The Roth boardroom was a cathedral of power: floor-to-ceiling glass walls overlooking the city skyline, a long mahogany table polished to a lethal shine, and leather chairs arranged in a cold, strategic formation. The temperature was set at a crisp sixty-eight degrees Amelia Roth's preferred climate for dominance.
She sat at the head of the table, fingers laced together on the marble in front of her, legs crossed beneath the slit of her tailored navy skirt. Her expression was as impassive as the glossy stock reports neatly stacked in front of her. Around the table, the executive team from Roth Industries sat stiff and composed, barely disguising the tension in the room.
Tension that would only get worse when he arrived.
Amelia's gaze remained fixed on the massive double doors across the room. Her heart was steady. Her breathing even. The man on the other side of those doors could turn this entire negotiation into a bloodbath but she was ready.
The doors opened.
And in he walked.
Leo Vance.
Tall. Unreasonably attractive in a way that was both effortless and dangerous. A tailored charcoal suit hugged broad shoulders, the crisp white of his shirt open at the collar in a calculated act of defiance. His dark brown hair was artfully tousled, like he'd rolled out of bed ten minutes ago and somehow still managed to outshine everyone in the room.
He smiled, slow and sharp. "Miss Roth."
Amelia didn't rise. "You're late."
Leo's smile widened. He moved toward the table with the grace of a predator, the kind that didn't need to chase its prey because it already knew the kill was guaranteed. "Traffic." He slid into the chair directly across from her, long legs stretching beneath the table. "Or maybe I just wanted to make an entrance."
Her gaze sharpened. "If you came here to play games, you're wasting my time."
Leo's eyes darkened with a flicker of amusement. "Games are more fun when the stakes are high, don't you think?"
A muscle tightened in Amelia's jaw. She hated how he did that and how he could make something as simple as a boardroom meeting feel… personal. Intimate.
Leo's father had been trying to undermine Roth Industries for years. Corporate sabotage, back-channel deals, it was an ongoing war between their families. Amelia had spent years dismantling Vance Enterprises' attempts to destabilize her company. She had studied every move Leo made since he took over as CEO. His charm was a weapon. His arrogance was calculated. His ability to smile while sinking the knife was legendary.
And now he was sitting across from her, invited into her territory.
She hated it.
"Let's get to the point," Amelia said, her tone slicing through the tension. "Your company's attempted buyout of our shipping division was blocked last week. My legal team is prepared to file a formal complaint."
Leo's smile didn't falter. "Of course they are." He leaned back, arm draped over the back of his chair. "But before you waste your time with all that paperwork, maybe you should hear my counteroffer."
Amelia raised an eyebrow. "I don't recall asking for one."
"That's because you don't see the bigger picture yet." Leo's gaze sharpened, losing its playfulness. "A buyout benefits both of us."
Amelia's lips curved into a cold smile. "Please explain how handing over a key division of Roth Industries to Vance Enterprises would benefit me."
Leo's smile disappeared completely. His eyes turned lethal. "Because you don't have a choice."
The room went deadly quiet.
Amelia's spine straightened. "Excuse me?"
Leo slid a folder across the table. Amelia's eyes flicked down to the Roth Industries logo stamped on the front. Slowly, she opened it and her breath sharpened.
Inside were detailed financial reports. Projections. Losses. Confidential memos outlining security breaches and internal mismanagement.
Leo watched her expression closely. "Your shipping division is bleeding money. You've got a mole inside your company, someone's feeding your competitors information. Your father's been trying to cover it up, but the board isn't going to stay quiet much longer."
Amelia's nails dug into the marble surface beneath her fingertips. "Where did you get this?"
"Does it matter?" Leo's tone was casual. "The question is what are you going to do about it?"
Her pulse hammered in her throat. She had known something was wrong. Supply chain slowdowns. Misplaced shipments. Competitors somehow undercutting their prices at the last minute. She had suspected sabotage but this… this was proof.
She slid the folder shut. "What do you want?"
Leo's smile returned. "Partnership."
Her eyes flashed. "You expect me to hand over control of my shipping division to the son of the man who's been trying to crush this company for years?"
"No." Leo's smile sharpened. "I expect you to let me help you fix it."
Amelia's mouth tightened. "Why would you help me?"
Leo's gaze darkened. "Because someone's coming for both of us. Your company isn't the only one under attack."
A chill swept through Amelia's veins.
Leo leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. His eyes were hard, his expression stripped of all charm. "We have a common enemy, Amelia. You can fight them alone and lose. Or…" His voice softened. "We can fight them together."
Her eyes narrowed. "What's the catch?"
Leo's gaze flicked to her lips quick enough that it could have been imagined. But Amelia saw it. Felt the heat slide beneath her skin.
"No catch." His voice dropped lower. "Just trust me."
Her pulse quickened. "Trust isn't part of this deal."
Leo smiled. "Not yet."
Before Amelia could respond, the boardroom doors opened. William Roth her father strode inside, his expression carved from stone. Charles Vance followed close behind, his shark-like smile confirming what Amelia already knew: this was more than a meeting. This was a trap.
"Good," William said, cold satisfaction in his voice. "You've started without us."
Amelia rose from her chair, her pulse steady despite the cold twisting in her chest. "This isn't a negotiation."
Charles smiled thinly. "It is now."
Leo stood, adjusting the cuffs of his jacket. "Looks like we're all on the same team now."
Amelia's gaze cut toward her father. "What have you done?"
William's expression didn't change. "We've reached a resolution." His eyes settled on Leo. "You two will co-lead the restructuring of the shipping division."
Amelia's pulse hammered. "You can't be serious."
"I am." William's gaze sharpened. "Consider it a test, Amelia. Fix this together or don't bother coming back."
Amelia's breath sharpened. "You're gambling with the future of this company."
"No." Leo's voice was soft, dangerously soft. "We're securing it."
Her father's gaze lingered a second longer before he turned and strode toward the door. Charles followed.
Amelia's throat tightened. She turned toward Leo, her voice sharp as a blade. "What did you promise them?"
Leo's smile was slow and dangerous. "Nothing."
Her eyes narrowed. "You expect me to believe that?"
Leo stepped closer, too close until the heat of his body bled into the space between them. His voice lowered, private and intimate.
"Trust me, Amelia."
Her breath caught.
Leo smiled. "This is going to be fun."
Amelia's gaze stayed locked on his as he walked away leaving her standing alone, pulse racing, her carefully controlled world already starting to fracture beneath her feet.
And for the first time in her life Amelia Roth didn't know how to win.
The glass doors hissed shut behind Leo, the sound sharp as a gunshot.
Amelia remained seated at the boardroom table, pulse hammering against the cage of her ribs. Her father's words echoed in her head.
"Fix this together or don't bother coming back."
The weight of it pressed down on her chest, cold and suffocating. William Roth wasn't a man who made empty threats and Amelia had worked too hard for too long to let it all collapse because of a leak inside her company.
But working with Leo Vance?
Her father might as well have put a loaded gun in her hand and told her to play Russian roulette.
A soft knock at the door. Amelia's jaw tightened. "Come in."
Chloe Roth pushed the door open, striding toward the table like she owned the place which, technically, she didn't… yet. Clad in a deep emerald blazer, her honey-blonde hair cascading in waves over her shoulders, Chloe's sharp green eyes glittered with wicked amusement.
"You look like you've swallowed glass," Chloe observed, dropping into the chair Leo had just vacated.
Amelia's mouth pressed into a thin line. "Our father just handed half of my division to Leo Vance."
Chloe's eyes widened. "Ohhh. That's… bad."
"Understatement."
"Bad but hot." Chloe's smile widened. "Let me guess. Leo sauntered in here with his signature I'm-so-charming-I-could-literally-get-away-with-murder grin?"
Amelia's gaze darkened. "Exactly."
"And now Daddy Dearest wants you two to play nice?"
Amelia's eyes sharpened. "There's nothing nice about Leo Vance."
Chloe hummed thoughtfully. "Mmm. Tall, dark, rich, and emotionally unavailable? Sounds like your type."
Amelia's expression didn't change. "You're not helping."
"I'm not trying to help." Chloe's smile curved. "I'm just saying if you're going to burn down the empire, Leo Vance wouldn't be the worst person to do it with."
Amelia shot her a sharp look. "We're not doing anything."
"Sure," Chloe drawled. "Keep telling yourself that."
Amelia's jaw clenched. "He's dangerous, Chloe."
"Of course he is. That's the appeal."
Amelia's gaze darkened. "He's already inside my company. You don't hand someone like Leo Vance the keys to the kingdom unless you're prepared to burn the whole thing down."
Chloe's smile widened. "So burn it down."
Amelia's glare was sharp enough to cut steel. "Not happening."
Twelve Hours Later
(Roth Tower – Executive Floor)
Amelia's heels echoed down the marble-floored hallway as she stalked toward the executive conference room.
Her assistant, Ethan, trailed nervously behind her. "Ms. Roth Mr. Vance arrived early."
"Of course he did," Amelia muttered. She checked the Cartier watch on her wrist. "I'm three minutes early. He's not supposed to be here yet."
"Should I tell him to wait?"
Amelia's eyes narrowed. "No. Let's see how long he lasts without an audience."
She pushed the doors open and froze.
Leo was already seated at the head of the table. Her seat.
Amelia's eyes sharpened. "That's my chair."
Leo smiled lazily. "Good morning to you too, sweetheart."
Her nails dug into her palm. "Don't call me that."
"Why not?" Leo's voice lowered. "It suits you."
"Move."
Leo didn't budge. "Make me."
Amelia stepped forward, her heels clicking ominously against the marble. She stopped just inches from his chair, her hands flat against the back of it. "I don't have time for games."
Leo's gaze darkened. "Good. Because this isn't a game."
Amelia's jaw tightened. "Then stop acting like it is."
Leo leaned back, his gaze lazy but beneath the surface, there was steel. "You don't trust me."
"No."
"Good." His smile sharpened. "You shouldn't."
Amelia's pulse hammered dangerously. She could feel the heat of him even through the barrier of his ridiculous Tom Ford suit. His eyes dark and hooded flicked over her face, lingering at her mouth for a fraction of a second too long.
Her heart kicked painfully against her ribs. She hated the way her body reacted to him and hated that he could make her feel anything at all.
She forced herself to lean closer. "Stay out of my way, Vance."
Leo's smile softened but his eyes were dangerous. "I could say the same to you, sweetheart."
The heat between them sharpened, electric and lethal.
And then Leo stood.
Amelia stiffened as he slid past her, close enough that his shoulder brushed hers. Close enough that the scent of dark cologne and expensive whiskey teased her senses.
He paused at the door, glancing back at her. "We'll see who stays out of whose way."
Amelia's hands curled into fists as the door closed behind him.
Her pulse was still thundering when Chloe slipped into the room moments later, wearing an amused smile.
"You know," Chloe said, "if you don't want to sleep with him, you should really stop making it look like you're about to."
Amelia shot her sister a sharp look. "Stay out of it."
Chloe grinned. "Never."
Amelia's eyes darkened as she stared at the closed door.
Leo Vance wasn't going to get the better of her. He wasn't going to charm his way into her company.
But the dangerous gleam in his eyes said otherwise.
And Amelia hated how much part of her wanted to let him.
That Night
(The Vance Penthouse)
Leo's phone vibrated on the marble counter. He picked it up, smiling as he read the message.
Amelia: Tomorrow. 9 AM. Don't be late.
Leo's smile widened.
Leo: Wouldn't dream of it, sweetheart.
He could practically feel the heat of her glare through the phone screen.
Leo leaned back on the leather couch, glass of whiskey in hand, and watched the city lights flicker beyond the penthouse windows.
He hadn't lied to her earlier.
This wasn't a game.
But Amelia Roth was already playing whether she wanted to or not.
And Leo never lost.