Chapter 3 - A Deal Sealed with Fire
1075 Words
Maya Brooks has always been a warrior. It was how she endured being raised in a foster home, how she rose through the fiercely competitive business world, and how she worked for the most dominating, irritating guy in New York City: Alexander Knight.
But tonight, she felt as if she were drowning.
Because she had signed a deal with the devil.
The marriage contract was real. The ring on her finger? Even more so. And now she was sitting in Alexander's darkly lit study, her heart pounding against her ribs as she sought explanations from the man who had just bonded her to him in ways she didn't comprehend.
Maya folded her arms and glared at Alexander, who sat opposite from her with the same inscrutable face that usually made her angry.
“Start talking,” she ordered.
Alexander’s fingers tapped against the edge of his desk, his gray eyes locked onto hers, unreadable and intense. “I already told you. You were in danger.”
Maya exhaled sharply. “From who, Alexander? Give me names. Give me something real.”
His jaw tightened. For the first time, there was fear.
That sent shivers down her spine.
“Answer me.”
He leaned forward, his fingers lacing together. “There are people who don’t want you alive, Maya.”
Her stomach flipped.
She hated how calmly he said it. Like it was an undeniable fact.
Her voice was quieter this time. “Why?”
Alexander didn’t move. “Because of your mother.”
Maya’s breath caught.
She had always believed her mother had perished in an awful car crash. A car crash. No foul play. No mystery.
But something in Alexander’s expression told her that was a lie.
Maya swallowed hard. “What about her?”
Alexander stood, reaching into his desk drawer. He pulled out a thick folder, flipping it open before sliding it toward her.
“Look.”
Maya hesitated before grabbing the folder, her fingers tightening around the edges as she scanned the first page.
And then her entire body went cold.
A photograph.
A black-and-white image of her mother standing next to Alexander’s father.
Her breath shook. “What…?”
“She was engaged to him before she disappeared,” Alexander murmured.
Maya’s stomach flipped. “No. That’s not possible.”
Alexander’s jaw clenched. “It is.”
Maya’s fingers trembled as she flipped through the other pages. Documents. Records. A blurry security camera still of her mother standing in a hotel lobby… with Victoria Knight.
Maya’s head snapped up. “Your mother?”
Alexander gave a slow nod. “She knew your mother. She also knew she was pregnant.”
Maya’s breath caught.
Her mother had been pregnant?
The room tilted. “You’re saying…” She swallowed. "You're telling me my mother was holding me when she went missing?”
“Yes.”
Maya put one palm on her chest, her heart smashing. "No. That is not feasible. She—she died in an accident.”
Alexander’s gaze was sharp. “Are you sure about that?”
Her pulse skidded. “What are you saying?”
He didn’t blink. “I’m saying Victoria had your mother killed.”
Maya’s breath left her lungs.
"No," she muttered.
"I didn't want to accept it either," Alexander continued. “But I have the proof.”
Her fingers dug into the folder. “Why? Why would she do that?”
Alexander’s lips pressed together. “Because your mother ran. She didn’t just leave my father—she left a war. A power struggle. And Victoria wasn’t going to let her walk away with secrets that could destroy the Knight family.”
Maya's stomach twisted.
Her entire existence had been based on a falsehood.
She expelled a strained breath, battling the heat behind her eyes. “And you knew? You knew all of this and didn’t tell me?”
Alexander’s jaw flexed. “I was trying to protect you.”
Her hands balled into fists. “By forcing me into marriage?”
His voice dropped, low and rough. “By keeping you alive.”
Maya shook her head, her body tight with anger and something else—fear. “So what now? Am I just supposed to accept this? Accept that I’m part of some twisted legacy?”
Alexander’s gray eyes didn’t waver. “You don’t have a choice.”
She laughed bitterly. "There's always a choice."
He made a step forward, his eyes glued to hers. “Not when it comes to survival.”
Her chest heaved.
Silence stretched between them, thick with something she wasn’t ready to name.
Then—his fingers brushed against her wrist.
A slow, deliberate touch. Testing. Measuring.
Maya’s breath caught.
“Let go,” she whispered.
His grip tightened slightly. “Do you want me to?”
She should say yes.
She should pull away.
Instead, she stayed still.
Alexander’s other hand lifted, his thumb skimming along her jawline, slow and deliberate.
Maya’s skin burned.
“This marriage may have started as a deal,” Alexander murmured. “But it won’t stay that way.”
Her stomach flipped. “What does that mean?”
His gray eyes darkened. “It means I intend to claim what’s mine.”
Her breath hitched.
And then—his lips were on hers.
It wasn’t soft.
It wasn’t gentle.
It was a clash of wills, and none of them sought to win.
His fingers wrapped around her waist, bringing her closer to him.
Maya's head whirled.
She hated him.
She hated how perfectly his mouth fit against hers, how easily he unraveled her.
Her hands fisted in his shirt, and instead of pushing him away—she pulled him closer.
Alexander growled, deep and possessive.
His grip on her tightened, as if he was afraid to let go.
And just as suddenly as it started—he pulled back.
Maya staggered slightly, breathless.
His gray eyes burned with something raw.
Before she could say anything, the study door burst open.
One of Alexander’s guards entered, his expression tense.
“Sir,” he said urgently. “We have a situation.”
Alexander stiffened. “What is it?”
The guard hesitated before his next words sent chills down Maya’s spine.
“Liam Brooks is here. And he says Maya isn’t who we think she is.”
Maya’s heart stopped.
Her entire world tilted.
Alexander’s expression darkened.
And just like that—
Everything changed.
- Writer
