LOGINChelsea Arts District, SoftVoice Studio.
I pushed the door open. Song Sheng was right there, phone in hand, eyes blazing."Lisa. I found out."Her voice shook with anger."Ingenuity is sticking to their 'full capacity' story. They won't say another word.""But a friend in their mid-level management just tipped me off. It's the Carters."I propped my suitcase against the wall. I wasn't surprised.I walked to the water cooler, poured a glass of water, and dranAlexander's fingers tightened."What's your name?"The girl winced as he gripped her wrist, tears welling in her eyes as she looked up."Lila Bennett."The name was a key, suddenly turning in a lock deep in his mind.A sharp ringing echoed in his skull.His vision blurred for a moment.Her?The so-called destined heroine Ethan had rambled about?His gaze went cold, sweeping over her face.Delicate features. Timid expression. A teardrop mole at the corner of her eye, making her look innocent and fragile."Sir, I'm so sorry. I'll pay for the dry cleaning..."Lila looked up at him with wide, panicked eyes. No threat. Just pitiful vulnerability.But Alexander's stomach churned with a visceral disgust.He pulled his hand away. Roughly.Lila stumbled, her elbow hitting the floor with a soft thud. She winced.She stared up at him, her expression shattered and confused.She couldn't understand why he wasn't
The kiss descended with a searing heat.It claimed every inch of me, from my lips down to my collarbone.I pushed against his chest, my breath hitching in my throat."Wait, we aren't finished. What happened with Ethan?"Alexander's movements faltered.The raw lust in his eyes ebbed slightly, replaced by a layer of cold, sharp disdain."Sent him away.""He's on a flight this Monday. I'm putting him at the bottom of the ladder in one of the overseas branches to see if he can actually cut it."He lowered his head, his nose brushing the side of my neck.He spoke with chilling indifference."It's up to him now. Whether he claws his way back up or rots over there, it's no longer my concern."I stayed silent for a moment, then gave a soft hum of agreement.That was the path Ethan Knight had carved for himself.I had no interest in wasting my sympathy on him.Alexander seemed to recall something.He pressed his foreh
Alexander frowned. Before he could even open his mouth, I peered out from behind him, my eyes tracing the man in the doorway."Luke," I said, my voice laced with amusement. "How much did you actually have to drink?"Luke's gaze flickered to me, his eyes looking even more bloodshot under the hallway lights."Not enough," he growled. "But enough to come here and settle the score with you two."He suddenly straightened his posture, jabbing a finger toward Alexander."You. For the sake of your precious little wife, you had me seduce your own fiancée."Then his finger swung toward me."And now Elena wants nothing to do with me. So, what are you two going to do about it?"Alexander's brow tightened, his voice dropping into a cold, dangerous register."Is that why you're trying to kick my door down?""What else was I supposed to do?"Luke let out a sharp, frustrated laugh."Weren't you the one who told me to break up the en
The light in the living room hit Elena like a slap the moment she pushed open the heavy front door of the Voss mansion.Shards of argument shattered the air.Edward Voss stood with veins bulging at his temples, jabbing a finger at Linda's face."Have you lost your mind? Undermining the Knights in front of the entire elite circles like that!""Now the engagement is dead, our reputation is in the gutter, and the Voss family is the laughingstock of everyone!"Linda's spine was ramrod straight. Her face was pale, a cold smile frozen on her lips."I am the crazy one? If you weren't so desperate to climb into bed with the Knights, so eager to sell your daughter for profit, would I have had to go this far?""Now you blame me? Brother, you didn't hesitate for a second when you agreed to trade Elena for leverage!"Elena's mother stood between them, tear tracks streaking her face, her voice shaking."Stop it... What good is fighting now?""We
Luke's fingers tightened around her wrist. A barely perceptible flinch.The dim overhead light inside the car carved sharp lines along his suddenly tense jaw.He stared at her. The usual cocky grin was gone. What remained was something darker, deeper."You know?"His voice dropped low, rough with the weight of an approaching storm."Since when?"Elena didn't look away. The faint smile on her lips wavered, but she held it in place."Luke, I'm not actually stupid.""All those wild nights the past two weeks. There was always something off underneath. Something I couldn't quite name.""You showed up too perfectly. The timing of your whole'rebel phase'was too convenient. I had my suspicions back then.""You got close to me because Alexander asked you to. To blow up the engagement. Right?"She wasn't naive. Growing up in the Voss family, she'd just learned to curl into herself. To survive.But that didn't mean she was blind.
Gerald's pupils contracted sharply."Knight Group is massive,"Alexander continued, his voice steady."Strike at me alone, and the company survives."He lifted his eyes. Met Gerald's freezing gaze directly. Unflinching."But one move. And everything shifts.""If word gets out that I walk away with nothing, the stock drops. Competitors circle.""The family bleeds. For what? Nothing."His tone was calm. But every word cut.Silence.The sandalwood incense burned. Ash fell. Soft. Final.Gerald stared at him. Then slowly, he clapped his withered hands together. Veins standing out on his wrists.The silence stretched. Suffocating.Finally, a low laugh scraped from Gerald's throat."Good. Very good."His laugh was rough. Almost appreciative. But poisonous."Alexander. You're smarter than your father.""He knew how to protect his woman. But he only knew how to fight head-on. In the end, he lost everything.""Not y
Alexander Knight was not the only one lying awake that night.10:00 p.m.Under the same dark sky, the neon lights of Nebula Club dazzled the eyes.Ethan Knight leaned back against the booth, twirling a lighter in his hand, listening to Winnie Carter sing a sappy love song.Wes
I slipped into the driver's seat but didn't fire the engine right away. I leaned back wearily against the seat, picking unconsciously at the steering wheel. Five million dollars sat quietly in my account, and the ashen, defeated faces of the three White family members still lingered viv
Dawn was breaking when I was jolted awake by my phone buzzing insistently on the nightstand.I pried my eyes open to find the screen flooded with notifications—over ninety-nine missed calls and messages.Icons for Marcus White, Elaine White, and Chloe White flashed relentlessly, t
The night wind turned cold, rippling the moon's reflection on the lake. My heart plummeted. Gerald Knight! How had he gotten here? My plan hadn't included a head-on confrontation with the ultimate authority of the Knight family so early—certainly not during what I considered t







