But when she glanced up again, he was still looking at her.

And then—he moved.

Striding straight toward her.

The bar buzzed with whispers.

“Oh my god, is that the big boss?” one of the girls whispered, her voice tinged with excitement.

Heads turned.

“Christian Evans? Isn’t he our CEO?”

“What’s he doing here? This is just a small welcome gathering.”

“Oh my god, he’s so fucking handsome.”

The squeals continued as whispers and gasps spread across the group.

“I’d let him ruin my life.”

“I never expected him to look even better than he does in magazines.”

“He does. Wow. I’m speechless. He’s gorgeous. And so freaking tall. He could lift me up, and I’d still be shorter than him.”

Ivy barely heard them, because Christian’s sharp, dark eyes had locked onto her. The voices around them blurred as Christian strode straight to her table. His presence sucked the air from the room.

Panic flickered through her chest. Why was he coming toward her? What was happening?

Then—before she could react—Christian reached the man beside her, the one who had been forcing the drink on her. Without a word, he grabbed the back of the man’s nape, yanked him off the couch and, in a swift, brutal move, threw him to the ground.

The man crashed onto the floor with a loudthud.A gasp rippled through the bar.

The man yelped as he hit the floor, scrambling in confusion. But Christian wasn’t finished.

Cold, ruthless, and utterly unbothered, he stormed forward and delivered a hard kick to the man’s stomach. The impact sent him reeling, groaning in pain.

“You’re fired,” Christian said, his voice as calm as it was deadly. “Get the fuck out of here.”

The man’s eyes widened in terror. He gasped, disoriented, struggling to breathe.

“S-Sir… what did I do? What’s wrong—?”

“Out!”

That single, low growl was all it took.

The man scrambled to his feet, nearly tripping over himself as he rushed toward the exit.

Christian watched until he disappeared from sight before finally turning to the now silent table. His gaze then fell on Ivy again, and without hesitation, he walked over.

Before she could blink, he took a seat right next to her on the couch, his piercing eyes locking onto hers, intense, unblinking. And then, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, he declared loudly, "Ivy Watson, I like you. From now on, only I can be your boyfriend."

Ivy was stunned.

The man who had women dying to catch a glimpse of him had just proposed to her in a room full of his employees. Her face flushed red as she looked around in embarrassment, but Christian, completely unfazed, didn’t look the least bit ashamed. It was as if this was the most normal thing for him to do.

She lifted her glass to take a sip, desperate for something to calm her nerves. But before the rim even touched her lips, Christian snatched it away, tossing the glass aside carelessly. It shattered on the floor, the sharp sound ringing in her ears.