Chains of Desire

chapter 7

Isla’s POV

I woke up that morning with my phone buzzing nonstop. My best friend, Maya, was already spamming me with messages.

“Don’t tell me you forgot about tonight!”

“Get up, Isla. We’re shopping today.”

“Alexander Knight will be there.”

I groaned into my pillow. My brain immediately flashed back to that morning’s memory—the man in the sleek black car, the sharp profile that had left me staring like an i***t. Could that really have been him? The Alexander Knight everyone was talking about?

Dragging myself out of bed, I rushed downstairs. My parents were already at the dining table, sipping coffee like royalty. My father was reading the paper while my mother scrolled through her tablet.

“You’re late,” my father muttered without looking up.

I rolled my eyes. “Good morning to you too, Dad.”

My mother finally smiled. “Don’t mind him. Isla, darling, tonight is important. Your father and I will be at the gala too, and you need to look presentable. Remember, families like ours are always being watched.”

“I know, Mom.”

Of course, I knew. My parents weren’t poor—they were respected, wealthy even—but next to families like the Knights, we were small fish. Still, they wanted me to act like I belonged in their world.

Before I could reply, my phone buzzed again. It was Maya calling this time.

“I’m outside,” she squealed the moment I picked up. “Get dressed. We’re going shopping. And you’re not saying no.”

I didn’t even try to argue. Within an hour, we were at one of New York’s most expensive boutiques, surrounded by endless racks of designer gowns.

Maya was practically bouncing on her heels. “Isla, do you realize what this means? Alexander Knight. The richest, youngest CEO in the entire world. Breathing the same air as us. My God, I need him to just look at me once. Just once.”

I laughed, shaking my head as I flipped through dresses. “Maya, calm down. He doesn’t even know we exist.”

She turned to me with a wicked grin. “Speak for yourself. Maybe he’ll notice me.”

Her words stung a little, though she didn’t mean them that way. Still, I bit my tongue and focused on the gown in my hands—a simple, elegant silk piece. Nothing too bold, nothing screaming for attention. Because the truth was, I didn’t want to look desperate. I just… wanted to be there.

---

Alexander’s POV

I hated events like this.

The mirror in my penthouse reflected a man in a perfectly tailored black suit, the image of power and control. Yet I felt nothing but irritation.

“Your tie,” my mother’s voice snapped behind me. She adjusted it sharply, her touch colder than the steel walls of the skyscraper I owned. “Tonight, you’ll stand as the face of Knight Enterprises. Don’t embarrass us.”

“I never do,” I muttered.

Her eyes narrowed, but she said nothing. She didn’t need to. The weight of her expectations was already pressing against my chest like armor I could never take off.

My father wasn’t even around. He rarely was these days. We hadn’t spoken in weeks, and honestly, I preferred it that way. The man who had raised me treated me less like a son and more like an investment.

When I finally left my suite, I walked through the company headquarters first. As always, the moment I entered, silence followed me like a shadow.

Conversations died.

Keyboards stopped clacking.

Every head bowed.

I didn’t need to demand respect—it was already mine.

But what I hated most was the way the women looked at me. Like I was some sort of trophy. Beautiful, yes, but distant, untouchable. None of them dared to approach. None of them dared to be real.

And maybe that was for the best.

Tonight would be no different. Just another event. Just another evening of fake smiles and endless eyes watching my every move.

Still, a strange thought lingered in my head, uninvited: the girl I had caught staring this morning on the busy street. She had looked… different.

Shaking it off, I adjusted my cuffs and headed for the car.

---

That night, New York City seemed to sparkle brighter than usual. The gala was only hours away, and already the streets buzzed with excitement. Every paper, every screen, every whisper spoke of one thing:

Alexander Knight.

And soon, our worlds would collide.