Chapter Seven: CEO Games
828 Words
The moment Alina stepped into the grand ballroom, she felt it.
Power. Money. Danger.
It clung to the air like perfume and whispered in every tight-lipped smile and perfectly tailored suit. This wasn’t just a business summit. It was a war disguised as a gala.
And at the center of it stood Damon Voss.
God, he looked lethal tonight.
Charcoal suit, crisp shirt open at the collar, no tie. His sleeves rolled just enough to reveal the expensive watch hugging his wrist. He wasn’t trying to impress anyone—he didn’t have to.
He owned the room.
Alina’s heart stuttered. Just a little.
She hated that.
She hated that she even noticed.
“You’re staring,” Evelyn said beside her, sipping champagne and eyeing Damon warily. “Again.”
“I’m observing,” Alina muttered, straightening her blouse. “Big difference.”
Evelyn snorted. “Sure. And I eat chocolate for the health benefits.”
Alina ignored her. Her plan was still intact get close, uncover the truth, ruin him from the inside out. Simple.
Until he started looking at her like that.
Until she started looking back.
Damon’s gaze cut across the room like a blade and landed on her.
There she was.
Alina Cross. Too clever. Too composed. Too damn hard to ignore.
He didn’t trust her. Not fully.
But she was the most interesting thing in his empire. And in his world, interest was dangerous.
He watched her laugh at something her friend said, her lips curving with ease he hadn’t seen in the office. There was warmth in her tonight—and something sharp underneath.
God, she was beautiful.
And she was lying to him.
The panel started with the usual boring speeches from predictable men.
Reid Maddox—smug, slippery, pretending to be charming—took the stage with a grin that made Alina’s stomach twist.
He started talking about "unchecked power" and "corporate greed."
He didn’t say Damon’s name.
He didn’t have to.
Everyone knew.
Alina watched Damon from across the room. He didn’t flinch. Didn’t move. Just sipped his drink, eyes cold and unreadable.
When it was his turn to speak, he didn’t bring notes.
Of course not.
He didn’t need them.
“Transparency,” Damon said, his voice smooth like silk over steel, “isn’t about press releases or public apologies. It’s about power. And how you use it.”
The crowd shifted, drawn in.
He continued, eyes cutting right through Reid. “Some people build empires. Others leech off them, pretending to care about ethics while hiding behind shady investors and unpaid taxes.”
A few people gasped. One man actually dropped his wine glass.
Alina’s lips parted slightly. Whoa.
That wasn’t just a rebuttal. That was a kill shot.
Reid’s jaw tightened, but Damon never looked away.
He didn’t fight dirty.
He fought with truth—and a sword.
And for one terrifying moment, Alina forgot why she hated him.
After the panel, the rooftop lounge buzzed with whispers.
Alina stepped outside for air, the city lights blurring below her.
She didn’t hear him until he was beside her.
“Enjoying the show?” Damon’s voice slid through the night like heat.
Alina didn’t turn. “You mean your public execution of Reid Maddox? Impressive.”
His smile was soft, dangerous. “He asked for it.”
“You never miss, do you?”
“I don’t take shots I can’t aim.”
She finally looked at him. Big mistake.
His eyes were darker than the skyline, and the tension between them suddenly felt thick enough to cut.
“You were watching me,” she said before she could stop herself.
He didn’t deny it.
“I always watch what doesn’t make sense,” he said.
She swallowed hard.
“Do I confuse you?”
He stepped closer.
“No,” he murmured. “You distract me.”
Her breath caught. “That sounds like a you problem.”
He leaned in slightly, not touching, just close enough that she could smell his cologne—subtle, masculine, expensive.
“Maybe. Or maybe it’s a warning.”
Alina’s heart pounded.
“You warned Reid before you buried him?” she asked.
“I don’t bury people,” he said softly. “I expose them. They do the rest themselves.”
She held her ground. Barely.
“You think I’m hiding something?”
His eyes flicked to her mouth. Then back to her eyes.
“I know you are.”
Her skin burned.
But she lifted her chin. “And yet you keep me close.”
He nodded once. “Because I like danger. And I like watching people lie to me.”
He turned to leave, pausing in the doorway.
“But be careful, Alina. The closer you
get… the harder it is to escape.”
Then he was gone.
Leaving her breathless.
Shaking.
And terrified that the man she was here to ruin… was getting under her skin.
- Writer
