In Bed with My Fiancé's Enemy

Brielle Sterling smoothed the lapels of her tailored suit jacket, staring out through the floor-to-ceiling glass of the high-rise executive suite into the central atrium.

"You're making a spectacle of yourself, Brielle," Kieran Ashcroft said, his tone icy as he adjusted his platinum cufflinks across the massive glass conference table. "The board made its decision an hour ago. My engagement to Selina Whitlock is finalized, and Kingswell Group is terminating your executive contract."

Brielle turned slowly, her knuckles white where she gripped the edge of the mahogany chair. Her chest tight, her throat raw, she refused to let him see her crumble. "You used my family’s equities to secure the merger, Kieran, and now you’re dumping me in front of the entire board?"

"It is strictly business," Kieran replied smoothly, not even looking up as Selina Whitlock stepped up beside him, sliding her manicured hand into the crook of his elbow. "You are no longer an asset to Kingswell Group. You're an embarrassment."

Brielle swallowed the bitter taste in her throat, her stomach churning violently. Three years of dedication, endless nights building their core portfolio, and a personal promise of marriage—all tossed aside the second Selina’s father offered a controlling share.

The double doors of the boardroom swung open, and Adrian Sterling rushed into the room, his tie askew and panic etched into his face.

"Brielle, stop," Adrian gasped, catching her by the shoulders. "Don't say anything that makes this worse."

"They just stripped my executive standing, Adrian!" Brielle snapped, her voice trembling despite her best efforts. "Kieran threw me to the wolves!"

"I know," Adrian muttered under his breath, his eyes darting toward the silent board members standing near the perimeter. "I know, Brielle. But Theodore Kingswell isn't just firing you. He signed off on the transfer clause."

Brielle froze, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird. "What transfer clause?"

"You aren't being pushed out onto the street," Adrian whispered, his grip tightening on her arm in a desperate attempt to anchor her. "Chairman Kingswell executed the cross-corporate debt-settlement agreement. You're being reassigned."

"To where?" Brielle demanded, her voice rising. "I hold ten percent equity in this firm!"

"You don't anymore," Theodore Kingswell’s gravelly voice echoed from the head of the table as the aging chairman stood up, adjusting his corporate signet ring. "Your father's old debt notes were purchased last night. To keep Kingswell Group solvent after Kieran’s expansion, those notes were converted to a secondment contract."

"Where am I going, Theodore?" Brielle asked, her chest heaving as a terrifying realization settled in her gut.

"Blackridge Global Holdings," Theodore announced coldly. "You report to Chairman Damian Blackridge effective immediately."

The name hit the room like a physical blow. Brielle felt the blood drain from her face until her vision blurred at the edges. Blackridge Global Holdings was the most aggressive, ruthless conglomerate in the entire financial district. Damian Blackridge didn't negotiate; he liquidated, swallowed competitors whole, and ruined anyone who stood in his way.

"No," Brielle whispered, shaking her head as she backed away from the glass table. "He’ll tear me apart. He hates our family."

"You have sixty minutes to pack your personal effects from your desk," Theodore said, turning his back on her to collect his briefcase. "The executive transport is waiting at the lower level."

Brielle turned and bolted through the double doors, her heels clicking violently against the polished marble floor of the executive campus. She made it straight to the private restroom, dropping to her knees over the sink as her stomach violently churned. She splashed cold water onto her face, staring at her pale reflection in the mirror.

Her life was completely dismantled in less than an hour. Dumped publicly by her fiancé, stripped of her corporate authority, and traded off like a piece of distressed real estate to a ruthless corporate tyrant.

She gathered her leather briefcase from her former office, avoiding the hushed whispers and pitying stares of the staff lingering in the hallways. News traveled fast in the financial district. Everyone already knew she had been cast out.

When she stepped out of the private elevator onto the subterranean loading bay, Adrian was waiting beside a sleek, blacked-out executive sedan.

"Brielle," Adrian said softly, his hands shoved deep into his trousers. "I tried to vote against it. You have to believe me. The board handcuffed me."

"You knew before I walked into that meeting," Brielle said, her voice dropping into a dangerous, quiet line. "You knew Kieran was going to announce the engagement and the transfer."

"It saves our family from total bankruptcy!" Adrian argued, stepped closer, his eyes pleading. "Damian Blackridge wiped out five hundred million in debt the second Theodore signed your transfer papers. It’s a clean slate!"

"I am the trade-off, Adrian," she said bitterly, her fingers digging into the strap of her bag. "I’m the sacrifice."

"It's just an executive secondment," Adrian tried to reassure her, though his own voice cracked under the weight of the lie. "You do your time at Blackridge, you keep your head down, and—"

"Damian Blackridge destroys people," Brielle interrupted him sharply. "Nobody survives his executive suite."

The rear door of the black sedan clicked open automatically from the inside.

Brielle took a deep, shuddering breath, her body trembling with a mixture of raw fear and burning anger. She stepped forward, sliding into the plush leather interior of the vehicle, expecting an empty backseat and a silent chauffeur.

The door heavy-slammed shut behind her, sealing out the noise of the garage.

Brielle turned her head toward the shadowy corner of the cabin, her breath catching instantly in her throat.

Sitting in the deep leather seat beside her, clad in a immaculate dark suit, was Damian Blackridge himself. His piercing dark eyes locked onto hers with absolute, predatory possession, a heavy silver signet ring glittering on his hand as he closed his tablet.

"Welcome to Blackridge Global, Miss Sterling," Damian said softly, his deep voice sending an electric shiver straight down her spine. "Your contract doesn't allow for resignation."