Mia had run from the private room as Alex commanded, her heart pounding, her mind screaming with terror and confusion. But she hadn't run far. Couldn't run far. Couldn't just abandon Alex to face ten trained killers alone, no matter what he'd ordered.Instead, she'd ducked into an alcove just outside the private section, partially hidden behind a decorative pillar, her body pressed against the wall as she tried to decide what to do.Call someone, her rational mind screamed. Call the police, call your own security, call anyone who might help.But even as she reached for her phone, she heard the lead guard's words echoing: This club is owned by a Vinda subsidiary. The staff has been instructed to ignore any disturbance.If the club staff had been ordered to ignore what was happening, they'd certainly been ordered not to allow emergency calls. Her phone would be jammed or intercepted before any help could arrive.Which meant Alex was truly alone. Facing impossible odds. And Mia could onl

Alex took a deep breath, his chest aching from the broken or cracked ribs, his vision blurry from the blood still dripping from the cut above his eye. But when he raised his head to look at the lead guard—the man holding the combat knife, the man who'd just asked for last words—his face had gone completely cold.Not the warmth Mia had come to know. Not the gentle kindness he showed to people he cared about. This was something else entirely. Something hard and merciless that the Elite Force guards were seeing for the first time."You want my last words?" Alex said, his voice rough but carrying absolute conviction. "Fine. Here they are."He stared directly into the lead guard's eyes, his expression showing no fear, no resignation, no acceptance of his supposed fate."I hope you rot in hell."The words were delivered with such cold finality that several of the guards actually shifted uncomfortably. There was something in Alex's tone—something that suggested he genuinely believed the guar

Jace stood beside Alex, watching as his team finished securing the defeated Elite Force guards. His expression showed a mixture of professional satisfaction at a mission accomplished and concern for his employer's injuries."Mr. Carter," Jace said carefully, "what exactly are you planning? Storming the Vinda estate is not a simple matter. They have extensive security, political connections, legal protections. Even with our capabilities, a direct confrontation could—""Could what?" Alex interrupted, his voice calm but carrying an edge. "Could cause problems? Could create complications? Could make powerful enemies?"He looked at Jace directly. "You just told me I control resources worth over two hundred billion dollars. You told me the Kent fortune gives me access to power structures that span continents. You told me I'm more powerful than I realize."Alex's expression hardened. "So let me ask you—does the Vinda family, with their estimated net worth of what, three billion? Four billion

Mia remained on the floor where she'd fallen, her hands pressed against the expensive Persian rug, her body trembling—not just from exhaustion and fear, but from the weight of realization crushing down on her.She'd been crying. Tears had been flowing silently throughout the entire confrontation, though she'd tried to hide them, tried to maintain some shred of dignity in front of the family members watching her humiliation like spectators at a show.But now, listening to her grandfather's cold pronouncements, watching her parents refuse to even look at her, seeing the satisfaction on her brother's face—the tears kept coming. Not from weakness. From the bitter acceptance of truth she'd been denying for years.We were never relevant, Mia thought, the realization cutting deeper than any physical blow could have. My parents, me—we were never truly part of the Vinda power structure. We were tools. Assets. Pieces to be used and discarded when convenient.She'd grown up believing that family

"And I'M telling YOU," Mia interrupted, her voice rising, "that you can make all the announcements you want. You can plan all the public appearances you want. You can schedule a wedding and send out invitations and hire caterers and do everything to make it look legitimate."She stepped closer to the desk, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. "But you CANNOT make me get engaged to Simone Greene. You cannot make me marry him. You cannot force me to pretend I'm happy about an arrangement I never agreed to."Her voice became stronger, more certain. "This is MY decision. MY life. MY future. And I have made up my mind—I will NOT marry Simone Greene. Not in six months. Not ever. I don't care what threats you make. I don't care what you take away from me. I don't care what consequences you think will break me."Mia's glare intensified. "You can lock me in a room. You can cut me off financially. You can disown me and destroy my social standing. Do all of it. Take everything. But you ca