Chapter 1
Allenstein Bank Company
New York City never slept.
It breathed through steel and glass, through traffic that never truly stopped, through deals made in shadows and money that moved faster than conscience. From the forty-second floor of Allenstein Bank Tower, the city looked like a living organism—every light a pulse, every building a nerve.
Viktor Allenstein Lockwood stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, hands clasped behind his back.
He had mastered stillness.
That was the first thing his grandfather had taught him.
Stillness meant control.Control meant power.And power meant survival.
The reflection staring back at him looked composed—tailored black suit, sharp jawline, expression carved from discipline. No one would guess that beneath the calm surface, tension coiled tightly in his chest.
A knock echoed from behind.
“Mr. Lockwood,” his assistant said carefully, “your grandfather has arrived.”
Viktor closed his eyes for a brief moment.
Of course he has.
“Send him in.”
The door opened again, and with it came a presence that bent the room around it.
Frederick Allenstein did not rush. He never had. His cane struck the marble floor in slow, deliberate rhythm as he entered, silver hair immaculate, eyes sharp enough to cut through steel. Age had not weakened him—only refined him.
The man who built Allenstein Bank from nothing stood before his greatest creation.
His grandson.
“You look tense,” Frederick said.
“I’m busy,” Viktor replied without turning.
“So was I,” Frederick answered. “Once.”
That alone was enough to make Viktor finally face him.
“What do you want?”
Frederick studied him in silence for a moment, then walked to the desk and placed a black folder on its surface.
The sound was soft.
The implication was not.
Viktor stared at it. “What’s that?”
“An opportunity.”
Viktor didn’t touch it. “For who?”
“For this family.”
Frederick opened the folder and slid it across the desk.
The name on the first page made Viktor’s jaw tighten.
Morgan Laurent Holdings.
He exhaled sharply through his nose. “You’re obsessed.”
Frederick’s eyes darkened. “I’m strategic.”
Inside the folder were financial records, projections, internal audits—information that should not have been accessible to anyone outside the company. Each page painted the same picture.
Weakness.
“Your little rival,” Frederick continued calmly, “has been growing too bold.”
“Katherine Morgan is not reckless,” Viktor said. “She’s careful.”
“That’s exactly why she’s dangerous.”
Viktor finally picked up the folder, flipping through the pages.
“You’re planning a hostile takeover.”
“I’m planning a collapse.”
Viktor looked up sharply. “That would start a war.”
Frederick smiled faintly. “Good.”
Viktor closed the folder. “Then do it. Why bring this to me?”
The old man stepped closer, his cane tapping once against the floor.
“Because I don’t want her company.”
Viktor frowned.
“I want her.”
Silence slammed into the room.
“What?” Viktor said.
“I want Katherine Morgan to become an Allenstein.”
The words didn’t register at first.
Then they did.
Viktor straightened sharply. “You can’t be serious.”
“I am.”
“You want me to—”
“Marry her.”
The room felt suddenly smaller.
Viktor laughed once, sharp and disbelieving. “You’ve lost your mind.”
Frederick’s expression didn’t change. “She will say yes.”
“She would rather burn her company to the ground than marry me.”
“That,” Frederick said calmly, “is why this will work.”
Viktor stepped back. “You’re talking about forcing her.”
“I’m talking about leverage.”
“That’s the same thing.”
Frederick’s gaze hardened. “Don’t pretend you’re above it. This family was built on leverage.”
Viktor ran a hand through his hair. “No. I won’t do it.”
A beat.
Then Frederick spoke again—quietly.
“The secretary.”
Viktor froze.
“The one who stole confidential data two years ago,” Frederick continued. “The one you helped disappear before the board found out.”
Viktor’s blood turned cold.
“You promised that was finished.”
“It was,” Frederick said. “Because I allowed it to be.”
The implication settled like a blade at Viktor’s throat.
“If you refuse me,” Frederick went on, “I reopen the case. Publicly.”
Viktor’s voice dropped. “You’d destroy me.”
“I would correct a mistake.”
Silence stretched between them.
“And Katherine?” Viktor asked quietly.
Frederick’s eyes gleamed.
“She marries you, or I destroy everything she’s built.”
Viktor clenched his fists.
A forced marriage.
A corporate execution.
And a secret that could ruin him.
When he finally spoke, his voice was hollow.
“When?”
“Soon,” Frederick replied. “Before she finds a way out.”
He turned toward the door, then paused.
“Oh, Viktor?”
“Yes.”
“You should prepare yourself.”
“For what?”
Frederick looked back, a thin smile on his lips.
“She’s not the type to surrender quietly.”
The door closed behind him.
Viktor stood alone in the silence, the city reflected in the glass like a thousand watching eyes.
And for the first time in years...
He felt trapped.
Morgan Laurent Company
Katherine Morgan hated late-night calls.
Especially the kind that came from numbers she didn’t recognize.
She stood alone in her office, heels kicked off beneath her desk, city lights bleeding through the glass walls. The building was quiet—too quiet for a woman who lived in constant negotiations and silent wars.
Her phone vibrated once.
Unknown Caller.
She frowned, then answered.
“Yes?”
There was a pause.
Then a voice—calm, old, powerful.
“Good evening, Ms. Morgan.”
Her grip tightened instantly.
“...Who is this?”
A soft chuckle came through the line.
“You know who I am.”
Her jaw set. “Frederick Allenstein.”
“Correct.”
Katherine straightened, instincts screaming. “If this is about your bank’s failed acquisition, I told your board—”
“This isn’t a business call,” Frederick interrupted. “This is a courtesy.”
Silence.
“What do you want?” she asked coldly.
“I wanted to hear your voice,” he said mildly. “Before I ruin your life.”
Her blood ran cold.
“Excuse me?”
Frederick continued as if discussing the weather. “Your offshore account in Zurich. The one you use to hide emergency liquidity.”
Katherine froze.
“How do you—”
“The shell company in Malta. The quiet transfer you made last quarter. The audit you bribed your way out of.”
Her chest tightened.
“Those are lies.”
“Of course,” Frederick replied calmly. “That’s why no one has found them.”
Yet.
Katherine swallowed. “What do you want?”
A pause.
Then—
“My grandson.”
Her breath caught.
“Excuse me?”
“Viktor Allenstein,” Frederick said. “You will marry him.”
The words felt unreal.
“You’re insane,” Katherine snapped. “I’d rather—”
“Lose everything?” he cut in smoothly. “Because that is the alternative.”
Her nails dug into her palm.
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“I already have.”
Her screen lit up.
An email notification.
Then another.
And another.
Her eyes scanned the subject lines.
Internal Audit NoticeAsset Review RequestCompliance Violation Flagged
Her heart slammed against her ribs.
“You did this,” she whispered.
“I warned you,” Frederick said gently. “This is me being polite.”
“You’re blackmailing me.”
“I’m offering you protection.”
She laughed, sharp and disbelieving. “By forcing me to marry your grandson?”
“By aligning our families,” he corrected. “Publicly. Permanently.”
Silence stretched.
Katherine sank into her chair.
“You think Viktor will agree to this?” she asked quietly.
“Oh, he will,” Frederick said. “He doesn’t have a choice.”
Her fingers curled into a fist.
“And if I refuse?”
There it was.
Frederick’s voice hardened.
“Then by the end of this month, Morgan Laurent Holdings will cease to exist.”
Her throat tightened.
“You’d destroy hundreds of employees.”
“I’d call it collateral.”
Rage surged through her.
“You’re a monster.”
Frederick chuckled softly. “And you’re running out of time.”
The line went dead.
Katherine stared at her phone, pulse racing.
The room felt smaller.
Colder.
She stood abruptly, pacing the office, mind racing.
Marry Viktor Allenstein?
The man who challenged her every quarter.The man who never backed down.The man who looked at her like she was an obstacle.
Her phone buzzed again.
A text message this time.
Unknown Number:You should check your email. I sent you the contract.
She closed her eyes.
This was war.
Allenstein Bank Company
An hour later, she stood in the underground parking garage of Allenstein Tower, heels clicking sharply against concrete.
She didn’t know why she came.
Anger. Instinct. Survival.
Viktor was already there, leaning against his car, face shadowed.
They locked eyes.
“You,” she said coldly.
“Me,” he replied.
Silence crackled between them.
“So,” she said. “Your grandfather finally showed his hand.”
Viktor exhaled slowly. “He called you.”
“Threatened me.”
“He threatened me too.”
They stared at each other.
Two enemies, cornered by the same man.
“You think I’ll go along with this?” Katherine asked.
“No,” Viktor said honestly. “I think you’ll fight.”
“Damn right.”
A pause.
Then he said quietly, “But I think you’ll lose.”
Her eyes darkened.
“Careful,” she warned. “Because if I go down—”
“I know,” Viktor interrupted. “You’ll take me with you.”
Their gazes locked.
The city hummed around them, unaware that two lives were being rewritten.
Katherine stepped closer, voice low.
“This isn’t over.”
“No,” Viktor agreed. “It’s just beginning.”
