray her now. Her expression remained composed, the small smile on her lips giving nothing away. But inside, she was battling the fire that had reignited the moment their eyes met.

"Christ," she said simply, nodding in acknowledgment. Her voice was smooth, controlled, but beneath it, the tension simmered.

For a moment, the air between them was thick, laden with the unsaid. Julie and Feng Hue continued to talk, oblivious to the invisible thread of tension pulling Sofia and Christ toward each other, even as they both fought against it. The storm between them was undeniable, dark and passionate, but neither was willing to show their cards.

Christ's jaw clenched imperceptibly as he took a seat, his body tense despite the ease he feigned. The last three months had been spent burying his feelings for Sofia, convincing himself that what he felt was nothing more than a fleeting distraction. But seeing her now, everything rushed back with a force he hadn't prepared for. He had risked everything for her once, his heart laid bare in that final battle in Death Valley. And yet, in the end, he had walked away, thinking it was for the best. But fate had brought them together once more, and the storm within him was raging uncontrollably.

Sofia's mind was equally chaotic. She could still feel the weight of his last gaze—the way he had looked at her, as if they were nothing to each other, as if the fire that once burned between them had been extinguished. And yet, here he was again, drawn to her by something neither of them could fully control.

The conversation at the table went on, voices blending into the background as Sofia and Christ sat across from each other, trapped in a game of pretense. Their eyes met once more, and in that fleeting connection, the dark passion they had both tried to bury flared to life again.

Sofia's fingers clenched around her wine glass, her grip tightening as she forced herself to stay composed. She had worked too hard to let her emotions unravel now. But the look in Christ's eyes, the storm he barely concealed, mirrored her own. It was a dangerous game they were playing—one that neither could afford to lose.

And yet, as the night wore on, it became harder to ignore the pull. The tension between them was palpable, a quiet war raging beneath the surface, threatening to explode at any moment.