Jasmine's POV
Morning light bled through the penthouse curtains, too sharp, too clean for the storm inside me. The Grand Sterling's suite smelled faintly of orchids and polish, but no luxury could soften the knot in my chest.
I had faced men more ruthless than Ares Knight. I'd outmaneuvered boardrooms filled with predators who waited like vultures for one mistake. Yet last night… Last night had shaken me in ways I didn't want to admit.
His eyes had found me in that crowd, holding me with the weight of a thousand unspoken things, and for one reckless heartbeat, I'd felt seventeen again. Before betrayal had taught me exactly what trusting him would cost.
"Ma'am?" Claire's soft knock broke my thoughts. My assistant stepped in, tablet in hand, posture as precise as always. She paused when she saw me sitting at the vanity, staring into the mirror as though I could scrape the past off my reflection. I smoothed my face into neutrality, slipping the mask back on.
"Yes?" My voice was calm, clipped.
Claire recovered quickly, scrolling. "Duvall board call at noon. Strategy meeting with the Asia-Pacific team at three. Dinner with Ambassador Harlan at eight. And…" She hesitated, as though weighing whether to say it. "A summon from KnightCorp."
My heart gave a single hard thud before settling into dangerous stillness. "A summons?"
She nodded. "An assistant from KnightCorp called at dawn. Mr. Knight wants to see you in his office. No time specified. Just… today."
Of course. Ares had never asked for anything. He demanded.
"Clear my noon call." I said, rising from the chair. My silk robe whispered against the polished floor as I walked to the window. The skyline stretched wide, dazzling, indifferent. "Have the car ready within the hour."
Claire turned cautious. "Are you sure? I can decline…"
"No." My answer cut through the air. My hand pressed against the cold glass. "If Ares Knight wants a confrontation, he'll get one. On my terms."
Even if the sight of him had cracked something raw last night, he would never see it. The past was dead. I wasn't the girl he left behind.
I was Jasmine Duvall. And today, I will prove it.
KnightCorp HQ rose like a steel blade above Crestfall, piercing into the morning sky. From a distance, it was just another skyscraper. Up close, it was a fortress. Cold. Impenetrable. Daring anyone to try.
The lobby was a hall of marble and glass, humming with tailored suits and clicking heels. Eyes followed me as I walked across the floor, every gaze sharp with curiosity. They didn't whisper about Duvall Holdings. They whispered about me… the woman walking straight into the lion's den.
"Miss Duvall, Mr. Knight is expecting you."
The receptionist's voice was honeyed, practiced. I nodded once and stepped into the private elevator.
No music. Just the low hum of machinery as the city dropped away beneath me. I forced my pulse into rhythm. Calm. Controlled. Ready.
The doors opened to silence. The top floor was another world… quiet, stainless, the skyline spreading through floor-to-ceiling glass.
And there he was.
Ares Knight.
Seated behind a desk carved of dark stone, suit sharp enough to cut, presence filling the space like a storm barely controlled. He didn't rise. Didn't greet me. Just looked up, eyes cold, cutting through me as though he had been waiting for this exact moment.
For a moment, the world seemed to fade away until it was just the two of us.
But I didn't shrink.
"Mr. Knight." My heels clicked against the shiny floor as I advanced. My voice was steady, crisp. "You summoned me."
His mouth curved… mockery dressed as a smile. "You came."
"I had a choice?"
"You always have a choice." He leaned back, the predator at ease in his lair. "Though you seem to make the same one. Walking straight into fire."
My pulse jumped, but my face didn't show it. "Then let's skip the drama. What do you want from me?"
He stood, slow and deliberate. Every inch of movement radiated control. My body remembered things I'd spent years trying to bury… the heat of him, the way the air bent around his presence.
"You." he said simply.
The word landed heavy, sharp.
I composed my breath. "KnightCorp and Duvall Holdings share investments, yes. But don't mistake this for something personal."
"Oh, Jasmine." His voice dropped low, laced with mockery. "With you, it's always personal."
The way he said my name… like a possession, like an accusation… drifted over old scars.
I gave a cool laugh. "You've built an empire, Ares. Surely you don't summon CEOs just to poke at ghosts."
He circled the desk, slow, deliberate, closing the distance until he was too close. "Maybe I like seeing how ghosts fight back."
Heat shivered down my spine, but I forced my body still. "Then let me remind you," I said evenly, "I'm not a ghost. And I don't bow."
For the first time, something flickered in his expression… something sharp and momentary, gone before I could name it. His jaw ticked once.
Then his lips curved, cruel. "You've changed."
"That was the point."
"But not enough." His gaze dragged over me like a scalpel. "I can still see her. The girl who looked at me like I was the only man in the world."
Anger surged, hot and fast. "That girl is dead."
"Then who stands in front of me now?" His voice was quiet, dangerous. "The woman pretending she doesn't still want to prove herself to me?"
My nails bit into my palms. "The woman who doesn't make the same mistake twice."
Our eyes locked, unblinking. A battle without swords, only words sharp enough to cut.
He shifted, circling me like he owned the air I breathed. "You think because you've carved out a corner of this city, you're untouchable. That you can walk into KnightCorp and demand equal footing."
"I don't demand," I corrected, steel in my voice. "I take."
His laugh was soft, derisive. "Still reckless. Still dangerous. That part hasn't changed."
"You'd know."
He stopped in front of me, gaze drilling into mine. "Here's how this works. Duvall Holdings wants KnightCorp's partnership? Fine. But you answer to me. Every deal, every decision, every move… through me."
My spine stiffened. "Excuse me?"
He leaned forward, palms flat on the desk, voice slicing like glass. "If we're doing this, you work under me. My rules."
The words dropped like iron, the air thick with challenge.
I felt my mask threaten to crack. He wasn't offering a partnership… he was daring me to submit.
My throat was dry, but my voice came steady. "Under you? You think I'll bend to your will?"
His lips twitched, cold amusement in his eyes. "You already are. You walked into my building, my office, sat across from me. Every step you take here is on the ground I own."
I forced a smile, sharp as glass. "Careful, Ares. You're mistaking presence for power."
He studied me for a long moment, expression unreadable. Then, softly, cruelly: "And you're mistaking stubbornness for freedom."
The words hit harder than I wanted them to. Because underneath them was truth.
Silence stretched, humming, dangerous. The city sparkled beyond the glass, indifferent to the storm in this room.
Finally, he straightened, his tone colder, final. "This isn't a negotiation, Jasmine. Either you accept my terms, or you walk away."
"Walk away?" I echoed, unconvinced. "You think I'd abandon everything I've built because you snap your fingers?"
His jaw tightened, his voice a low warning. "I think you know exactly what happens to people who oppose me. And I think you're smart enough not to test it."
"You don't scare me."
"You should be scared," he cut in, his voice deadly soft. "Because the only thing more dangerous than me being against you… is me being for you."
The words sent a chill racing down my spine. Cruel. Mocking. Twisted with something else I couldn't name.
I held his gaze, even as my pulse pounded. "I won't be another pawn in your empire."
"Then you'd better be the queen," he said, that cruel half-smile cutting across his face. "Because if we're doing this, you work under me. My rules."
The edict slammed into the room, final and inescapable.
And for the first time since walking into KnightCorp, I felt the ground shift beneath my feet.
The question was: did I bend? Or did I bite back?