Elena stepped out of the elevator, her mind still stuck on the previous night.
Lucien Blackwood.
His calm voice.
His sharp eyes.
The way he looked at her like he already knew something she didn't.
She shook the thought away as she walked into Vale Corporation. But the moment she entered, something felt… off.
The office was too quiet.
Employees who normally greeted her quickly looked away. A few whispered. Some looked nervous.
Elena frowned.
That wasn't normal.
Her assistant, Mia, hurried toward her. "Miss Vale… your father wants to see you immediately."
Elena's brows furrowed. "Did something happen?"
Mia hesitated. "I'm not sure… but everyone's talking about the Harrison deal."
Elena's stomach tightened.
They were supposed to finalize that deal today.
She walked quickly toward the elevator, her heels clicking faster against the floor. A strange feeling settled in her chest.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Her father's office door was slightly open. She knocked once before walking in.
Her father stood near the window, looking unusually tense.
"You wanted to see me?" she asked.
He turned slowly. "We lost the Harrison deal."
Elena blinked.
"That's not possible. We had the better offer."
"Blackwood Corporation made a last-minute move."
Lucien.
Of course.
Elena crossed her arms. "So we lost one deal. We'll recover."
Her father didn't respond.
Instead, he slid a file toward her.
Elena opened it.
Her expression changed immediately.
Another deal.
Lost.
Another one.
Lost.
Three major deals.
All gone.
All taken by Blackwood Corporation.
Her pulse quickened.
"This isn't competition," she said quietly. "This is pressure."
Her father nodded.
"And it's working."
Elena closed the file slowly. "Then we push back."
Before her father could answer, there was a knock on the door.
"Come in," he said.
The door opened.
And Elena's breath caught.
Lucien Blackwood walked in.
Calm. Composed. Dangerous.
Like he owned the room.
His eyes landed on her immediately.
"Ms. Vale."
Her heart skipped — just once — before she forced herself to stay calm.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
Lucien walked further inside. "Discussing business."
Her father gestured toward the chair. "Please sit."
Lucien sat down like he belonged there.
Elena didn't sit. She crossed her arms instead.
Lucien noticed.
Of course he did.
"You're upset," he said calmly.
"You took three of my deals," she replied sharply. "Of course I'm upset."
Lucien tilted his head slightly. "Business isn't personal."
Elena scoffed. "Then why does this feel very personal?"
Something flickered in his eyes.
Just for a second.
Then he slid a document across the table.
"I came with a solution."
Elena hesitated before picking up the paper.
Her eyes narrowed.
"A merger?"
"Not exactly."
Elena looked up slowly.
Lucien's gaze darkened slightly.
"A marriage."
Silence.
Elena stared at him.
Then she laughed.
"You can't be serious."
"I'm very serious."
Her father didn't say anything.
And that scared her more than Lucien's calm expression.
"You agreed to this?" she asked her father.
"It's… a strong option."
Elena shook her head. "No. Absolutely not."
Lucien leaned forward slightly.
"This marriage would end the rivalry."
"I don't want to end it like this."
"It would protect your company."
"I don't need your protection."
Lucien's eyes darkened.
"You might."
Elena felt her heart race.
"Is that a threat?"
"No," he said quietly. "It's reality."
Silence filled the room again.
Elena felt trapped between them.
Her father spoke softly. "Think about it, Elena."
She shook her head again. "I already have."
Lucien stood slowly.
He walked toward her.
Too close.
Elena held her breath as he stopped in front of her.
"You should reconsider," he said quietly.
Her pulse quickened.
"I'm not marrying you."
His gaze dropped briefly to her lips.
Then back to her eyes.
"We'll see."
Her breath caught.
Lucien stepped past her toward the door.
Then he stopped.
Without turning around, he spoke again.
"I don't lose, Elena."
The way he said her name made something shift inside her chest.
The door closed behind him.
Elena stood frozen.
Her father sighed quietly.
But Elena wasn't listening.
Because for the first time…
She realized something terrifying.
Lucien Blackwood wasn't asking.
He was already planning.
And just as Elena reached for her phone, it vibrated in her hand.
A message.
Unknown number.
She opened it.
"You should accept the marriage, Elena."
Her heart skipped.
Another message followed.
"Because if you don't… your company won't survive the week."
Elena's grip tightened around her phone.
Because somehow…
She already knew who sent it.