Elena didn't sleep. How could she? A wedding date. He had said it like it was a board decision. Like it was ink on paper. Not her life. Not her heart. By morning, she was still standing in the penthouse living room, staring at the city below. The skyline of New York stretched endlessly, cold and glittering - powerful, ruthless. Very Dominic.
"Still overthinking?" His voice came from behind her. Low. Controlled. Annoyingly steady. She didn't turn around. "Still making decisions for me?" He walked closer, the sound of his shoes against marble deliberate. Measured. Dominant.
"You're in my house," he said calmly. "Under my protection. Wearing my ring." She glanced down at the diamond that had appeared on her finger last night without discussion.
"You didn't even ask."
"I informed you."
She turned then.
"That's not how engagements work."
His lips tilted slightly. Not a smile. A warning.
"This isn't a romance novel, Elena. It's a strategy."
"You don't get to dictate my life because you're powerful."
"I don't dictate," he said, stepping closer. "I control."
Her breath caught. The air shifted when he was this close. Not warm. Intense.
"You think you're untouchable," she said.
"I am."
Arrogant. Certain. Unapologetic.
She folded her arms. "You're not God, Dominic."
"No," he replied smoothly. "But in this city, I'm close."
The confidence wasn't loud. It was quiet. And that made it more dangerous. Her phone buzzed again on the table. He picked it up before she could.
"You don't get to check my phone."
"I get to monitor anything that can be used against you," he said, scanning the screen.
Her eyes flashed. "You're impossible."
"And you're still here."
That shut her up. Because he was right. She hadn't left. Not when she could've walked out of the garage last night. Not when she could've refused the ring. Not when she could've told him to go to hell. "You said six months," she reminded him. "Six." "I revised the terms." "You can't just revise a contract without agreement."
He stepped even closer now. Close enough that she had to tilt her head slightly to meet his gaze.
"I can," he said softly, "if I'm the one who holds all the leverage."
Her heart thudded against her ribs.
"And what leverage is that?"
His voice lowered.
"The board believes you were paid to leave me five years ago."
"I wasn't."
"I know."
"Then why act like you still suspect me?"
He studied her. Cold. Assessing.
"Because trust is earned," he said. "And you disappeared without fighting."
Her jaw tightened.
"You think I wanted to leave?"
"You didn't stay."
The accusation hung between them.
"You don't know what your father-"
"My father is dead," he cut in sharply. "Don't use him as an excuse."
Her silence was loud.
Dominic's expression darkened.
"That's what I thought."
He stepped back finally, adjusting his cufflinks.
"Get dressed. We have a press conference in two hours."
Her head snapped up.
"A what?"
"You heard me."
"You can't be serious."
"I'm always serious."
She stared at him like he'd lost his mind.
"You just announced an engagement and now you want to parade me in front of reporters?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because they expect us to hide."
His eyes sharpened.
"And I don't hide."
His dominance wasn't about shouting.
It was about certainty.
About making the room bend.
"And what exactly are you going to tell them?" she demanded.
"The truth."
She almost laughed.
"Which version?"
"That we're stronger than ever."
"And if they ask about the bank transfer?"
His gaze hardened.
"I'll handle it."
"You can't control every narrative."
"I don't need to control all of it," he said calmly. "Just enough."
She watched him walk toward his office area.
Every movement precise. He paused at the doorway.
"And Elena?"
She didn't answer.
He looked over his shoulder.
"You will stand next to me. You will smile. And you will not contradict me."
Her temper flared.
"I am not your employee."
"No," he agreed smoothly.
"You're my fiancée."
The word landed heavier this time.
Ownership threaded through it.
"Temporary," she reminded him.
His eyes dragged over her slowly.
"Nothing about you has ever been temporary."
The tension snapped like a wire. Before she could respond, his assistant's voice came through the intercom.
"Mr. Russo, the board is here."
Dominic didn't react.
Of course they were.
He turned back to Elena.
"This is where you decide," he said quietly.
"Decide what?"
"Whether you're my partner in this war."
Her pulse quickened.
"And if I'm not?"
His gaze cooled instantly.
"Then you become collateral."
The threat wasn't loud.
It didn't need to be.
Her stomach tightened.
"You'd really sacrifice me?"
He stepped closer one last time.
Close enough that his shadow covered her again.
"I sacrifice nothing," he said evenly.
"I conquer."
The doors to the penthouse opened behind him.
Board members entered. Eyes sharp. Judging.
Waiting. Dominic's expression shifted into something lethal. Controlled. Commanding. He extended his hand toward Elena without looking at her. "Come here." It wasn't a request. Every instinct in her screamed to refuse. To challenge him. To fight. But if she did...she would stand alone. And Dominic Russo never stood alone.
Slowly, she placed her hand in his. His grip tightened.
Possessive. Victorious. And as the board members watched, Dominic pulled her to his side and said calmly- "let's begin." Elena had no idea what he was about to say. But judging by the way the room went silent-he was about to burn everything down.
