SIGNED TO HIS DARKNESS

CHAPTER 6

The clink of cutlery and the murmur of polite conversation had faded, leaving only the echo of Eleanor Knight’s final words reverberating in Tracy’s chest.

“You will never embarrass us.”

She replayed them over and over as she followed Alex through the cavernous halls of the Knight estate. His stride was long, purposeful, every line of his body taut with suppressed energy. Tracy had to nearly jog to keep up, her heels clicking against the marble.

The silence between them was heavy, thick as smoke.

Finally, Alex pushed open the door to a smaller room—a study, she guessed. Books lined the shelves, and a fire crackled in the ornate hearth. The moment the door shut behind them, his mask cracked.

“Damn it.” The word was low, sharp, bitten off. He tugged at his tie as though it were strangling him, tossing it onto a nearby chair.

Tracy froze by the doorway, clutching her handbag like a shield. “You didn’t tell me it would be like that.”

He turned to her, eyes dark. “I told you it would be a test. What did you expect? A warm welcome?”

Her pulse jumped. “I didn’t expect her to treat me like—like I’m some kind of intruder in your world.”

“She treats everyone that way,” he snapped, then paused, dragging a hand through his perfectly combed hair. “Especially me.”

The rawness in his tone startled her. For just a moment, the ruthless, untouchable Alex Knight seemed almost human.

Tracy stepped forward cautiously. “She doesn’t approve of me.”

“She doesn’t approve of anyone,” he muttered, pacing toward the fire. “Not my business decisions. Not the women I’ve dated. Not even the way I breathe. She wants control. Always has.”

The bitterness in his voice cut through the air. Tracy’s chest tightened. She had expected him to shrug off his mother’s disapproval with cold indifference. Instead, she saw something far more dangerous—wounds he didn’t want anyone to see.

And yet, he’d defended her. Fiercely.

“Why did you do it?” she asked quietly.

He looked up, frowning. “Do what?”

“At dinner. Step in for me.”

His gaze locked onto hers, unblinking. “Because you’re mine.”

The words sent a jolt straight through her. They were possessive, arrogant—quintessential Alex Knight. And yet… something in the way he said them made her knees weaken.

“I’m not—” she began, but the protest withered under the weight of his stare.

He crossed the room in three strides, closing the space between them until the air itself seemed to thrum. His hand brushed her jaw, tilting her face up to his. “You signed the contract, Tracy. You wear my ring. To the world, you are mine. And as long as that’s true, no one—no one—gets to treat you like less than what you are.”

Her breath caught. His touch was firm, but not harsh. Protective. Dangerous.

She swallowed hard, forcing herself to whisper, “And what am I, Alex? To you?”

For a heartbeat, the mask slipped again. His eyes flickered with something she couldn’t name—longing, maybe, or regret. But then it was gone, replaced by the cool detachment he wore like armor.

“You’re a means to an end,” he said flatly, releasing her. “Don’t confuse it for anything else.”

The words stung more than she wanted to admit. She looked away, fighting the burn in her chest. “Right. A contract. Nothing more.”

But the way her pulse still raced, the way her skin still burned where his fingers had touched—her body betrayed her.

The fire crackled between them, filling the silence.

Finally, Alex turned back toward the window, his silhouette stark against the fading light outside. “Get some rest. Tomorrow, the real scrutiny begins.”

Tracy blinked. “What do you mean?”

“The press conference was nothing,” he said without looking at her. “My family dinner—just a rehearsal. Tomorrow, we face the shareholders. Every camera. Every question. Every critic.” His voice was low, dangerous. “One wrong word, and everything falls apart.”

Her stomach knotted. She had survived the icy glare of Eleanor Knight—but now the entire world was waiting.

Alex finally turned, his gaze pinning her in place. “So I need you, Tracy. I need you to play your part flawlessly.”

And though his tone was all business, the intensity in his eyes told her this was more than just about contracts and image.

It was about control. About trust. About the thin, dangerous line between pretending to be his fiancée—and becoming something far more real.

Her chest rose and fell with unsteady breaths. She didn’t answer. She couldn’t.

Because deep down, she wasn’t sure she could survive the role he was asking her to play—without losing herself to Alex Knight entirely.