The dinner had ended long ago.
But Isabella was still there—on the balcony of his penthouse, her arms folded against the night air, her red dress catching the city lights like embers. Inside, Alexander poured two glasses of scotch, his mind racing faster than he cared to admit.
He had invited her here to shake her confidence.
But instead, she had unsettled him.
He stepped out onto the balcony, offering her a glass. She didn't take it immediately.
"You're dangerous," she said, her voice quiet.
"Only if you let me be," he murmured.
She turned to face him then—really face him—and he saw it. That flicker behind her confidence. Fear. Not of him, but of herself. Of what this was becoming.
"This was never supposed to be personal," she whispered.
"It still doesn't have to be," he said, though his voice lacked conviction.
"Then why are you looking at me like that?"
Alexander stepped closer. "Because I don't know what I'll do if I let myself want you."
Her breath caught.
And for one charged moment, there was nothing but silence between them. No business. No deals. Just two people standing on the edge of something they couldn't name.
Then—
Bang!
The door to the penthouse burst open.
"Alexander!"
A woman's voice. Sharp. Familiar.
Isabella turned in shock as a tall blonde in a sleek designer suit stormed into the room, her heels clicking like gunfire against the marble floor.
The glass slipped from Isabella's hand and shattered.
The woman's eyes landed on her, then narrowed. "So this is who's got you so distracted?"
Alexander's jaw tightened. "Natalie, this isn't the time."
"Oh, but it is," Natalie snapped. "You've been avoiding board meetings, ignoring calls, disappearing without explanation—and now I find her here?"
"I'm not a secret," Isabella said coolly, even as her heart thundered.
"Could've fooled me," Natalie muttered, crossing her arms. "Is she why you've been stalling the London expansion?"
Alexander stepped forward, his voice calm but laced with warning. "Natalie. Leave."
"Make me," she snapped. "You forget—I still own 12% of Knight Industries. And if you think you can risk our reputation for this—"
"Enough!" His voice boomed across the room.
Natalie's mouth shut.
Isabella stared at him, something cold curling in her stomach.
"You never mentioned her," she said softly.
"There's nothing between us," Alexander replied immediately.
But Isabella had already turned away, reaching for her bag.
"Don't," he said, voice lower now. "Don't walk away."
She hesitated.
Then glanced back at him, her eyes unreadable.
"Next time, Alexander… tell me who I'm really up against."
And then she was gone.
He stood there in silence, staring at the broken glass on the floor.
For once, Alexander Knight didn't know whether he had just lost a business dea or something much, much more.