An improper Deal

Chapter 2

Elena didn’t sit. She planted her hands on the edge of his ridiculous desk, leaning in like she could reach across and shake some sense into him. The man didn’t even flinch. Up close he was taller than the photos suggested, his shoulders filling out that black suit like it was armor, his gray eyes flat and assessing.

“Two minutes?” she shot back. “That’s cute. I’ll take however long it takes for you to call off your wrecking crew.”

Damien Voss crossed his arms, the movement pulling his jacket tight. “Miss Reyes, my team has been trying to reach you for weeks. Certified letters. Emails. Your lawyer’s been dodging ours. Storming in here changes nothing.”

“Changes nothing?” Her voice rose. “You’re talking about bulldozing the only place in this city where kids actually read books instead of staring at screens. Where old ladies meet their book clubs. Where my parents—” She cut herself off, jaw tight. No. Not here. Not to him.

He tilted his head, studying her the way he probably studied balance sheets. “Sentiment doesn’t pay property taxes. Or salaries. The offer on the table is more than generous. Triple market value. You could walk away set for life.”

“Walk away?” Elena laughed, sharp and bitter. “This isn’t about money. Reyes & Co. isn’t some failing startup you flip for parts. It’s home. It’s history. People depend on it. You wouldn’t understand that, would you? Corporate bulldozer with no soul.”

Damien’s mouth twitched, almost a smile but colder. “Nostalgic dreamer wasting everyone’s time. The building is old, inefficient, and sitting on prime land. Progress waits for no one, Miss Reyes. Especially not crumbling brick and dusty shelves.”

She straightened, fists clenched at her sides. The air between them crackled, thick with something sharper than anger. His gaze dropped for half a second to her mouth, then back up. She noticed. It only pissed her off more.

“Fine,” he said, voice smooth as polished steel. “You want to fight this? I’ll give you thirty days. Shadow my team. Present your case. Show me why that store deserves to stand in the way of a three-hundred-million-dollar development. Convince me, or we do this the hard way. Eminent domain. Legal fees that will bleed you dry. Your choice.”

Elena stared at him, her heart hammering. Thirty days. It wasn’t enough. It was nothing. But walking out now meant giving up without a fight.

“Deal,” she said through gritted teeth. “But I’m not here to beg. I’m here to make you see what you’re destroying.”

Damien stepped closer, close enough that she caught the faint scent of his cologne—something expensive and dangerous. “Careful what you wish for. Most people regret getting what they ask for from me.”

Her pulse spiked. She held his stare, refusing to back down first.

The intercom buzzed. “Mr. Voss, the board is waiting on line one.”

He didn’t look away from her. “Tell them I’ll call back.”

Elena’s stomach twisted. She’d come here to confront the enemy. Now she was locked in for thirty days with him.

And the way he was looking at her—like she was a puzzle he intended to solve—felt like the start of something far worse than a business war.