The glass walls of the Hart Corporation's boardroom reflected back a face I barely recognized—mine. My cheeks were pale, my eyes rimmed in red from another sleepless night. The long auburn strands of my hair slipped from the knot I'd forced them into, falling against the shoulders of my blazer. My fingers gripped the edges of the leather chair so tightly I thought I'd leave marks.
Across the long mahogany table sat Adrian Blackwood.
Even sitting down, he had the presence of a man who owned the entire city outside the floor-to-ceiling windows. Tall, broad-shouldered, impeccably dressed in a charcoal suit that fit like a second skin, he exuded a controlled power that made the air in the room shift around him. His dark hair was neatly styled, his steel-gray eyes fixed on me with unnerving calm—as if I were not a person but a puzzle he had already solved.
I hated him.
Or at least I told myself I did.
My brother, Daniel, sat beside me, his jaw clenched, his dark brows furrowed in frustration. His tie was loosened, his sleeves rolled up, the picture of a man ready to fight but too exhausted to win. He had our father's stubbornness but none of his patience.
At the other end of the table leaned Victoria Kane, Adrian's lawyer, her slim body draped in a pale-blue power suit. Perfectly manicured nails tapped on a sleek folder in front of her as if she were waiting for the signal to unleash another blow. Her blonde hair was pinned back, her expression neutral but her eyes gleaming with something that looked a lot like triumph.
It was Adrian who finally broke the silence. His voice was smooth, deep, commanding.
"Miss Hart," he said, as if my entire existence had been reduced to a name on a document, "your father's company is no longer viable. The debt alone has crippled what little was left of your holdings. You should be thanking me for stepping in before it collapsed completely."
My throat tightened. "Thanking you? You've gutted everything my father built with his bare hands. Hart Corporation was more than numbers on a balance sheet—it was his life's work."
Adrian's gaze didn't flinch. He leaned back in his chair, crossing one powerful leg over the other, his hands steepled together in calculated ease. "Your sentiment is touching, Isabella, but sentiment doesn't pay investors. It doesn't keep employees fed. What I did was necessary."
Daniel slammed his hand on the table. "Necessary? You call destroying us necessary? You've humiliated our family. My father is in the hospital, barely breathing, and you think you can sit there and justify this?"
Victoria's lips curved ever so slightly, though she kept her gaze trained on her papers. "Mr. Hart, emotions have no place in business. Mr. Blackwood is offering stability, nothing more."
I turned to Adrian, my voice trembling but sharp. "You didn't just buy us out. You cornered us. You forced my father to sell under threat. Don't pretend this was mercy."
For the first time, something flickered in Adrian's eyes—a dangerous amusement. He leaned forward, his voice dropping low enough that the weight of it settled on my chest.
"Mercy?" he repeated softly. "You misunderstand me, Miss Hart. I don't deal in mercy. I deal in results."
The room went still. Even Daniel, normally quick to spit back, faltered under that look.
I forced myself to breathe. "If you came here to gloat, you've succeeded. But if you think I'm going to sit quietly while you dismantle everything we've worked for, you're wrong."
Adrian's lips twitched, almost a smile, but too sharp to be kind. "I don't gloat, Isabella. I negotiate. And right now, you're in no position to do anything else."
I hated the way my name sounded on his tongue. Too intimate, too commanding.
Daniel shot up from his chair. "We're done here. Come on, Bella."
But before I could stand, Adrian's voice cut through the room again, stopping me cold.
"Sit down, Miss Hart. I'm not finished."
The authority in his tone rooted me in place. My body obeyed even as my mind screamed at me to move. Slowly, I sank back into the chair. Daniel's fists clenched at his sides, but he stayed standing, glowering at Adrian with all the fury of a man who couldn't win.
"What else could you possibly want?" I asked, my voice raw.
Adrian tilted his head, studying me like a man considering a prized piece of art. "I'm offering you a choice."
"A choice?" I whispered bitterly. "You've already taken everything. What choice do I have left?"
His gray eyes locked onto mine. "You can fight me, and watch what little remains of your family's assets vanish. Or…" He paused, letting the silence stretch until I could hear the blood pounding in my ears. "You can come work for me."
The words hit harder than any threat.
I stared at him, stunned. "Work for you?"
Daniel's voice exploded beside me. "Absolutely not! You think you can buy her loyalty the way you buy everything else?"
Adrian didn't even glance at him. His gaze never wavered from mine. "This isn't about loyalty. It's about survival. Your family is drowning, Isabella. You can either watch from the shore, or step into my empire and take control."
My mouth went dry. "As what? A puppet for your amusement?"
His lips curved, slow and deliberate. "As my executive assistant. At my side. Every day. You'll learn how power works. You'll learn how I win."
Daniel cursed under his breath. "Bella, don't you dare—"
But I couldn't breathe, couldn't move. My pulse hammered as Adrian leaned closer, his voice lowering to a velvet threat.
"Make no mistake, Miss Hart. I always get what I want."
The words wrapped around me like chains.
And in that moment, I realized the choice he offered wasn't a choice at all.