Xavier Black. The name sent a shiver of recognition through Aurora. He was the "King of Shadow Finance"—a man so powerful that even the government avoided him. If Zayan Ahmed (from the other stories) was ice, Xavier Black was a consuming fire.
"Tell him to come up," Aurora commanded, her voice regaining its strength. She wouldn't be bullied, not after everything she had survived.
A few minutes later, the office doors swung open. A man stepped in who seemed to command the very air in the room. He was taller than Richard, with shoulders that filled his bespoke charcoal suit and eyes the color of a stormy sea. His presence was overwhelming, a mix of raw power and dangerous elegance.
Xavier Black didn't wait for an invitation. He walked straight to Aurora's desk and leaned over it, his face inches from hers. "You've made a mess of my city, Emily Thorne," he said, his voice a deep, resonant growl.
Aurora didn't flinch. She met his gaze with her own sharp emerald eyes. "My name is Aurora Vance. And I don't know who you are, but you're trespassing."
Xavier let out a short, dry laugh. "Aurora? A fake name for a woman living a fake life. I know exactly who you are. I watched you in prison. I watched you build Phoenix Holdings from the shadows. And I let you do it because it was entertaining."
He stood up straight, his gaze sweeping over the office with disdain. "But now, you've taken a building that belongs to a debt I am collecting. Richard Vance owed me fifty million dollars. Since you took his company, you took his debt. You have twenty-four hours to pay, or this building—and everything in it—becomes mine."
"Fifty million?" Aurora gasped, her mind racing. She had spent most of her liquid cash on the takeover. "That's impossible. The audits never showed any debt to you."
"Xavier Black doesn't appear on audits, little bird," he said, stepping closer until she was trapped between him and her chair. He reached out, his thumb tracing the line of her jaw, a gesture that was both threatening and strangely intimate. "I am the debt that everyone forgets until it's too late."
He leaned down, whispering into her ear, his breath hot against her skin. "You wanted to be a predator? Welcome to the jungle. I'll be back tomorrow night. Have my money... or I might decide to take you as interest instead."
With a wink that was more like a threat, Xavier turned and walked out, leaving Aurora trembling—not just with fear, but with a surge of adrenaline she hadn't felt in years. She had finally met a man who was more dangerous than her past.