The hall was too grand, too golden, too perfect.
Sienna Hart had never seen that much luxury in one place before. Crystal chandeliers are like frozen waterfalls. Women in gowns that shimmered like moonlight. Men in tuxedos who walked like they owned the world.
Because some of them did.
She adjusted her simple black dress. It was the nicest thing she owned. It wasn't designer, not even close, but it was clean and fit well enough. She clutched the invitation tighter in her hand.
"Try not to get in anyone's way," her father had warned. "And for God's sake, don't say anything stupid."
She hadn't come to impress anyone. She came for one reason — to speak to the man at the center of all this glitter.
Alexander Knight.
CEO of Knight Dominion, the youngest billionaire in the city, and the man about to finalize the biggest acquisition of the year.
If this deal went through, the Hart family business — the last thing her grandfather had built before he passed — would disappear.
And Alexander Knight didn't care.
Sienna had tried every method. Emails. Phone calls. Pleas through assistants and mutual contacts. No response. Not even a rejection. Just silence.
So tonight, she'd crash his gala and make herself impossible to ignore.
She walked carefully through the crowd. Her heels weren't used to marble floors. Waiters floated by with trays of champagne she couldn't afford to taste. Conversations danced around her, none meant for her ears.
Then she saw him.
Tall. Perfectly tailored black suit. Hair neatly pushed back. Jaw carved like stone. And eyes—
Cold. Calculating. Distant.
He didn't smile as people laughed around him. He barely nodded as business tycoons toasted to his name. He looked like a man already bored of winning.
Sienna took a breath. Then another.
And walked straight toward him.
"Mr. Knight," she said, heart hammering.
He turned slowly. When his eyes landed on her, something shifted — not recognition, not surprise. Just annoyance. Like she was a fly near his wine glass.
"You're not on my list," he said flatly.
"No, I'm not," she admitted. "But I had to speak to you. It's important."
"Security," he called, not raising his voice, not even glancing away from her.
"I'm from Hart Enterprises," she said quickly, "The small company you're burying under your merger with Vexon."
Something flickered in his eyes — maybe curiosity. Maybe irritation. Either way, the two guards who had started toward her paused when he lifted a hand.
"I'm listening," he said.
She swallowed. "My family's business has been running for seventy years. We provide sustainable manufacturing support—"
"I know what you do," he cut in. "And I know your numbers. Bleeding money. Outdated tech. Zero growth. You should've sold years ago."
She flushed. "We just need time to restructure. Or a partnership. Something that keeps us afloat—"
"I don't do charity, Miss Hart," he said coldly. "If your company can't survive the market, it doesn't deserve to. That's business."
"Not everything is about profit," she said, anger breaking through. "Some things matter more than boardroom wins."
He tilted his head. "Tell that to your employees when they're out of work."
She stepped closer. "You're not the only one with power in this city. And you're not untouchable."
He looked at her, really looked this time.
"Is that a threat?"
"No," she said. "It's a promise that I won't go down quietly."
The corner of his mouth twitched. Not quite a smile. More like curiosity disguised as condescension.
"You're brave," he said. "And foolish."
Then he turned away from her — and back to his guests.
But Sienna didn't move.
She saw it then — the laptop left open on a nearby table. A presentation paused. Logos displayed. Documents visible.
She didn't think.
She just moved.
One quick step, one tap of the screen, one click on a shared device — and suddenly, Alexander Knight's entire private merger projection was on the massive event screen behind them.
The room gasped.
And then chaos.
Confidential numbers. Legal risks. Corporate vulnerabilities. Everything is exposed to hundreds of high-level guests.
Alexander turned, ice spreading across his face like a storm.
Sienna froze.
She hadn't meant to—she just wanted to cause a stir, not—
The screen blinked off. His security was already moving. Phones were taken. Laptops slammed shut.
But the damage was done.
Whispers began. Investors excused themselves. Board members looked away. A deal that was 99% complete... now hung by a thread.
Sienna backed away slowly.
She ran before he could speak.
Before his fury could catch her.
Before she realized exactly what she had just done.
—
The next morning, it wasn't the headlines that surprised her.
It was the knock on her door.
Sharp. Confident. Dangerous.
She opened it—and there he was.
Alexander Knight in a black suit, standing on her cracked apartment step like he owned it.
He didn't smile.
"Congratulations," he said. "You succeeded in embarrassing me. Now it's my turn."
She tried to close the door. His foot stopped it.
"You destroyed a two-year deal," he said, voice low. "Do you have any idea what that costs?"
"Your pride?" she snapped.
"No," he said. "Your freedom."
She blinked.
"What?"
"I just bought your father's company's remaining shares," he said. "At a loss, of course. But worth it. Because now... I own it. Every inch of it."
Her mouth went dry.
"No—"
"Yes," he said. "And I also own the debts your family tried to hide."
She shook her head. "You can't—"
"I can. And I have."
He handed her a thick envelope. She didn't take it. So he dropped it on her floor.
Inside were documents. Contracts. Financials. And one final page, printed in bold.
Marriage Contract.
She stared at it like it would vanish.
"You're insane."
"Maybe," he said. "But I don't let enemies walk away."
Her voice cracked. "You want to marry me?"
"Not for love," he said. "Don't flatter yourself."
"Then what?"
He stepped closer.
"So I can control the one thing you care about: your family's name."
Sienna felt her chest tighten.
"You could've ruined me quietly."
"But where's the fun in that?" he said. "I want the world to watch."
"And if I refuse?"
He smiled then. Cold. Final.
"Then I'll bury your father's company by sundown. And leave your family with nothing."
She stood frozen.
A storm in her chest.
He turned to leave.
"You have 48 hours," he said. "Choose wisely."
And just like that, he was gone.