The room was quite unnaturally quiet. Only the faint hum of the city outside broke the silence, but inside, every heartbeat seemed amplified.
Colson sat behind the massive mahogany desk, fingers steepled, eyes sharp and unblinking. No one dared breathe too loud. He didn't need to shout; fear moved through the room like electricity.
And then the door opened.
Ebony Knight walked in. Black boots, black leather jacket, hair tied back with effortless precision. Chin up. Eyes steady. Not a flicker of fear.
Colson didn't blink. He didn't need to. He already knew she was dangerous everyone knew who she was. The leader of the Echelon, the assassin network that danced on the edge of his empire, efficient, lethal… but still, technically, under his rule.
She closed the door behind her, scanning the room with an almost lazy confidence, as if daring anyone to challenge her. Most would've crumbled. Colson didn't flinch.
"Ms. Knight," he said finally, voice low, smooth, a blade wrapped in velvet. "You're out of place."
She tilted her head, a faint smirk curving her lips. "Maybe. Or maybe I'm exactly where I need to be."
Colson leaned back, gaze piercing, studying her every move. Her defiance irritated him in the best possible way. Most people bent under his presence. She didn't. And that made her interesting.
"Interesting doesn't keep you alive in my world," he said. "You're pushing boundaries. I've watched your little operations grow… far too independent for someone who should know their place."
She raised an eyebrow, unflinching. "I'm not in your world, Colson. I don't answer to you."
He smiled not the warm kind, but the kind that hinted at danger. "Not yet. But that could change. Easily."
Ebony's smirk widened. "And why would I let that happen?"
Colson's eyes darkened. He stood slowly, closing the distance between them. Every step measured, deliberate, like a predator circling prey. "Because I don't ask twice."
She didn't move back. She shouldn't have, but she held her ground. And that was exactly why he wanted her even more.
His hand hovered near the edge of the desk, almost brushing her arm as he leaned closer. She could feel the heat, the quiet power in his presence. His scent — faint but intoxicating — wrapped around her senses.
"You misunderstand me," he murmured, voice lower now, silk and steel. "I don't want your fear. I want your obedience. And I will have it — one way or another."
Her breath hitched slightly — she didn't want to show it. But she met his stare, unflinching. "Good luck with that."
For a heartbeat, the air between them crackled, a magnetic tension neither could deny. Close enough to feel the pull, far enough to keep the game alive.
Colson leaned back finally, dark amusement in his eyes. "Consider this a warning, Ms. Knight. You can keep playing your little games… but I always win in the end."
She turned to leave, heels clicking against the floor, but he whispered, just low enough for her to hear: "And you? You're dangerously stubborn."
Ebony paused, the faintest shiver running down her spine, but kept walking. Confident. Unshaken. Dangerous.
Outside the office, the city lights glared like shards of glass against the glass walls of her car. Ebony exhaled slowly, straightening her jacket. Every instinct screamed at her — warning signs, danger… Colson.
She knew that he could destroy her syndicate with a single move, unravel her life with a whisper. Yet… she couldn't bring herself to fear him. Not fully. Not yet.
A smile tugged at the corner of her lips. He thought he could control her. That arrogance made him dangerous. That arrogance made him interesting.
And in her world, interesting was always the most dangerous kind of prey.
Colson, meanwhile, remained in the office long after she left. The flickering city lights painted his sharp features in gold and shadow. He didn't move. He didn't speak. But inside, a fire stirred.
He had met many challengers, many threats, many audacious fools. But none like Ebony Knight. She would test him. Push him. Make him chase. And for the first time in years, Colson welcomed the challenge.
He didn't want her fear.
He wanted her obedience.
And she was smart enough to know the difference.