POV: Alexander Kane
The crash of glass on marble snapped my head up. Elena stood frozen on the gala's rooftop, her emerald dress catching the city lights, a shattered flute at her feet. Her eyes, wide with something raw: anger, betrayal; locked on the tablet in her hand. My tablet. My gut twisted. She'd seen the email. Victor's taunting words, the bet laid bare. Three months to make her fall for me, or lose the merger. I'd been an idiot to leave it unlocked, but her kiss on the balcony had scrambled my brain.
"Elena," I started, crossing the room in three strides, the crowd parting like they sensed a storm. Her face was a mask, but those eyes burned through me.
"Don't." Her voice was sharp, a blade wrapped in velvet. She thrust the tablet at my chest. "A bet? I'm your mark?"
The word hit like a sucker punch. Around us, heads turned, New York's elite sniffing drama like sharks. Victor Lang lounged by the bar, his smirk practically glowing. Bastard was enjoying this.
"It's not what you think," I said, keeping my voice low, steady. "Let's talk. Somewhere private."
"Private?" She laughed, bitter. "Like your study? Your mansion? Where you play your games?" Her hands trembled, but she stood tall, every inch the wildfire I'd underestimated.
I grabbed her elbow, gently but firm, steering her toward the balcony again. She yanked free but followed, her heels clicking like a countdown. The night air hit us, cool and sharp, the city humming below. I shut the glass door behind us, blocking out the curious stares.
"Explain," she demanded, crossing her arms. "Now."
I ran a hand through my hair, the weight of my own stupidity crushing me. "Victor Lang, he's a rival. A prick. He bet me I couldn't…" I hesitated, the words tasting like ash. "Couldn't get someone like you to fall for me. Three months, or he gets the merger. It was a game, yeah, but"
"A game." Her voice cracked, eyes glistening. "You hired me to win a bet. My life, my family's survival, was just your entertainment?"
"No." I stepped closer, desperate to close the gap she was building. "It started that way, I won't lie. But you, Elena, you're not a game. Not anymore." My chest tightened, the truth spilling out before I could stop it. "That kiss? It was real. I'm falling for you."
She flinched, stepping back until the balcony railing stopped her. "Don't you dare. You don't get to play the tortured billionaire card after this."
"Elena, please." I reached for her, but she swatted my hand away.
"You don't know me," she hissed. "You don't know what I'm fighting for. My mom's sick, my brother's barely holding it together, and I'm dodging loan sharks who'd hurt them to get to me. I took this job to save them, not to be your pawn."
Loan sharks? That was new, and it hit like a brick. Victor's shadow loomed in my mind: his reach, his ruthlessness. Had he set her up even before the bet? "Who's after you?" I asked, voice hard. "Names. Now."
"Why? So you can fix it with your money and make me owe you?" She shook her head, tears spilling but her jaw set. "I'm done. I quit."
She shoved past me, the tablet clattering to the floor. I grabbed her wrist, not thinking. "Don't walk away. Let me fix this."
She spun, eyes blazing. "Fix it? You broke it, Alexander. You broke me." She yanked free, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Stay away from me."
She stormed back into the gala, weaving through the crowd. I followed, heart pounding, but she was fast, slipping out a side exit. By the time I reached the street, her cab's taillights were fading into Manhattan's glow.
"Damn it," I muttered, slamming a fist against the wall. Pain shot through my knuckles, grounding me. Victor's laugh echoed from the doorway behind me.
"Trouble in paradise, Kane?" he drawled, sipping champagne. "Told you she'd be a handful."
I rounded on him, barely restraining myself. "What did you do, Lang? You set her up, didn't you? The loan sharks; your people?"
His smirk didn't waver. "Careful, Alex. Accusations without proof? Sloppy." He stepped closer, voice low. "You're losing her, and the merger. Tick-tock."
I wanted to wipe that grin off his face, but I turned away, hailing my driver. "To Brooklyn," I snapped, sliding into the car. Elena's address was in her file, I'd memorized it. Stupid, reckless, but I couldn't let her go. Not like this.
The city blurred past, my mind racing. That kiss: her lips, her fire, hadn't been part of the plan. I'd meant to charm her, play the game, and win the merger. But somewhere between her sharp retorts and that spark in her eyes, I'd lost control. She wasn't just a mark. She was everything I'd spent years avoiding: real, raw, alive.
Brooklyn's streets were grittier, the air thick with exhaust and desperation. Her building was a crumbling walk-up, graffiti scarring the walls. I buzzed her apartment, no answer. Again. Nothing. A neighbor poked her head out, glaring.
"She ain't here," the woman snapped. "Saw her leave with a bag."
My chest tightened. Gone. I'd driven her away in one night. But I wasn't done. I'd find her, explain, make this right. Not for the bet, not for the merger, for her.
My phone buzzed. A text from an unknown number: You lost her, Kane. My turn. No signature, but Victor's stench was all over it. My grip tightened, the screen cracking under my thumb. He was playing dirty, and Elena was in the crosshairs.
I slid back into the car, barking at the driver. "Back to the Hamptons. Now." I needed to dig into Victor's moves: his contacts, his plans. If he was behind those loan sharks, I'd bury him, and Elena? I'd fight for her, even if she hated me. Because for the first time in years, something mattered more than winning.
The ocean loomed dark as we sped east, the mansion waiting like a cage. I'd built my life on control, but Elena Vasquez had shattered it and I'd be damned if I let Victor or my own mistakes take her from me.