*Maya's POV*
The security guards burst through the door like they were ready for war.
Two huge men in black uniforms filled the doorway. They both had muscles like football players and faces that said they enjoyed throwing people out of buildings.
"Mr. Kane?" the bigger one asked. "You called for removal?"
Alexander pointed at me without even looking in my direction. "Escort Miss Rodriguez from the building. Make sure she never comes back."
The guards started walking toward me. My heart hammered against my ribs so hard I thought it might crack them.
This was it. Carlos would die because I couldn't control my mouth.
But then something weird happened. Instead of feeling scared or sorry, I got madder than I'd ever been in my life.
"Stop right there," I said to the guards.
They looked confused and glanced back at Alexander.
I stepped between them and Alexander's desk. "I'm not done talking."
"Miss Rodriguez," Alexander said through gritted teeth, "you have nothing left to say that I want to hear."
"Too bad. You're going to hear it anyway."
The security guards looked at each other like they'd never seen anything like this before. They probably hadn't. Nobody probably ever stood up to Alexander Kane.
"Sir?" the bigger guard asked. "Should we remove her now?"
Alexander held up one hand to stop them. His eyes never left my face. "Let's hear what she has to say. This should be entertaining."
The way he said "entertaining" made my skin crawl. Like I was some kind of circus act for his amusement.
"You want to know what I think?" I asked.
"Fascinate me," Alexander said in that cold, bored voice.
"I think you're a coward."
The security guards made choking sounds. Alexander's assistant, who had been peeking through the door, gasped out loud.
But Alexander just sat there, perfectly still, like a snake waiting to strike.
"Explain," he said quietly.
"You hide behind your money and your power because you're scared of real people with real feelings. You treat everyone like robots because that's easier than admitting you don't know how to be human."
Alexander's jaw twitched. "You think you know me?"
"I know enough. You're thirty-two years old and you've never learned how to care about anyone but yourself. You call this a business deal because the word 'marriage' probably makes you break out in hives."
"Are you finished?"
"Not even close." I was on a roll now, and nothing could stop me. "You picked me because you thought I'd be easy to control. Poor girl, desperate family, she'll do whatever I say and be grateful for it. Right?"
Alexander didn't answer, but something flickered in his eyes.
"Well, here's a news flash, Mr. Ice King. If you want a wife who'll act like a scared little mouse, you picked the wrong girl. I've been taking care of my family since I was eighteen years old. I've worked three jobs at once. I've fought off bill collectors and bank managers and landlords who thought they could push me around because I'm young and poor."
My voice got louder with every word. "I didn't survive all that just to let some rich boy in a fancy suit tell me when I can breathe."
One of the security guards whispered to the other, "Should we stop her?"
"Let her talk," Alexander said, never taking his eyes off me. "I want to hear all of it."
"You want to hear all of it? Fine. You're lonely. That's what this is really about. You're so lonely you'd rather buy a wife than try to find someone who actually likes you."
Alexander's face went completely white. "You don't know anything about my life."
"I know you work eighteen hours a day because going home to an empty house makes you want to scream. I know you haven't had a real friend since you were twelve years old. I know you lie awake at night wondering if anyone would miss you if you disappeared tomorrow."
"Stop talking." Alexander's voice was deadly quiet.
"The answer is no, by the way. Nobody would miss you. Because you've spent so many years being cruel and cold that everyone around you is either scared of you or using you for money."
Alexander stood up so fast his chair rolled backward and hit the wall. His hands were shaking with rage.
"Get out," he whispered.
"Make me."
We stared at each other across his massive desk. The room was so quiet I could hear my own heartbeat.
"You have some nerve," Alexander said finally.
"You have no idea how much nerve I have. I once told a gang leader to get out of my restaurant when he was trying to collect protection money. I punched a guy who tried to grab me on the subway. I told my college professor he was wrong about economics and made him change my grade."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because you need to understand something. I'm not some helpless victim you can push around. Yes, I need your money. Yes, I'm desperate. But I'm not weak, and I'm not stupid."
Alexander walked around his desk again. This time, I didn't back down when he got close.
"What exactly do you want, Miss Rodriguez?"
"Respect. That's all I've ever wanted. Don't treat me like I'm something you bought at a store. Don't talk to me like I'm your employee. And don't ever, ever threaten my family again."
"And if I don't give you respect?"
"Then find yourself another wife. Because I'd rather watch my brother die than spend two years being your pet."
The words hung in the air between us like a challenge.
Alexander stared at me for what felt like forever. I could see his brain working, calculating, trying to figure out what kind of person I really was.
"You would really let your brother die rather than compromise?" he asked.
"If compromise means giving up my dignity, then yes."
"Even though he needs surgery today?"
My heart clenched, but I didn't let it show on my face. "Even then."
"You're either very brave or very stupid."
"Maybe both."
Alexander turned to the security guards. "Leave us alone."
"Sir?" the big one asked.
"You heard me. Get out."
The guards looked confused but left, closing the door behind them.
Alexander and I were alone again. The air in the room felt electric, like right before a thunderstorm.
"Sit down," Alexander said.
"I'll stand, thanks."
"It wasn't a request."
"And my answer wasn't a negotiation."
Alexander stared at me for another long moment. Then something incredible happened.
He smiled.
It wasn't a warm, friendly smile. It was cold and sharp and dangerous, like a knife made of ice. But it was definitely a smile.
"Interesting," he said softly.
"What's interesting?"
"You. I've never met anyone who wasn't afraid of me."
"Maybe you should get out more."
Alexander's smile got bigger and more frightening. "You think you're clever."
"I think I'm honest. Most people probably don't bother being honest with you because you pay them not to be."
"And you think honesty is what I need?"
"I think you need someone who'll tell you when you're being a jerk. Consider it a free service."
Alexander walked back to his desk and picked up a different folder. A much thicker one.
"These are the new contract terms," he said.
"New terms?"
"You wanted respect? Fine. You'll get your own credit card, your own car, your own schedule. You can visit your family whenever you want. You can even go back to school if that's what you want."
I blinked. "Really?"
"But," Alexander continued, and his voice got dangerous again, "if you ever embarrass me in public, if you ever make me look weak or foolish, if you ever betray me in any way, the deal ends immediately. Your brother's surgery gets canceled. Your family loses everything. And you'll never see a penny from me again."
"Fair enough."
"You don't even want to read the new terms?"
"I trust you."
Alexander laughed, and it was the scariest sound I'd ever heard. "Nobody trusts me, Miss Rodriguez. That's the first rule of dealing with Alexander Kane."
"Then maybe it's time someone broke your rules."
Alexander's eyes glittered with something I couldn't identify. Interest? Amusement? Hunger?
"The wedding is tomorrow," he said suddenly.
"Tomorrow?" My voice squeaked. "But I thought—"
"You thought wrong. Carlos needs surgery immediately. We get married tomorrow morning, then go straight to the hospital."
My head was spinning. "This is really happening?"
Alexander's cold, dangerous smile got even wider.
"Welcome to my world, Mrs. Kane."