Lila Hart's hand trembled as she gripped the pen.
The contract glared up at her like a death sentence.
Alexander Knight stood too close—too powerful—his presence a storm pressing down on her.
Veronica's voice—his so-called real fiancée—still echoed in her head, but the door had slammed shut, leaving her trapped with him.
Her father's failing company. Her sister's hospital bills. The threat of total ruin.
Alexander's words weren't a bluff. He owned their future.
"I hate you," she hissed, tears burning as she scrawled her name across the page.
The ink bled like a wound, binding her to the devil for a year.
Alexander's lips curved into a slow, triumphant smirk.
"Good girl."
His voice dripped with possession as his fingers brushed the contract aside, grazing her shaking hand.
"Now… you're mine."
Lila shoved at his chest, her palms hitting unyielding muscle.
"I signed your damn contract, but I'll never be yours!"
Her voice cracked, torn between rage and the shameful flicker of heat his touch stirred.
He chuckled, low and dangerous, catching her wrists with ease.
"Oh, Lila. You'll learn to crave me."
In one swift motion, he swept her into his arms.
Her gasp caught in her throat as her body pressed against his solid chest.
"Put me down!" she demanded, but her voice wavered, swallowed by the iron of his grip and the scent of him—sandalwood and sin.
He carried her through the penthouse with steady, purposeful strides.
The bedroom waited like a trap—silk sheets, dimmed lights, a bed that screamed temptation.
He set her down at the edge but didn't let go, his hands firm on her hips.
"Two years ago, you saved me," he murmured, his blue eyes blazing with obsession.
"That night in the storm—you dragged me from the wreck, fearless, untamed. I've dreamed of that fire ever since. Now, I'll make you burn for me."
Her breath faltered.
Images of that night flooded back—the wreckage, the blood, the way his eyes had locked onto hers before he'd passed out.
She'd thought it was nothing more than a fleeting rescue.
But it had become her prison.
His hand slid to the hem of her dress, pushing the fabric up with deliberate slowness.
Her skin tingled, a hot flush rising as his touch seared her thigh.
"Don't," she whispered, but her body betrayed her, leaning into the heat of his hand.
He smirked, lips hovering just above hers.
"So stubborn. You say no, but your body says otherwise."
His fingers traced higher, brushing the sensitive skin of her inner thigh.
She gasped, thighs clenching instinctively as a wave of heat pooled low in her belly.
But he didn't push further.
Not yet.
Instead, he stepped back, his gaze devouring her as he unbuttoned his shirt.
Fabric slipped from his shoulders, falling to the floor.
Every line of his chest was carved strength, honed and predatory.
Lila's mouth went dry, her eyes betraying her as they swept over him.
He saw it.
"See something you like?" he teased, his voice rough as he closed the distance again.
His bare chest brushed against her, searing her skin.
He tilted her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze.
"This is our game now, little flame. You're mine to unravel, to tease, to own."
His fingers slid along her collarbone, dipping lower, tugging the neckline of her dress until the curve of her breast was bare.
Her nipples hardened under his stare, her body aching with need she despised.
His lips grazed her throat, heat trailing after them.
"I could take you now," he whispered, his hardness pressing insistently against her hip.
"But I want to hear you beg first."
"Never," she spat, shoving at him, but her voice trembled with want she couldn't hide.
He laughed, low and wicked, stepping back, leaving her flushed and trembling on the bed.
"You will."
His eyes gleamed with dark promise.
"This is only the beginning."
A sharp buzz broke the heavy silence.
Alexander's phone lit up on the nightstand.
He glanced at it, his expression hardening.
"Veronica," he muttered, the name like poison.
Then his gaze snapped back to Lila, a warning etched in his voice.
"Stay here. We're not finished."
Her pulse thundered as he strode to the door.
Who was Veronica?
And what did she mean to the man who had just claimed Lila as his own?