The Billionaire Alpha's mate

The Devil Wears black

AVA'S POV

The first thing I noticed was the silence. Not the ordinary kind.

The suffocating silence that made hundreds of people forget how to breathe.

Every eye in the conference room followed the man walking toward the front. His footsteps were slow, measured and confident.

He wasn't simply entering the room. He f*****g owned it.

He stood well over six feet, dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit that probably cost more than my yearly salary. Broad shoulders stretched the expensive fabric, and every movement radiated effortless authority.

His dark hair was neatly combed back, revealing a sharply sculpted face that looked almost unreal. High cheekbones. A straight nose. A strong jaw shadowed by the faintest stubble.

His eyes... They were the coldest shade of gray I'd ever seen.

Not empty and probably not cruel.

Just... unreadable.

He has the kind of eyes that looked at people and instantly decided whether they were useful. Judgy eyes

He couldn't have been older than thirty. That's very young to carry that much power.

Beside him walked several executives, lawyers, and security guards, all struggling to keep up with his pace.

He didn't look at any of us. Not once. I mean, why would he

He simply took his place at the front of the room.

The former CEO immediately stepped aside like a servant making room for his king. Crazy how he was the one bossing us around yesterday

"So that's him..." Mia whispered beside me.

"Kael Blackwood." The name sounded familiar like who hadn't heard of him? The youngest billionaire in the country.

The mysterious CEO who had transformed Blackwood Enterprises into a corporate empire in only a few years.

Soo many rumors surrounded him. Some claimed he never smiled while others claimed he fired executives over a single mistake.

People called him ruthless, merciless, monster in Armani. And honestly looking at him now...

I believed every word.

One of the executives handed him a tablet.

Kael glanced at it briefly before finally speaking.

His voice was deep, calm and controlled.

"I dislike wasting time." No greeting. No introduction. No congratulations. Nothing just straight to business

"As of nine o'clock this morning, Harper Marketing Solutions is officially a subsidiary of Blackwood Enterprises." His gaze swept across the room.

"We are restructuring." A murmur spread through the employees.

"I value competence and if your work benefits this company, you stay and if it doesn't..." He paused. "...you leave."

I clenched my fists, people exchanged frightened glances.

Some had worked here for decades, many had children, families dreams.

And to him we were just stupid numbers.

A woman in accounting suddenly raised her hand "S-Sir..."

He looked at her. "My husband is undergoing dialysis and I've worked here for twelve years. Please..."

He didn't even let her finish "If your performance justifies your employment... You have nothing to fear."

She lowered her head, tears filled her eyes

One by one, department heads were called forward and files were being reviewed, Names were read aloud, some employees sighed with relief, others were escorted out almost immediately.

Security simply collected their ID cards.

Please... Lord, not me, not today.

My phone vibrated inside my pocket and I glanced at the screen.

St. Mary's Hospital

Shit! My heart dropped and I couldn't answer.

Not now. The call ended and seconds later... A message appeared.

Your mother's medication must be paid for before 6:00 p.m. to avoid interruption of treatment.

My vision blurred. No... Please. I just needed today's salary.

Just today's salary. That's all and I'd never ask this company for anything again.

The HR director cleared his throat "There is one final announcement." Everyone looked up. "Payroll has been temporarily frozen."

Frozen? What?

"Due to the acquisition, all salary payments scheduled for today will be delayed until financial restructuring is completed."

For a moment...No one reacted and then chaos erupted.

"What do you mean delayed?"

"I have rent!"

"I have children!"

"That's illegal!"

"When will we get paid?""No exact date has been determined."

Those words snapped something inside me. No exact date? What the f**k do they mean by that?? My mother didn't have "no exact date." She needed medicine today. Today. Not tomorrow, not the next, today!!

I watched Kael Blackwood stand there without the slightest change in expression. As if none of this mattered and as if we weren't human beings.

My breathing became uneven and Mia grabbed my arm. She knew something was going on in my head and she needed to stop me before I reacted buh I didn't give a f**k about my reaction

"Ava..." I pulled away. "Ava, don't." But I wasn't listening anymore. I stepped out of the crowd. One step and then another until I was standing directly in front of the most powerful man in the room.

Gasps echoed behind me. "What is she doing?"

"Has she lost her mind?"

"Someone stop her."

Kael slowly lowered the tablet in his hand and for the first time... His gray eyes met mine. They were colder than winter.

I lifted my chin. "So..." My voice shook and it was not fear.....it was rage "You're Kael Blackwood."

He didn't answer. "You buy companies..." I continued "...destroy people's lives and call it business?"The entire room froze. One of his security guards immediately stepped forward.

"Miss—" Kael raised one finger. The guard stopped.

He never looked away from me and his stupid expression remained unreadable.

I took another step closer. "You froze our salaries without even asking whether people depend on them. My mother is lying in an ICU bed, dying.My paycheck today was supposed to buy the medicine keeping her alive." My voice cracked. Hot tears rolled down my cheeks "But to someone like you..." I laughed bitterly.

"...people are just numbers on a spreadsheet."

Someone behind me whispered, "She's f*****g dead."

Another answered, "He's going to have her arrested."

Still... Kael said nothing and his silence and that smug look on his stupid face only made me angrier.

"You know what I think?" I asked. "I think you're a f*****g stupid ass coward."

The room collectively inhaled.

"You hide behind expensive suits and billion-dollar companies because you've forgotten what it means to be human."

The words echoed across the conference room. Nobody moved. Nobody breathed. I could practically hear hundreds of hearts pounding.

For the first time... Something changed in Kael's face. Not anger nor amusement. And I still don't know what it was

It lasted less than a second before disappearing.

He looked at me as though I were a puzzle. Then... Very slowly... The corner of his mouth lifted Not into a smile.

Into something far more dangerous. Interest

My stomach twisted. WHY on earth was he looking at me like that?

His gray eyes never left mine as he finally spoke.

"What's your name?" I stared back defiantly.

"Ava monroe." Then Kael looked toward HR. "Don't process her termination."My brows furrowed. Termination?

"I wasn't planning to fire her," HR stammered.

Kael's gaze remained fixed on me. "You are now."

The room erupted into shocked whispers.

Then he added, in the same calm voice—

"Bring Miss Ava monroe to my office."

My heart stopped.

Why...

Why did that sound even worse?