King of Pride

Isabella Valencia is discussing condoms with her coworker, Tessa, while they work the bar at the exclusive members-only Valhalla Club when they’re interrupted by the arrival of Kai Young—the wealthy heir to the Young Corporation, a billion-dollar multimedia company. Kai orders a drink before sitting at the bar with a copy of For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway, which he is translating into Latin as a form of personal relaxation. 

When Isabella notes the change to his usual, predictable schedule, Kai teases her for tracking his comings and goings. The conversation is interrupted by the arrival of Dominic Davenport, who has come to meet with Kai. After her shift, rather than return home and stare at a blank page of the erotic thriller novel she’s been trying to write for two years, Isabella visits the piano room in Valhalla Club, where she decides to decompress by playing for a while.

Kai is captivated by Isabella’s presence at the bar, as usual, which aggravates him. Kai attempts to drag his attention away from her by telling Dominic about the call he got today. Alongside five other candidates, Kai is in the running to become CEO for Young Corporation—his family’s business, which he’s been the presumptive heir to since birth.