Chapter 1 The Devil in the Boardroom

Isabella’s POV

The first rule of survival is simple: don’t show fear.

I repeated that to myself like a prayer as I sat in the cold boardroom, my palms damp beneath the polished oak table. I had grown up in this company’s walls, walking the halls as a little girl clutching my father’s hand, watching him shake deals that built empires. Reyes Enterprises had once been unstoppable—our family’s pride, our city’s powerhouse.

Now it was crumbling, like sand slipping through my fingers.

The empty chairs around the table mocked us. So many of our loyal executives had left in the last year, running to competitors while our numbers bled red. My father sat at the head of the table, shoulders sagging under the weight of failure, his silver hair thinning, his once-commanding voice weaker with every meeting.

And it was my job to save it. To save him.

But as the clock ticked closer to the moment I had been dreading, my chest tightened until I could barely breathe. I didn’t want to face the man coming through those doors. I prayed it wouldn’t be him.

The doors opened.

And every prayer I had ever whispered shattered.

Alexander Knight walked in.

The world seemed to tilt as he stepped into the room. I felt it before I saw him: the electricity that always preceded him, the low hum of power that shifted the air like a storm rolling in. His presence was a weapon, and every person in that room knew it.

He had always been beautiful in a way that hurt to look at. But five years had sharpened him further, carved away anything soft. His black suit hugged a frame built on power and precision, his tie the color of midnight. His jaw was strong, his cheekbones sharp, and his mouth—God, I remembered that mouth, the way it had once made me believe in forever.

And those eyes.

Storm-gray. Cold. Relentless. The same eyes my son saw in the mirror every morning.

My throat closed. Don’t look at him. Don’t let him see you shake.

But it was too late. He had found me. His gaze locked on mine the moment he entered, and I was pinned to my chair like a butterfly under glass. He didn’t look away, not for my father, not for the board members, not for anyone. Just me. Always me.

“Mr. Knight,” my father said, forcing cheer into his tired voice. “We’re honored to have you here. Reyes Enterprises is eager for a partnership with Knight Industries.”

Alexander didn’t even blink. He sat across from me, unhurried, deliberate, like a king lowering himself onto his throne. His hands were steady as he placed his watch and phone on the table, his gaze never breaking from mine.

“I’m not here for a partnership,” he said finally, his voice low, commanding, smooth as silk and sharp as a blade. “I’m here to take control.”

Gasps circled the table. My father stiffened. “Take control?”

Alexander leaned back in his chair, legs slightly spread, the picture of dominance. “Your company is drowning. I have the means to pull it from the abyss. But make no mistake, Mr. Reyes—I don’t throw lifelines. I buy ships.”

My nails dug into my palm beneath the table. Arrogant bastard. Always in control. Always dictating the terms.

“Surely,” I forced out, “there must be room for negotiation.”

Finally, his lips twitched—though it wasn’t a smile. “Of course. There’s always negotiation. But my price is non-negotiable.”

I felt it before he spoke it. The shift in the air, the predatory gleam in his eyes, the slow curling of his words as if savoring the moment.

“Marry me.”

The words crashed through the room like thunder.

The pen slipped from my fingers, clattering onto the table. My heart stopped, then slammed against my ribs with violent force.

“Excuse me?” My voice came out hoarse, strangled.

The boardroom erupted into murmurs. My father coughed, his face pale. “Mr. Knight, this is highly unorthodox—”

Alexander raised one hand, silencing everyone without effort. His eyes never left mine. “I’ll save Reyes Enterprises. I’ll clear the debts, restore the contracts, rebuild your empire. But Isabella will be mine. Publicly. Permanently. My wife.”

The audacity stole my breath. Anger flared, hot and wild, battling the icy terror in my veins. He couldn’t be serious. He couldn’t possibly—

“You think this is business?” I spat, my voice trembling with fury. “This isn’t business. This is… blackmail.”

His gaze darkened, storm clouds gathering. “Call it whatever you like. You know I never play fair when I want something.”

And he wanted me.

The realization sank like a stone in my stomach. He didn’t want my father’s company—he wanted me back under his thumb, chained to him in a gilded cage.

My father was shaking his head, bewildered, his hands gripping the arms of his chair. “Mr. Knight, surely we can discuss—”

“You have forty-eight hours,” Alexander cut him off, standing. He smoothed his jacket with precise movements, like the deal was already sealed. “After that, Reyes Enterprises will collapse, and I will watch it burn.”

He leaned closer, his shadow falling over me, his voice a whisper meant only for me. “Think carefully, Isabella. You’ve run once. You won’t run again.”

And then he was gone. Just like that. No hesitation, no glance back, leaving silence and devastation in his wake.

The room buzzed with shock, but I heard nothing. My ears roared, my vision blurred, my chest crushed beneath invisible weight.

Forty-eight hours.

Two days to decide whether to chain myself to the man who had destroyed me—or let my father’s legacy collapse into ash.

---

That night, I sat on the edge of Ethan’s bed, stroking his soft curls as he slept. His tiny hand curled around his bear, his lashes dark against his cheeks, his mouth slightly open in a soft sigh. My heart swelled and ached all at once.

He looked so peaceful, so safe.

He had no idea that his very existence was the ticking bomb beneath everything.

“Mommy will protect you,” I whispered, kissing his forehead. “I promise. No matter what.”

But even as I said it, Alexander’s voice echoed in my head: I never play to lose.

And I knew, with bone-deep certainty, that if he ever discovered the truth about Ethan… nothing in this world would stop him.

Nothing.