SIGNED TO HIS DARKNESS

CHAPTER 7

The night had been merciless. Tracy tossed and turned in the cavernous guest room of the Knight estate, replaying Alex’s words over and over.

“I need you to play your part flawlessly.”

The fire from the study still burned in her chest, the memory of his hand tilting her chin, his voice laced with possession. And yet, when dawn filtered through the velvet curtains, the only thing sharper than her exhaustion was her fear.

By the time she joined Alex in the foyer, he was already immaculate—tailored navy suit, silver cufflinks catching the light, his watch gleaming with quiet power. He didn’t look like a man who had spent the night wrestling with shadows. He looked untouchable.

“Ready?” he asked, voice clipped, not even sparing her more than a glance.

No, she thought. But she nodded anyway.

The conference hall downtown was a cathedral of glass and steel, filled with the hum of voices and the flash of cameras. Tracy felt the weight of every gaze as Alex guided her in with a hand resting lightly against her back. It wasn’t intimate—it was a performance. To everyone else, it screamed possession, devotion. To Tracy, it was another reminder of the contract inked in her trembling hand.

“Mr. Knight!” one reporter shouted. “Is it true you’ve expedited your engagement because of recent rumors?”

Another voice cut through: “Who is Miss Morgan, really? Does she have the credentials to stand beside you in this company?”

Flashes blinded her. Questions stabbed from every angle. Tracy felt her throat tighten.

Alex didn’t flinch. He strode to the podium at the center of the room, one hand tightening around hers in a grip that left no room for escape. He spoke into the microphone with calm authority, his voice slicing through the chaos.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” he began, the faintest curve of a smile touching his lips, “you’ve had plenty of questions. Allow me to give you answers.”

He pulled Tracy closer, placing her squarely at his side. The room hushed.

“This is Tracy Morgan,” Alex announced. “She is not just my fiancée—she is my partner. Intelligent, resilient, and more than capable of standing beside me through every trial this company may face. Any speculation otherwise is a waste of ink.”

The way he said it—sharp, unyielding—made Tracy’s heart pound. His words were scripted perfection, yet the steel in his tone carried an almost personal edge.

Cameras flashed. Reporters scribbled.

And then, a question Tracy hadn’t expected sliced through the crowd:

“Miss Morgan,” a woman called out. “What do you see in Alex Knight? Surely you know his reputation.”

Every eye turned to her.

Her pulse roared in her ears. Alex’s hand tightened around hers, a silent warning: don’t stumble.

Tracy’s lips parted. For a terrifying second, nothing came out. The room waited, breathless.

And then, somehow, she found her voice.

“What do I see in Alex Knight?” she repeated, forcing a small smile. Her gaze flicked to Alex—his jaw taut, eyes burning with command. She turned back to the crowd. “I see a man the world underestimates. They call him ruthless, but I see determination. They call him cold, but I’ve seen him protect what matters to him, fiercely. That’s the man I said yes to.”

Gasps rippled through the room. The reporter’s pen stilled mid-scribble.

Alex’s grip shifted—lighter now, almost… approving.

The press conference went on, question after question, but Tracy felt herself standing taller with each answer. By the end, whispers had shifted. No longer just who is she? but could she really be the one to tame Alex Knight?

When the conference finally ended, Alex ushered her into the waiting car. Silence stretched thick between them as the city blurred past the tinted windows.

Tracy’s heart still raced, her palms damp against the silk of her dress. She turned to him cautiously. “Well?”

Alex’s gaze was fixed out the window, unreadable. For a long moment, he said nothing. Then he turned, eyes locking on hers with unnerving intensity.

“You surprised me.”

She blinked. “That’s… good?”

“It’s dangerous.”

Her brow furrowed. “Dangerous?”

His lips curved in that faint, unreadable smirk. “Because the moment you stop being just a role, Tracy… is the moment you start becoming a risk.”

Her breath caught.

And in that suspended silence, she realized—Alex Knight wasn’t just warning her. He was warning himself.