Bound To The Cold Tycoon

13 : The Poisoned Deal

The boardroom buzzed with tension, the air heavy with the scent of polished oak and power. Alexander sat at the head of the long table, his presence commanding silence. Amelia had never been invited to one of his meetings before, but today, he had insisted she come.

“You don’t have to be here,” he murmured as the executives shuffled in.

She met his gaze steadily. “If Clara’s the one stirring trouble, then I do.”

His eyes softened almost imperceptibly, but before he could reply, the doors opened—and Clara strode in, flanked by two investors.

Amelia’s stomach twisted. What was she doing here?

“Mr. Stone,” Clara purred, sliding into a seat across the table. “I represent the Hawthorne Group now. They’re very interested in partnering with Stone Enterprises.”

Alexander’s jaw tightened. “I don’t do business with liars.”

Her smile was sharp. “Call me what you like, but this deal is legitimate. And you’d be a fool to walk away.”

Papers shuffled across the table. Amelia glanced at them, her heart sinking. It was a merger proposal—one that would give Clara’s allies dangerous leverage inside Alexander’s company.

Alexander didn’t touch the papers. His voice was calm, but edged with steel. “You think I’ll hand you a weapon to use against me?”

Clara leaned forward, her eyes glittering with malice. “If you don’t, I’ll hand the press something else. Something about your lovely wife.” Her gaze slid to Amelia, deliberate and cruel. “I wonder what the world would say about the girl who trapped the great Alexander Stone into marriage.”

Amelia’s blood ran cold, but she forced her voice to remain steady. “You’re bluffing.”

Clara smirked. “Am I?” She tapped the stack of papers. “Sign, or Amelia becomes tomorrow’s headline.”

For a moment, silence suffocated the room. Amelia’s hands trembled under the table, but she raised her chin. “Don’t sign it.”

Alexander’s gaze snapped to her, surprise flickering in his storm-gray eyes.

“If you give in to her now,” Amelia said firmly, “she’ll never stop. She’ll keep coming until she owns you completely. Don’t let her use me against you.”

Clara’s smirk faltered.

Alexander studied Amelia for a long, tense moment. Then he stood, his towering presence filling the room. “Meeting adjourned.”

Clara rose too, fury flashing across her face. “This isn’t over, Alexander. She’s your weakness. And I will exploit it.”

He didn’t reply. Instead, he guided Amelia out of the boardroom, his hand firm on the small of her back.

Once the doors closed, he turned to her, his voice low and raw. “Do you have any idea what you just did?”

Amelia met his gaze, unflinching. “I stopped you from giving her control. I won’t let her win. Not over you. Not over us.”

For a moment, his mask cracked again. His hand lingered at her back, his eyes searching hers with something dangerously close to admiration.

Then he exhaled, pulling away. “You’re going to destroy me, Amelia.”