BREAKING ALL HER RULES

Chapter 1

Mila Reyes was already late when everything went wrong.

Late for her shift.
Late for the hospital.
Late for the kind of life that didn't involve overdue bills and silent prayers.

The café near Stone Tower was packed with people who didn't look like they had ever counted coins before ordering coffee. Men in tailored suits. Women in heels that cost more than Mila's rent. Soft jazz played from hidden speakers, the kind of music meant to make rich people feel important.

Mila didn't belong here.

But the tips were better near the corporate district, and she needed every cent.

"Two caramel lattes and one almond milk cappuccino," she muttered to herself, balancing the tray as she pushed through the crowd.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket.

Liam.

Her stomach clenched.

She should answer. She needed to answer. But her hands were full and her shift supervisor was already glaring at her from across the room.

Just a few more steps.

That was all it took.

One careless turn.

One distracted heartbeat.

And the entire tray tipped.

Hot coffee arced through the air and landed squarely on a woman standing near the counter.

Gasps exploded around them.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" Mila blurted, already grabbing napkins. "I wasn't looking, I,"

The woman didn't move.

Didn't scream.

Didn't curse.

She simply stood there, staring down at the brown stain spreading across her crisp white silk blouse like a wound.

Mila followed her gaze.

The shirt was ruined.

And so, probably, was her life.

"I, I can pay for it," Mila said weakly. "I mean, not all at once but,"

Slowly, the woman lifted her head.

Mila's breath caught.

She was tall. Elegant. Devastatingly beautiful in a way that felt cold rather than warm. Dark hair pulled into a sleek bun. Eyes so sharp they looked like they could cut glass.

"Do you have any idea," the woman said calmly, "how expensive this is?"

Mila swallowed. "No."

"It's six thousand dollars."

Mila almost laughed. "You're joking."

"I never joke about money."

Mila stared at her. "That's a shirt. Not a car."

"And yet," the woman replied, "you managed to destroy it."

Mila felt heat rise to her cheeks. "I said I was sorry. It was an accident."

"Accidents still have consequences."

"Yeah? So does being arrogant."

The people nearby froze.

The woman's eyes flickered with something dark and amused.

"Do you always speak to strangers this way?"