CHAPTER 6: KISS OF THE ENEMY
2126 Words
ROSETTE’S POV
“Rosette!”
Ethan’s voice hit me the second I stepped into Sinclair Global’s lobby Monday morning. Desperate. Pathetic. A kicked dog begging to be let back inside.
I didn’t stop walking.
My red Louboutin heels clicked against marble as I moved through the lobby, Luther two steps behind me. The blood-red Armani suit I wore hugged every curve perfectly.
My hair was pulled back in a sleek bun, diamond earrings catching the light with every step.
I looked like money. I looked like power. I looked like everything Ethan had thrown away.
The lobby still had its Christmas decorations up, a massive tree glittering near the reception desks.
Someone had hung a “Happy New Year” banner across the elevator bank. In two days, the world would ring in a fresh start.
How fitting.
Employees stopped mid-conversation to stare. Some bowed their heads. Others couldn’t meet my eyes at all. The same people who had watched me fetch coffee for two years now stumbled over themselves to greet me.
“Miss Sinclair, good morning!”
“Welcome, Miss Sinclair!”
Funny how quickly respect comes when people realize you own them.
“Rosette, please!” Ethan was rushing toward me now, white lilies clutched in his hands as if flowers could fix anything.
His suit was expensive but wrinkled. His eyes were bloodshot. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days.
To think that pathetic look on his face used to pull at my heartstrings. Now even my wolf felt sour with repulsion.
“Just five minutes,” he begged, falling into step beside me. “Please. Let me explain. I was confused, I was pressured, my mother, she… she made me think I had to choose someone else, but I never stopped loving you, I swear to the Goddess, Rosette, I never stopped—”
“It’s Miss Sinclair.” My voice was ice. I didn’t glance at him.
“Baby, please—”
He reached for my arm.
Luther moved so fast Ethan didn’t see it coming. One moment his fingers were inches from my sleeve, the next Luther had his wrist in a grip that made Ethan wince.
“Don’t,” Luther said quietly. “Touch her.”
I kept walking. Behind me, I could hear phones clicking. Recording. Good. Once again, the world would see Alpha Ethan Blackwell begging in a lobby on a Monday morning, surrounded by cheerful holiday decorations while his life fell apart.
The elevator doors opened and I stepped inside. Luther followed. Ethan tried to follow too, but Luther’s arm blocked the entrance.
“Miss Sinclair’s schedule is full,” Luther said flatly. “You’ll see her in the boardroom. If she allows it.”
The doors closed on Ethan’s devastated face.
I allowed myself one small smile.
Today was officially my first day as CEO of Sinclair Global, and despite my father’s fussing, I refused his offer to walk into the board meeting with me.
I was not here to play Daddy’s princess or little girl. If they could not respect me without my father’s shadow looming behind me, then I would simply teach them to.
I was, after all, still every bit a Sinclair down to my ruthless bones.
The boardroom fell silent when I walked in.
Twelve board members sat around the long mahogany table. Old men in expensive suits who had spent decades thinking they ran this company.
A small Christmas tree sat in the corner, tasteful and corporate, red and gold ornaments gleaming. Someone had left a box of holiday chocolates on the sideboard.
They had expected my father. Instead they got me.
I walked straight to the head of the table and sat down.
“Miss Sinclair,” the Chairman sputtered, half-rising from his seat. “We were expecting Alpha King Richard to lead this meeting—”
“My father has other matters to attend to.” I folded my hands on the table. “I’m CEO of Sinclair Global. I speak for the company now.”
The board members exchanged glances. I could practically hear their thoughts. She’s too young. She’s a woman. She doesn’t know what she’s doing.
I had expected that from old-minded fools who still believed the world worked based on what was between your legs.
Well, let them underestimate me. It would make destroying them so much sweeter.
The doors opened again and Ethan walked in, still holding those stupid white lilies.
He looked around the room, uncertain, then his eyes landed on me and something resembling hope flickered across his face.
He walked toward me, extending the flowers.
“Rosette, I thought maybe we could talk after the meeting. These are for you. White lilies, your favorite. I remembered—”
“My favorite flowers are black calla lilies.” I didn’t take the bouquet. “And this is a board meeting, not a date, Mr. Blackwell. Sit down.”
His face fell. Someone at the far end of the table coughed to hide a laugh.
Ethan sat.
“Now then.” I pulled up the presentation on the screen behind me. “Let’s discuss Blackwell Industries.”
Numbers filled the screen. Debt reports. Loss statements. Exposed failures that Ethan had been hiding for months, some of which I had helped cover up with my personal resources.
“Sinclair Global currently owns 75% of Blackwell Industries,” I began, my voice carrying easily through the silent room. “A position we’ve held through shell companies for twenty-four months.”
I let that sink in.
“During that time, we have observed consistent mismanagement, mounting debt, and catastrophic leadership failures.” I clicked to the next slide. “The company is drowning. Every quarter it survives is because Sinclair money props it up. Without us, Blackwell Industries would have collapsed eighteen months ago.”
“Now wait just a minute—” Ethan started.
“I wasn’t finished.” I didn’t raise my voice. I didn’t need to. The Alpha command in my tone made him snap his mouth shut. “Effective immediately, Blackwell Industries will be dissolved. The name will be retired. All assets will be absorbed into Sinclair Global.”
Gasps around the table. Ethan shot to his feet.
“What the hell, Rosette?! You can’t do this!”
“I already have.” I smiled. It wasn’t a nice smile. “The paperwork was filed this morning. Blackwell Industries no longer exists.”
“This is MY family’s company! My father built it from nothing! You can’t just—”
“Oh, shut up. You were a fool on strings being pulled by your mother. Your father’s legacy died under your leadership. You destroyed it.” I tilted my head, studying him the way one might examine gum stuck to a shoe. “But don’t worry, Ethan. I’m not completely heartless. I have a position for you.”
Hope flickered in his eyes again. Pathetic.
“Executive Assistant,” I said. “You’ll report directly to me. Manage my calendar. Fetch my coffee. Handle my dry cleaning.” I paused, letting it sink in. “I prefer my coffee black, by the way. Nine a.m. sharp. On my desk. Not a second late.”
The room was dead silent.
Ethan’s face cycled through shock, disbelief, and finally landed on humiliated rage.
“You can’t be serious.”
“I am always serious about business.” I leaned back in my chair. “Take it or leave it. But I should warn you, without this position, you will have nothing. No company, no daddy’s influence, no mommy’s title. You would simply be Ethan. A sad, pathetic loser.” I shrugged. “Your choice.”
Before he could respond, a shrill voice cut through the tension.
“This is RIDICULOUS!”
Madison Pierce stood up from the far end of the table. I’d almost forgotten she was there. Her father Vincent sat beside her, looking ready to disappear into his chair.
“You can’t just waltz in here and destroy everything!” Madison’s face was flushed with anger. “Do you really think you’re qualified for this? You were a SECRETARY three days ago! Are we seriously going to sit here and let her play goddess?” She scoffed. “You might be Alpha King Richard’s heir, but that makes this his company, not yours. His throne, not yours. Take the girl out of the rags, but that doesn’t make her any less trashy. You’re just playing dress-up to feel better about being f*****g rejected!”
The room held its breath.
I smiled.
“Madison. How nice of you to speak up.” I pulled a folder from the stack in front of me and slid it across the table. “Since you’re so concerned about qualifications, let’s discuss Pierce Industries, shall we? Your family’s division specifically.”
Madison’s face flickered with uncertainty.
“Twenty-three percent profit decline over eighteen months,” I read calmly. “Eighteen percent employee turnover. Accounting irregularities that suggest embezzlement. Unauthorized bonuses. Inflated expense reports.” I looked up at her. “Should I continue?”
Vincent Pierce had gone gray.
“That’s… those are lies,” Madison stammered. “You’re making things up because you’re jealous—”
“The Pierce family’s board seat is hereby cancelled.” I closed the folder. “Vincent Pierce and his entire division will be placed under formal investigation. All contracts are under review. Criminal charges are being considered.”
“You b***h!” Madison lunged toward me.
She didn’t make it two steps before security appeared. Two guards grabbed her arms and started dragging her toward the door.
“You can’t do this to me!” she screamed, thrashing against their grip. “My father is on the BOARD! I’m going to be Luna of Timber Pack! You’re NOTHING, Rosette! NOTHING!”
“It’s Miss Sinclair,” I called after her. “And hush now, the employed adults are talking.”
The doors slammed shut behind her.
Silence.
I turned back to the board members, who were all staring at me with varying degrees of shock and fear.
“Anyone else have concerns about my qualifications?”
No one spoke.
“Excellent.” I smiled. “Now, let’s discuss the restructuring plan—”
The temperature in the room dropped.
It happened so suddenly that several board members shivered. The air grew heavy, charged with something old and lethal. My wolf stirred inside me, not with fear but with… interest.
The boardroom doors opened.
And the devil walked in.
He was tall. Taller than I’d expected from my father’s photo. Black tousled hair swept back from a face that looked carved by a cruel artist. Sharp cheekbones. A jaw that could cut glass. And eyes… gray eyes that seemed to hold centuries of secrets.
He wore a charcoal suit that probably cost more than most people’s cars, and he moved with the easy confidence of an apex predator, each step deliberate, unhurried, as if the world existed solely for his convenience.
Every wolf in the room felt it. That overwhelming presence. Board members shrank back in their seats. Even Luther tensed beside me.
But he didn’t look at any of them.
His eyes found me immediately.
And stayed.
Zavien Giordani. My family’s worst enemy.
He walked straight toward me, ignoring the Chairman who tried to stammer a greeting, ignoring Ethan who had gone rigid with some emotion I couldn’t name.
He stopped directly in front of my chair.
“Mr. Giordani,” I said, keeping my voice steady even as my heart raced. “I don’t recall inviting you to this meeting. In fact, last I checked, you’ve been banned from our pack territory.”
“Zavien.” His voice was low, smooth, rich enough to pour over ice. It did something strange to my pulse. “It’s Zavien to you, Rosette.”
“Miss Sinclair,” I corrected.
Something dark and amused flickered in those gray eyes.
“Not to me.”
Before I could respond, he caught my wrist. Gently but firmly. His thumb pressed against my pulse point and I knew he could feel my heart hammering.
Then he lifted my hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to my knuckles.
The gesture was old-fashioned. Almost courtly. But the way his eyes held mine while he did it was anything but innocent.
“Little Alpha,” he murmured against my skin.
A low growl rumbled through the room.
Ethan.
He was on his feet, fists clenched, eyes flashing with possessive fury as he stared at Zavien’s hand on mine.
Zavien’s smile widened. Dangerous and delighted all at once.
He’d been waiting for exactly this.
- Writer
