Siana and Ashleen were lounging on the couch, soaking up a lazy Sunday, when Siana’s phone buzzed with an email notification. She casually picked it up, but as her eyes scanned the message, they widened in surprise.

“Ashleen!” Siana exclaimed, her voice a mix of disbelief and excitement. “We just got invited to the launch party for the Balleza perfume brand!”

Ashleen, who had been scrolling through her phone, looked up with an excited squeal. “No way! That’s amazing!”

Siana nodded, still processing it. “And it’s being hosted at the most expensive hotel in the country.”

Ashleen’s eyes sparkled with excitement as she suddenly sat up straight. “Do you think he will be there?” she asked, her voice dropping to a dramatic whisper.

Siana raised an eyebrow, confused. “He?”

“Devillian Giordano,” Ashleen said, as if the name alone carried the weight of a thousand fantasies. She hugged a pillow, a dreamy smile spreading across her face. “We’re going to see him again!”

Siana rolled her eyes, shaking her head at her friend’s antics. “Oh, come on, Ash. It’s just a business party. Devillian is probably not even going to notice us. And even if he’s there, it doesn’t matter. We’re there for the launch, not him.”

Ashleen let out a playful sigh, still lost in her daydreams. “But he’s so... powerful. Mysterious. You know, like the guy in those dark romance novels.” She winked at Siana. “You can’t tell me you haven’t thought about him.”

Siana leaned back, her arms crossed, but a faint smile tugged at her lips. “Well, if you mean his intimidating aura, sure. But I’m not going to let myself get affected by him anymore.” She shrugged, more to convince herself than Ashleen. “I’ve decided not to get weirded out by that feeling.”

Ashleen grinned, clearly not convinced. “We’ll see, Siana. We’ll see.”

Siana shook her head again, determined to put Devillian out of her mind. But somewhere in the back of her thoughts, the memory of his piercing eyes and that undeniable aura lingered—no matter how hard she tried to brush it off.

Ashleen, still lost in her dreamy thoughts about Devillian, suddenly had an idea. She grabbed her phone with a mischievous grin, causing Siana to glance over in suspicion.

“What are you doing?” Siana asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Looking for Devillian’s Instagram, duh,” Ashleen replied, her fingers quickly typing in his name.

Siana sighed, shaking her head. “I highly doubt a guy like him has social media.”

But Ashleen was determined. After a few moments of scrolling and searching, her face lit up, and she let out a high-pitched squeal. “Found him!”

Her excited scream startled Siana, who nearly dropped her phone. “Ashleen, what the—?”

“Look at this!” Ashleen said, shoving her phone in front of Siana’s face.

Siana blinked as she looked at the screen. Devillian Giordano’s official Instagram account had millions of followers—unsurprisingly—but not a single post. Not one. And, just as importantly, he didn’t follow anyone back. It was the most barren yet oddly intimidating account she’d ever seen.

“He has no posts? Not even one?” Siana asked, confused.

Ashleen was grinning from ear to ear. “Exactly! Isn’t it hot? He doesn’t care about followers or posts—he’s just... Devillian.” She swooned dramatically, hugging her phone like it was some precious artifact. “He’s such a mystery, Siana! No posts, no following anyone back—it just adds to his whole ‘untouchable, dangerous billionaire’ vibe.”

Siana gave her an incredulous look. “You seriously find that attractive?”

Ashleen nodded, her eyes wide with enthusiasm. “It’s like... he’s too powerful and important for something as trivial as social media. The man’s running empires while the rest of us are posting selfies. Ugh, it’s so mysterious!”

Siana rolled her eyes. “Or he just doesn’t care about Instagram.”

Ashleen waved her off. “No, no, this is a deliberate move. He’s got millions of people interested in him, and he doesn’t give them a single glimpse. It’s genius.”

Siana couldn’t help but laugh at her friend’s over-the-top swooning. “Well, I’m glad you’re enjoying the mystery of Devillian’s Instagram,” she said with a smirk.

Ashleen clutched her phone, still staring dreamily at the account. “One day, Siana, we’ll get to see the man behind the mystery. Just wait.”

Siana, though amused by Ashleen’s antics, couldn’t help but shake off the creeping thought of Devillian’s piercing gaze once again. No matter how hard she tried, it seemed like his presence was harder to ignore than she’d hoped.

.................................................................

Ashleen and Siana stood in their  room, clothes scattered across the bed as they debated over what Siana should wear for the Balleza launch party. Ashleen, as always, was in full stylist mode, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

“Siana, you have to stand out,” Ashleen declared, holding up an elegant off-shoulder evening gown. “As the face of the new scent, you need to look more attractive than everyone else. It’s all about making an impression!”

Siana, sitting on the bed with a skeptical look, raised an eyebrow. “Why do I need to convince people about my ‘privilege’ or impress anyone? I’m just there to do my part, not outshine anyone.”

Ashleen gave her a knowing smirk. “It’s not just about impressing the crowd, darling. You need to own the night. Besides, wouldn’t it be fun to turn a few heads?”

She draped the off-shoulder gown in front of Siana. It was an elegant, deep emerald with a bold, fitted silhouette that would highlight her figure. It had just the right mix of sophistication and allure.

Siana looked at the gown and couldn’t deny it was beautiful. “Okay, it’s gorgeous,” she admitted, “but I don’t need to grab anyone’s attention.”

Ashleen’s mischievous grin only widened. “Oh, come on, Siana. Imagine how he would react,” she teased, wiggling her eyebrows. “You’d definitely grab Devillian Giordano’s attention in this.”

Siana groaned, rolling her eyes in frustration. “Ashleen, please. Why do you always have to bring him up?”

Ashleen shrugged innocently, but the twinkle in her eyes remained. “I’m just saying! You can’t deny he looked at you a certain way the last time. And if you show up in this dress, well… even he won’t be able to ignore you.”

Siana shook her head, though a small smile tugged at her lips. “I’m wearing this because it’s a beautiful dress—not because I’m trying to catch Devillian’s attention.”

Ashleen grinned, and said Playfully. “Sure, sure. But just know, if he can’t keep his eyes off you, I’ll be taking full credit.”

Siana laughed, shaking her head as she stood up to examine the gown in the mirror. Despite Ashleen’s teasing, the thought of the party and facing Devillian again made her stomach churn slightly. She reminded herself, though, that this night was about the launch, not about him.

Even if his intimidating presence was impossible to forget.