Mine

Alexander’s POV

Power is nothing without control. And I always had control.

Except when it came to her.

Isabella Reyes.

Even now, hours after walking out of that boardroom, her face lingered in my mind. The stubborn lift of her chin, the fire in her eyes, the way her lips trembled when I said the words—marry me. She thought she could mask her fear, but I saw it. I always saw through her.

And God help me, I wanted her all the more for it.

I poured a glass of scotch in my penthouse suite, staring out at the glittering skyline. The city lay beneath me like a conquest, every light a reminder of what I owned, what I controlled. But none of it filled the emptiness she left when she walked away five years ago.

She thought she’d escaped me.

She hadn’t.

I lifted the glass, letting the burn scorch my throat. No woman had ever walked out on me before. Not one. They all wanted my power, my wealth, my name. But Isabella… she had wanted me. At least, I thought she did—until she left without a word. No explanation. No goodbye. Just gone.

I told myself I didn’t care. That I would bury her memory like I buried every other weakness. I built empires, crushed rivals, doubled my fortune. And yet, every victory rang hollow, because she wasn’t there to see it.

Now fate had handed me the perfect opportunity.

Her family’s company was sinking, and I held the only lifeline. I could’ve bought Reyes Enterprises outright, stripped it for parts, left her father begging in the streets. But that wasn’t enough. I didn’t just want victory. I wanted her. Back in my arms. Back in my bed. Back under me, where she belonged.

I wanted her submission. Her loyalty. Her love—whether she admitted it or not.

My phone buzzed on the counter. It was Marcus, my right-hand man.

“She didn’t take it well,” he said when I answered, amusement in his voice.

“She’ll take it,” I replied coldly. “She has no choice.”

“She might try to find another investor.”

I smirked, swirling the amber liquid in my glass. “Let her try. Reyes Enterprises is poisoned. No one touches them without my approval. Every bank, every private fund—they all come to me before they breathe.”

Marcus chuckled. “Sometimes I forget how ruthless you are.”

I set the glass down, my jaw tightening. “I’m not ruthless. I’m focused. And when it comes to Isabella, my focus is absolute.”

There was silence on the line before Marcus asked carefully, “This isn’t just business for you, is it?”

No, it wasn’t. It never had been.

I ended the call without answering.

---

The next morning, I sat in my office, reviewing contracts, though my mind wasn’t on them. Every line of ink blurred into the curve of Isabella’s lips, the defiance in her gaze.

A knock sounded at the door. My assistant entered, crisp and efficient. “Mr. Knight, Ms. Reyes is here.”

My chest tightened, though I kept my expression unreadable. “Send her in.”

The door opened again, and there she was.

She stepped into my office like she was walking to her execution, her heels clicking softly against the marble floor. She wore a navy dress that hugged her curves, professional but modest. Yet no fabric in the world could hide the tremor in her hands, the rapid rise and fall of her chest.

God, she was exquisite. Even fear couldn’t dull her beauty.

She stood before my desk, arms crossed, eyes blazing. “You have some nerve.”

I leaned back in my chair, steepling my fingers. “I’ve been told that before.”

“This isn’t a proposal, Alexander. It’s extortion.”

I allowed a slow smile. “Words, Isabella. Call it what you want. But at the end of the day, you’ll be my wife.”

Her nostrils flared. “And what if I refuse?”

I rose from my chair, circling the desk until I stood inches from her. She tilted her head back to meet my gaze, refusing to step away, though I could see the shiver run through her.

“Then your father’s company dies,” I murmured. “And you’ll live knowing you could’ve saved it.”

Her breath hitched. For a moment, pain flashed in her eyes, raw and unguarded. Then she masked it with anger. “You’re a monster.”

I leaned closer, inhaling the familiar scent of her—jasmine and honey, intoxicating, unforgettable. “Maybe. But I’m your monster.”

Her lips parted, and for a fraction of a second, I thought she might yield. That she remembered the nights I had worshipped her body, the mornings I had whispered her name against her skin.

But then she turned sharply, putting space between us. “I’ll never love you again.”

The words sliced through me, sharper than any blade. My jaw clenched, my hands fisting at my sides. She could lie to herself all she wanted. But I had seen the way her pulse raced when I touched her. The way her body leaned toward mine even as her mouth spat defiance.

She still loved me. She always would.

“You don’t have to love me,” I said quietly. “You just have to be mine.”

She froze, her back stiff, her shoulders trembling. Then, without another word, she stormed out of my office, leaving the scent of jasmine in her wake.

---

As the door clicked shut, I sank back into my chair, my chest heaving. Rage and desire tangled in my veins, a dangerous cocktail that left me restless, hungry, unsatisfied.

She thought she could resist me.

But Isabella didn’t know the lengths I would go to keep her.

She had forty-eight hours. And if she didn’t come to me willingly… I would drag her back into my world myself.

Because Isabella Reyes wasn’t just a woman from my past.

She was mine.

And I never let go of what was mine.