CHAPTER THIRTY SIX
DANIEL'S POV
The city never slept.
Even at night, the foreign streets outside the hotel glowed with endless lights, expensive cars, and people moving from one place to another as if darkness meant nothing to them.
I stood near the glass window inside my suite, loosening my tie slowly after another exhausting business meeting.
But my mind was not on work.
It was on her.
Sandra.
The mysterious CEO of Zarion Global Enterprises.
Ever since I met her two days ago during the international business conference, my thoughts had become restless.
It irritated me.
I was Prince Daniel.
A man surrounded by powerful women all his life.
Beautiful women chased after me openly, hoping for my attention, my wealth, or my title.
Yet I never cared.
Not once.
But Sandra—
The woman who barely acknowledged my existence—
Managed to disturb my peace completely.
And the worst part?
I could not explain why.
That night, unable to sleep, I decided to head downstairs to clear my mind.
The hallway on the third floor was silent as I walked toward the elevator.
Then suddenly—
The elevator doors opened.
And there she was.
Sandra.
My heartbeat stumbled instantly.
She stepped inside gracefully, her eyes focused ahead as if she had not even noticed me standing there.
Cold.
Elegant.
Untouchable.
She wore black formal trousers and a white short-sleeved blouse that exposed her pale arms slightly.
Her dark hair rested neatly over her shoulders, and despite the exhaustion visible on her face, she still looked breathtaking.
I entered the elevator quietly.
The doors closed.
And silence swallowed us immediately.
No conversation.
No greetings.
Nothing.
Only the quiet mechanical hum of the elevator moving upward.
But while Sandra avoided looking at me—
I could not stop staring at her.
Something about her felt strangely familiar.
Not her face.
Not her voice.
But her presence.
It was like my heart recognized her before my mind did.
Sandra shifted slightly, clearly noticing my gaze.
Yet she still refused to look at me.
That only made me more curious.
The elevator reached the second floor.
Then suddenly—
The lights flickered violently.
The elevator jerked harshly before coming to a complete stop.
Darkness swallowed us instantly.
Sandra gasped softly.
Then the small emergency light switched on above us, casting dim red light across the elevator walls.
"The power must have gone out," I said calmly.
Sandra remained silent.
I pressed the emergency button immediately, but there was no response at first.
The elevator had completely stopped between floors.
A soft thunder echoed outside the building.
The weather had changed suddenly.
Rain began crashing heavily outside.
And slowly—
The air inside the elevator became colder.
Sandra wrapped her arms around herself, trying to hide her trembling.
But I noticed.
Of course I noticed.
She was wearing only a short-sleeved blouse, and the cold air from the broken ventilation system was becoming unbearable.
Without speaking, I removed my coat slowly and held it toward her.
"You should wear this," I said softly.
She looked at the coat.
Then at me.
For the first time that night, our eyes met properly.
And my chest tightened painfully.
Those eyes…
There was sadness inside them.
Deep sadness.
"I'm fine," she replied quietly.
But another shiver betrayed her instantly.
"You're freezing."
Sandra hesitated.
It was obvious she hated accepting help from anyone.
Finally, after several seconds, she slowly took the coat from my hands and wrapped it around herself.
"Thank you," she whispered softly.
That voice—
Gentle.
Warm.
Fragile.
It cracked something deep inside me.
Because for the first time since meeting her, Sandra no longer sounded like the ruthless businesswoman feared by everyone.
She sounded vulnerable.
Human.
Thunder roared loudly again.
This time Sandra flinched visibly.
I frowned slightly.
Was she scared?
Another loud thunder shook the building.
Sandra stepped back instinctively until her back touched the elevator wall.
I noticed her breathing becoming uneven.
Then I understood.
"You're afraid of darkness," I said quietly.
Immediately she looked away.
"No."
A lie.
A very obvious lie.
The elevator suddenly shook again slightly because of the storm outside.
Sandra lost her balance for a second.
Without thinking, I caught her arm quickly before she fell.
The moment I touched her—
A strange feeling rushed through me.
Sharp.
Painful.
Familiar.
Like my soul was trying desperately to remember something important.
Sandra froze too.
Our faces were dangerously close now.
I could feel her warm breath against my skin.
For several seconds, neither of us moved.
Then another thunder exploded outside.
Sandra grabbed my shirt tightly in fear.
That shocked me completely.
This woman—
The same woman who rejected business partnerships from kings and billionaires without hesitation—
Was holding onto me like I was her only source of safety.
Slowly, carefully, I pulled her closer.
"Relax," I whispered softly.
"I won't let you fall."
Surprisingly—
Sandra did not push me away.
Instead, she moved closer to my chest and held onto me tighter.
Almost desperately.
As if my arms felt familiar to her.
That realization disturbed me deeply.
Because strangely enough—
Holding her felt natural.
Like I had done this before.
But that made no sense.
We had only recently met.
Minutes passed slowly inside the trapped elevator.
The storm outside grew stronger.
And Sandra slowly became quieter in my arms.
Then I realized—
She had fallen asleep.
A small smile almost formed on my lips.
I looked down at her peacefully sleeping face.
Without her cold expression, she looked softer.
Gentler.
Beautiful.
Thirty minutes later, the elevator doors finally opened after the technicians restored the power.
Bright light flooded inside.
Hotel staff rushed forward immediately.
"Sir, are you alright?" one worker asked nervously.
But I barely heard him.
My attention remained on Sandra sleeping against my chest.
Carefully, I lifted her into my arms and carried her toward her suite.
The hotel staff exchanged shocked looks behind me.
Probably wondering how the feared CEO of Zarion Global Enterprises ended up asleep in another man's arms.
I entered her room quietly using the emergency access card the hotel manager provided.
The room smelled faintly of lavender perfume.
Soft music still played quietly from somewhere near the window.
I placed Sandra gently on the bed.
Then turned to leave.
But suddenly—
Her fingers grabbed my wrist tightly.
"Please…" she whispered weakly.
"Don't leave me…"
I froze instantly.
Her eyes remained closed.
She was still half asleep.
Then softly—
Almost painfully—
She whispered again.
"I missed you…"
My heart skipped violently.
Missed me?
That was impossible.
We barely knew each other.
Maybe she was dreaming.
Or maybe—
She was thinking about someone else.
That thought irritated me far more than it should have.
Slowly, I sat beside her bed.
Still holding her hand.
Sandra opened her eyes slightly.
And for the first time—
She stared directly into mine without looking away.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Heavy.
Emotional.
Dangerous.
Her pale face softened slowly as if she was fighting something inside herself.
Then before either of us could think—
Sandra leaned forward suddenly and kissed me.
Softly.
Gently.
My entire body froze.
Because the moment our lips touched—
Something exploded inside my chest.
A strange pain.
A strange longing.
Like my soul had been searching for her for years.
The kiss deepened slowly.
And in that moment—
We both stopped thinking.
About duty.
About pain.
About the world outside.
It was as if our hearts had found each other long before our minds understood why.
Sandra's trembling fingers held onto my shirt tightly while I pulled her closer carefully, afraid she would disappear if I let go.
The storm outside grew wilder.
Thunder roared across the sky.
Rain crashed violently against the windows.
Yet neither of us noticed.
We were completely lost in each other.
And that night—
The distance between us vanished completely.
Two lonely hearts became one beneath the sound of the storm.
But the moment our forbidden bond was sealed—
A terrifying thunder exploded across the sky.
BOOM!
The entire hotel building shook violently.
The lights flickered repeatedly.
Sandra froze instantly.
Her face turned pale with horror.
Because somehow—
She understood what that thunder meant.
An abomination.
A forbidden union.
I stared at her in confusion.
"Sandra… what's wrong?"
But Sandra could not answer.
Fear swallowed her completely.
Not fear of me—
But fear of what had just happened between us.
Outside, the storm continued to rage violently as if the heavens themselves had witnessed our actions.
And somewhere far away—
Destiny quietly changed forever.
The next morning, I woke up slowly.
But the bed beside me was empty.
Cold.
Sandra was gone.
I sat up immediately.
Confused.
"Sandra?"
No response.
I searched the suite quickly.
The bathroom.
The balcony.
The living room.
Nothing.
No note.
No message.
No explanation.
She had disappeared completely.
And strangely enough—
The emptiness she left behind hurt more than I expected.