The problem with men used to being admired was simple.
They didn't know how to deal with indifference.
Victor Ventura discovered that that night.
Sitting at the Élysée bar with a glass of whiskey in his hand, he watched the blonde woman on the other side of the room.
He shouldn't have been doing that.
It wasn't his style.
Much less something he was interested in.
But there was something about her that drew his attention.
Maybe it was her posture or her confidence.
Or maybe it was precisely the fact that she wasn't looking at him.
Women usually always looked.
Some discreetly, others shamelessly.
Victor had gotten used to it a long time ago.
He was a federal judge.
And he was fully aware of the effect he had.
But that woman...
She didn't even seem to notice his existence.
She laughed with her friends while drinking wine and chatting.
As if she were completely indifferent to the rest of the world.
Victor took another sip of his drink.
That should have been irrelevant.
But it wasn't.
Because the more he tried to ignore her, the more his eyes returned to her.
As if they were being pulled.
The woman crossed her legs elegantly.
She kept talking.
Without looking in his direction.
Victor let out a low laugh.
“Interesting.”
“What?”
The voice came from beside him.
It was Marcelo, a prosecutor who often worked with him.
Victor hadn't even noticed when his friend arrived.
“Nothing.”
Marcelo followed the direction of his gaze.
Then he smiled.
“Ah...”
Victor didn't answer.
“Now I get it.”
“Get what?”
“You've been looking at her for ten minutes.”
Victor raised an eyebrow.
“I have not.”
“Yes, you have.”
“I have not.”
“You have.”
Victor shot him an impatient look.
Marcelo raised his hands in surrender.
“All right.”
But he kept smiling.
Victor hated it when people noticed things he preferred to hide.
Even when they were small things.
“She’s beautiful,” Marcelo commented.
Victor looked back at the woman.
Beautiful was an insufficient word.
She was stunning.
But not just physically.
There were beautiful women in practically every place he frequented.
The difference was that most of them made a point of being noticed.
That one seemed far too comfortable with herself to need that.
And that made her dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Across the room, Camile took a sip of wine while listening to Nicole complain about her latest relationship.
“I swear, I’m never dating anyone again.”
Vanessa laughed.
“You say that every month.”
“This time I mean it.”
“Sure.”
Camile shook her head.
“The problem is that you always choose the same kind of men.”
Nicole pointed at her.
“And you choose none.”
“It works better.”
“What a sad life.”
Camile smiled.
“I sleep peacefully.”
“Alone.”
“Peacefully.”
Vanessa burst out laughing.
Nicole snorted.
“One day you’re going to fall in love.”
“I’m not.”
“Yes, you are.”
“No.”
“You are.”
“No.”
“You are.”
“Are you forty or five?”
The three of them started laughing.
But the conversation was interrupted when Vanessa discreetly tilted her head.
“He’s still looking.”
Camile already knew who she meant.
Without even asking.
“So what?”
“So what? He’s hot.”
“There are millions of handsome men.”
“Not all of them look at you like that.”
Camile picked up her glass.
“I’m not interested.”
Nicole narrowed her eyes.
“You’re lying.”
“I’m not.”
“Yes, you are.”
“No.”
“You are.”
Camile sighed.
Friends were unbearable.
Especially when they were right.
Because if she were honest with herself, she would admit that she had noticed that man the moment she walked into the bar.
He was hard not to notice.
He had presence.
The kind that filled an entire room.
But he also had something that bothered her.
Arrogance.
She could recognize that sort of thing from a distance.
And arrogant men usually came with problems.
She didn't need any.
Victor finished his whiskey.
He set the glass on the bar.
And made a decision.
Maybe a stupid one.
But a necessary one.
He stood up.
Marcelo immediately started laughing.
“You really going?”
“Mind your own business.”
“Good luck.”
Victor ignored him.
He walked calmly across the room.
But he was completely aware of the woman sitting at the table.
When he got close, her friends were the first to notice him.
Nicole’s eyes widened.
Vanessa almost smiled.
Camile kept looking at her glass.
As if he weren't there.
That irritated Victor more than it should have.
“Good evening.”
She slowly lifted her eyes.
Just enough to meet his gaze.
“Good evening.”
Her voice was calm.
Controlled.
Victor noticed immediately.
That woman didn't make any effort to impress anyone.
And that only made the challenge more appealing.
“May I sit?”
“The chair isn’t mine.”
Nicole nearly choked.
Victor had to suppress a smile.
“Then I’ll take that as permission.”
“Take it however you want.”
He pulled out the chair.
And sat down.
Her friends exchanged amused looks.
Camile took another sip of wine.
Victor watched her.
“Do you always welcome strangers like this?”
“Do you always sit at the table of people you don’t know?”
“Only when they seem interesting.”
She set down her glass.
“Then you approach a lot of women.”
“Not as many as you imagine.”
“I imagine quite a few.”
Victor laughed.
She was sharp.
He liked that.
“Do you usually judge people quickly?”
“I’m usually right quickly.”
Victor crossed his arms.
“And what was your diagnosis?”
Camile studied him for a few seconds.
As if she were analyzing a business report.
“Cocky.”
Nicole lowered her head to hide her smile.
Victor remained calm.
“That’s all?”
“Arrogant.”
“More?”
“Used to getting what you want.”
“This is getting interesting.”
She tilted her head.
“And most likely insufferable.”
Vanessa had to bite her lip to keep from laughing.
Victor ran a hand along his jaw.
Amused.
This was new.
Normally, women tried to please him.
She seemed determined to do the exact opposite.
“Are you always this friendly?”
“Only when people interrupt me.”
“So I interrupted something important?”
“No.”
“Great.”
“But you’re still an interruption.”
Victor burst out laughing.
Even he was surprised by it.
The next few minutes passed quickly.
The conversation flowed strangely, full of teasing, like a small battle of lingering looks.
Neither of them seemed willing to back down.
Or make things easy.
And maybe that was exactly what made everything so interesting.
Victor realized he knew practically nothing about her.
Not her last name.
Not her profession.
Not her age.
Nothing.
And that made him curious.
“Tell me something.”
“What?”
“What do you do for a living?”
Camile smiled.
“I work.”
“That answers absolutely nothing.”
“That was the intention.”
“Secret?”
“Privacy.”
“There’s a difference.”
“Not always.”
Victor watched her.
She was a puzzle.
And he was starting to hate not having the answers.
“You do this on purpose.”
“What?”
“Act mysterious.”
“No.”
“Yes, you do.”
“I don’t need to.”
Victor was silent for a few seconds.
She was right.
She didn't need to.
The music changed.
Slower.
More captivating.
The bar seemed even more crowded now.
Golden lights reflected off the crystal and mirrors.
Victor rested one arm on the table.
“Can I ask you a question?”
“You’ve already asked several.”
“One more.”
“Depends.”
“On what?”
“The quality of the question.”
Victor smiled.
“Do you always think you’re this irresistible?”
Her gaze carried a challenge.
A provocation.
Victor held her stare without hesitation.
“I don’t need to think it.”
He leaned forward slightly.
“Women usually make it clear.”
Nicole nearly fell out of her chair.
Vanessa held back a laugh.
Camile only smiled to one side.
A small smile.
Dangerous.
“Maybe you’re used to weak women.”
Victor felt something rare.
Impact.
Because she wasn't trying to impress him.
Or compete.
Or seduce him.
She simply said what she thought.
And she did it without fear.
“And you’re not?”
“Weak?”
“Yes.”
Camile rested her chin on her hand.
“No.”
Victor believed her immediately.
Because there was something about her that screamed strength.
Even when she was standing still and smiling.
And for the first time in a very long time, he felt something dangerous.
Genuine interest.
Not physical.
Not only physical.
Something more.
Something that hadn't happened in years.
Outside the restaurant, the night continued to glow.
Luxury cars arrived and departed.
People went in.
People went out.
But inside that elegant room, two people remained caught up in the same conversation.
The same game.
The same tension.
And neither of them realized it.
That this simple exchange of provocations was about to completely change their lives.
Because some encounters seem ordinary when they happen.
But years later, they are remembered as the exact moment when everything began.
And for Camile Victoria and Victor Ventura...
The war had just taken its first step.