Emma Carter's life had never been fair, but tonight, she was going to make a deal with the devil himself. Not for her own sake. Not for pride or ambition. But for the life of her brother.
The elevator doors opened on the top floor of the Zenix Holdings skyscraper. The hallway stretched in eerie silence, decorated with dark marble, soft lighting, and an atmosphere of money and menace. Emma's heels clicked with a rhythm that matched the panic hammering in her chest.
She was out of place in every possible way.
Too innocent. Too plain. Too desperate.
But she was here because she had no other choice. Her younger brother, Aiden, had racked up a gambling debt with the wrong kind of people — men who didn't believe in second chances. There was only one man who could clear it with a single call.
Zane Blackwood.
The most feared and desired billionaire in New York. CEO of Zenix. Cold. Calculating. And dangerous in ways that rumors never dared to define. They said he never took meetings at night. That he didn't negotiate. That women entered his penthouse and were never the same after.
Emma stood at the door and raised her hand.
She knocked twice.
The door opened before she could draw her breath.
Zane stood there, in all his terrifying glory.
Tall, tailored in a black suit that hugged his broad frame, shirt unbuttoned at the collar, no tie. His dark eyes scanned her slowly, like he was peeling back layers of her soul. The air between them tightened. Emma forced herself to breathe.
"Miss Carter," he said, voice smooth like silk wrapped around steel. "You're on time."
"I didn't think being late would be… wise," she said, barely keeping the tremor out of her voice.
He stepped aside. "Come in."
She entered. His penthouse was exactly what she expected — masculine, cold, opulent. City lights glittered through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting reflections over leather couches and glass surfaces.
Zane walked to the bar and poured himself a drink. "You know why you're here."
Emma nodded. "I'm here to ask for your help. My brother—"
He held up a hand. "I don't want to hear sob stories."
Her mouth snapped shut.
He turned to face her fully, holding a lowball glass. "I can make Aiden's debt disappear. I can make the men threatening him disappear. But nothing comes for free, Miss Carter."
Emma swallowed. "I understand."
He watched her for a long moment. "Do you?"
She nodded.
"Then let's be clear," he said, walking slowly toward her. "I don't need a maid, or a secretary, or a date to fancy dinners. What I need, Miss Carter, is obedience. Complete, unquestioning, and absolute."
Her heart pounded louder with every step he took.
"You want thirty days," she whispered, repeating what his assistant had told her over the phone.
"Thirty nights," he corrected. "You belong to me for thirty nights. No questions. No refusals. No escape."
Emma's mouth was dry. "And after that?"
"Aiden walks free. And you never see me again. Unless…" he smirked faintly. "You beg to stay."
A strange chill passed over her skin. She hated him instantly, and yet… something in his presence pulled at her like a magnetic force.
"I want it in writing," she said.
He laughed. It wasn't warm.
"I admire the attempt at backbone," he said. "But you're not in a position to bargain."
He stepped even closer now. His voice dropped, intimate and dangerous. "Still, I'll humor you. My lawyers already drew up the agreement."
He handed her a folder. Inside, one sentence stood out:
"For thirty consecutive nights, Emma Carter will belong exclusively to Zane Blackwood, body and will."
She wanted to scream. To run. But all she could see was Aiden's bloodied face. His broken voice begging her not to let them kill him.
She signed.
The pen trembled in her hand as she handed it back.
Zane took the paper, folded it neatly, and tucked it into a drawer behind him.
"Good girl," he murmured.
The words sent an involuntary shiver down her spine.
"You belong to me now," he said. "Starting tonight."
He stepped behind her, his breath hot against her ear.
"Strip."
Emma froze.
Her pulse exploded. Her lips parted in shock. "What—"
"I said strip, Miss Carter. You signed. That means the first night starts now."
She turned to face him, wide-eyed. "You didn't say—"
"I don't need to say. You agreed to everything."
His eyes darkened. "Do you want to walk away? You can. But Aiden won't. Not in one piece."
Emma clenched her fists. She felt shame, fear, fury, and helplessness mix into a wave of something overwhelming.
And still, she reached for the zipper at the back of her dress.
It fell to the floor.
She stood in her underwear, humiliated and exposed, but holding herself with fragile dignity.
Zane's gaze trailed down her body with calculated interest.
"You'll learn quickly," he said softly, "that I don't care for shame. Only obedience."
Emma's voice was barely audible. "What happens now?"
He stepped forward, unbuttoning the cuff of his shirt sleeve. "Now, we begin."
And the devil made his first claim.
To be continued…