Chapter 1
Bella’s heels echoed in the empty corridor of Knight Enterprises, each step a deliberate attempt to outrun the heat still simmering in her veins. The boardroom showdown with Xander Knight had left her rattled—not by his arrogance, but by the way his gaze had stripped her bare, seeing past her armor to something she’d buried long ago. She jabbed the elevator button, muttering curses under her breath. “Smug, insufferable jerk,” she hissed, though her mind traitorously lingered on the curve of his smirk, the low rumble of his voice.
The elevator dinged, but before she could step in, a voice stopped her cold. “Running already, Ms. Russo?” Xander’s tone was laced with mockery, and she turned to find him leaning against the wall, arms crossed, his suit jacket unbuttoned to reveal a crisp white shirt stretched taut over his chest.
Her pulse spiked, and she hated it. “Stalking me now, Knight? That’s a new low, even for you.”
He pushed off the wall, closing the distance with a predator’s grace. “Hardly. I just wanted to make sure you didn’t leave anything behind—like your dignity.”
Bella’s laugh was sharp, biting. “My dignity’s intact, unlike your manners. What do you want? Another chance to lose an argument?”
Xander’s eyes glinted, a storm brewing beneath the surface. “I want you to understand something. This merger isn’t optional. Your company’s on life support, and I’m the only one who can save it.”
Her fists clenched, nails biting into her palms. Russo & Co. was her blood, her sweat, her everything. She’d built it from a scrappy startup into a marketing powerhouse, and now this billionaire thought he could waltz in and claim it? “Save it?” she scoffed. “You mean gut it. I’ve seen what you do to companies you ‘save’—strip them for parts, fire half the staff, and slap your name on what’s left.”
His jaw tightened, the first crack in his polished facade. “You think you know me, Isabella? You don’t know the half of it.”
The way he said her name—slow, deliberate, like a caress—sent a shiver down her spine. She stepped closer, defiance overriding the warning bells in her head. “I know enough. You’re a control freak who thinks money buys everything. Newsflash: I’m not for sale.”
For a moment, they stood toe-to-toe, the air between them charged with something dangerous. His gaze flicked to her lips, and Bella’s breath hitched. She could feel the heat radiating from him, the faint scent of his cologne—sandalwood and sin—clouding her senses. Her body screamed to close the gap, to test the fire in his eyes, but her mind slammed on the brakes. No. She wouldn’t let him win.
Xander broke the silence first, his voice low, almost a growl. “You’re wrong about me. But keep fighting, Isabella. It’s… entertaining.”
“Entertaining?” She arched a brow, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Glad I amuse you. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a company to run.”
She turned toward the elevator, but his hand caught her wrist—not hard, but firm enough to stop her in her tracks. The contact sent a jolt through her, electric and unwelcome. She yanked her hand free, glaring. “Don’t touch me.”
His eyes darkened, something unreadable flickering in them. “Relax, Ms. Russo. I’m not the enemy you think I am.”
“Then stop acting like one,” she snapped, stepping into the elevator. As the doors slid shut, she caught one last glimpse of him—tall, commanding, and far too dangerous. Her heart pounded, betraying her resolve.
Back at Russo & Co.’s downtown office, Bella tried to bury herself in work, but Xander’s presence lingered like a ghost. She stared at the merger documents, her pen tapping furiously. Lila poked her head in, her journalist’s instincts sniffing out drama. “So, how was the lion’s den? Is Xander Knight as gorgeous as they say?”
Bella groaned, tossing her pen down. “He’s a nightmare. Arrogant, manipulative, and—” She stopped, unwilling to admit how his touch had burned her skin.
Lila grinned, leaning against the doorframe. “And hot as hell, right? Come on, Bella, I saw his photo in Forbes. That man’s trouble in a suit.”
“Trouble I don’t need,” Bella muttered, though her mind flashed to the moment he’d said her name, the way it had felt like a challenge and a promise. She shook it off. Xander Knight was the enemy, plain and simple. She’d fight him, outsmart him, and keep her company—and her heart—out of his grasp.
But as she stared out at the city lights, a traitorous thought crept in: what if fighting him meant fighting herself?
