The flash drive sat untouched on Isabella's desk, like a curse in disguise.
She hadn't moved since Jace left an hour ago. His words lingered in the air, heavy with implication.
"Everything you need to destroy him."
Alexander Knight.
A man who had become more than just a business interest. More than a challenge. He was a storm she had willingly walked into, believing she could tame it. But now... there was a crack in the armor. And Jace—chaotic, unpredictable Jace—had slipped through.
Isabella finally reached for the flash drive. Her fingers trembled slightly as she inserted it into her laptop. A folder popped up: "Knight_Files."
She hesitated. Opening it could change everything. But not opening it? That would make her weak. Naïve.
And Isabella Harper was never naïve.
She clicked.
The screen filled with scanned documents, emails, photos—dozens of files, all neatly labeled. Her breath caught as she scrolled through them.
Bank transfers. Offshore accounts. Confidential acquisitions.
But it wasn't the illegal deals that struck her cold. It was one document buried deep in a folder titled "Project Helena."
A contract.
Between Knight Industries and a pharmaceutical company under investigation for unethical trials in third-world countries.
Her eyes skimmed the pages. Her blood ran cold.
Alexander had known. He'd funded the trials. Quietly. Anonymously. The company had been shut down after several deaths—but Knight's name had never surfaced.
Until now.
She sat back, her chest tightening. This wasn't just shady business.
This was a cover-up.
The next morning, Alexander sat at his desk, reviewing the final quarter report when his phone buzzed. His assistant's voice echoed through the intercom.
"Sir, Ms. Harper is here."
He straightened. "Send her in."
The door opened slowly, and Isabella stepped in like a force of nature—elegant, unreadable, and cold.
He stood. "Isabella—"
She held up a hand. "Don't."
He paused. "You got my message."
"I did," she said coolly. "But I didn't come for explanations."
He studied her, his jaw tight. "Then why are you here?"
She walked to his desk, placing a single sheet of paper in front of him. "I'm amending the contract. If we're going to continue working together, there will be full transparency."
Alexander glanced down. "You don't trust me?"
"I don't trust anyone who hides behind clean suits and dirtier hands."
Their eyes locked. For a moment, it felt like the world narrowed to just them—rage, pain, attraction all tangled together.
He stepped closer. "I never lied to you."
"You never told me the truth either."
Alexander's expression flickered with something almost human—regret? Guilt? She couldn't tell. But he didn't deny it.
"I had my reasons."
"Reasons that got people killed?" Her voice was sharper now, trembling on the edge of fury.
Silence.
She turned to leave.
"I didn't know about the deaths until after," he said quietly.
Isabella paused.
"That doesn't change what happened," she replied. "But it changes how I handle you now."
He watched her walk out, every step echoing like a silent threat.
Later that night, Isabella stared at the city from her penthouse balcony. The flash drive was locked away, but the damage had been done.
She had seen the monster beneath the charm.
And she wasn't afraid.
The game had changed again.
This time, she held the cards.
But she knew Alexander Knight—and men like him didn't fold. They retaliated.
She'd made the first real move.
Now, the war would begin.