Billionaire Takes His Dog For A Late Walk, Not Knowing The Woman He Meets Will Soon Own His Heart
The Midnight Encounter
Kieran Knox didn’t usually walk his dog this late. But tonight, after a long meeting and a glass of scotch he hadn’t really needed, he needed air more than sleep. The Manhattan skyline glittered behind him as he stepped out of his penthouse building, leash in hand.
A sleepy golden retriever padded beside him. Max yawned and blinked up at him like this wasn’t part of their usual schedule, because it wasn’t.
“Come on,” Kieran said under his breath, adjusting the collar of his coat.
“It’s just a walk. You’ll survive.”
Max gave a soft bark, unimpressed, but trotted ahead anyway. His nose was already sniffing for trouble. It was quiet on the street, rare for the city but peaceful.
It was the kind of quiet that made Kieran’s thoughts louder. He had thoughts about the last board meeting, the merger hanging by a thread, and that ridiculous article speculating about his love life again.
He was halfway through the park when Max tugged hard on the leash, dragging him toward something or someone.
“Max, heel! What the hell?”
There was a blur of motion, a loud crash, and an “O” from behind a tree that stopped him cold. Kieran rounded the corner and found her.
A woman was sitting on the ground, tangled in a broken paper bag with groceries scattered everywhere. Max was already licking her cheek like she was his long-lost best friend.
“Oh my god,” she muttered, pushing the dog’s face away with a laugh.
“Hi. Yes. Hello. Boundaries.”
“I am so sorry,” Kieran said quickly, stepping forward.
“He’s usually better behaved.”
The woman looked up at him, blinking, and for a second Kieran forgot how to breathe. Dark curls framed her face, and she had this look like she was annoyed, amused, and a little bit tired all at once.
Her eyes were sharp but kind. Her coat was thin and her hands were trembling slightly from the cold.
“Groceries are dead,” she said, gesturing to the mess on the sidewalk.
“But I’m alive, so, you know—partial win.”
Kieran reached down and helped her to her feet without thinking.
“Let me replace those,” he said immediately.
She raised an eyebrow.
“You’re offering to buy me groceries at midnight?”
“I’m offering to fix what my dog ruined,” he said simply.
“I insist.”
She studied him for a beat, then looked down at Max, who was now sitting obediently beside her. His tail was wagging like crazy.
“He’s cute,” she said, softening.
“A menace, but cute.”
“He knows it,” Kieran said, trying not to notice how warm her hand had been in his.
“I’m Kieran, by the way.”
She hesitated, then said, “Zadeie. Zadeie Nalin.”
“Nice to meet you, Zadeie Nalin.”
He glanced at the mess again.
“Seriously, let me help.”
Zadeie sighed dramatically.
“Fine, but only because I don’t have the energy to argue and I really need cereal.”
Kieran motioned toward the corner.
“There’s a 24-hour market two blocks from here.”
She gave him a skeptical look.
“You walk strange women to supermarkets often?”
He shrugged.
“Only the ones my dog attacks.”
Zadeie let out a laugh and shook her head. Kieran felt something shift in his chest. It was subtle, but there. They walked side by side, Max trotting happily between them.
