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Wager of the Heart: The Rejected Mate
img img Wager of the Heart: The Rejected Mate img Chapter 5 Knives in the Dark
5 Chapters
Chapter 6 The Seed Awakens img
Chapter 7 Family is the First Weapon img
Chapter 8 The Ledger Opens img
Chapter 9 Reflections Wear Our Faces img
Chapter 10 The Train that Never Stops img
Chapter 11 Bleeding Gold img
Chapter 12 The Mothers Secret img
Chapter 13 The Brothers Code img
Chapter 14 The Cousin Arrives img
Chapter 15 The Soldier's Ghost img
Chapter 16 The City Breathes img
Chapter 17 The First Door img
Chapter 18 The Heart In Chains img
Chapter 19 The Quell's Offer img
Chapter 20 The Choice img
Chapter 21 The Torn Ledger img
Chapter 22 The Heart Explodes img
Chapter 23 The Quiet After The Storm img
Chapter 24 The City Waits img
Chapter 25 The Child Draws Maps img
Chapter 26 The Countdown Resumes img
Chapter 27 The Trains Sing img
Chapter 28 The Boy Returns img
Chapter 29 The Red Dress img
Chapter 30 The Family Prepares img
Chapter 31 The Circle Of Gold img
Chapter 32 The Installation Begins img
Chapter 33 The Queen Speaks img
Chapter 34 The War Room img
Chapter 35 The Last Lesson img
Chapter 36 The Bleeding Resumes img
Chapter 37 The Boy Takes Her Hand img
Chapter 38 The Screens Lie img
Chapter 39 The Tear In The Sky img
Chapter 40 The Party Starts Tonight img
Chapter 41 The Train Takes Us img
Chapter 42 The Cathedral Reborn img
Chapter 43 The Throne Is Empty img
Chapter 44 The Queen Is Ready img
Chapter 45 The Heart Moves img
Chapter 46 The Installation Accelerates img
Chapter 47 The City Inside img
Chapter 48 The Back Door Opens img
Chapter 49 The Boy With The Balloon img
Chapter 50 The Queen On Every Screen img
Chapter 51 The City Collects img
Chapter 52 Bleeding Gold II img
Chapter 53 The Pot Fills img
Chapter 54 The Boy Returns II img
Chapter 55 The Boy Returns III img
Chapter 56 The Boy Returns IV img
Chapter 57 The City Speaks Through Her img
Chapter 58 The Installation img
Chapter 59 The Heart Descends img
Chapter 60 The Chains Burn img
Chapter 61 The Queen Chooses img
Chapter 62 The Family Fights img
Chapter 63 The Heart Screams img
Chapter 64 The Heart Screams II img
Chapter 65 The City Shatters img
Chapter 66 The Restaurant Heals img
Chapter 67 The City Waits II img
Chapter 68 The Birthday Party img
Chapter 69 The City's Gift img
Chapter 70 The Bleeding Returns img
Chapter 71 The City's Countdown img
Chapter 72 The Boy Takes Her img
Chapter 73 The Screens Show Tomorrow img
Chapter 74 The Family Hunts img
Chapter 75 The Train Rises img
Chapter 76 The Coronation Begins img
Chapter 77 The Heart Explodes img
Chapter 78 The City Is Quiet img
Chapter 79 The Queen Draws The Door img
Chapter 80 The Family Holds img
Chapter 81 The City Laughs img
Chapter 82 The War Room img
Chapter 83 The War Room II img
Chapter 84 The War Room III img
Chapter 85 The Queen Accepts img
Chapter 86 The War Starts Tonight II img
Chapter 87 The Cathedral Grows img
Chapter 88 The Cathedral Grows II img
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Chapter 5 Knives in the Dark

Alexander Kane

The crash of glass on marble snapped my head up. Elena stood frozen on the gala's rooftop, her emerald dress catching the city lights, a shattered flute at her feet. Her eyes, wide with something raw: anger, betrayal; locked on the tablet in her hand. My tablet. My gut twisted. She'd seen the email. Victor's taunting words, the bet laid bare. Three months to make her fall for me, or lose the merger. I'd been an idiot to leave it unlocked, but her kiss on the balcony had scrambled my brain.

"Elena," I started, crossing the room in three strides, the crowd parting like they sensed a storm. Her face was a mask, but those eyes burned through me.

"Don't." Her voice was sharp, a blade wrapped in velvet. She thrust the tablet at my chest. "A bet? I'm your mark?"

The word hit like a sucker punch. Around us, heads turned, New York's elite sniffing drama like sharks. Victor Lang lounged by the bar, his smirk practically glowing. Bastard was enjoying this.

"It's not what you think," I said, keeping my voice low, steady. "Let's talk. Somewhere private."

"Private?" She laughed, bitter. "Like your study? Your mansion? Where you play your games?" Her hands trembled, but she stood tall, every inch the wildfire I'd underestimated.

I grabbed her elbow, gently but firm, steering her toward the balcony again. She yanked free but followed, her heels clicking like a countdown. The night air hit us, cool and sharp, the city humming below. I shut the glass door behind us, blocking out the curious stares.

"Explain," she demanded, crossing her arms. "Now."

I ran a hand through my hair, the weight of my own stupidity crushing me. "Victor Lang, he's a rival. A prick. He bet me I couldn't..." I hesitated, the words tasting like ash. "Couldn't get someone like you to fall for me. Three months, or he gets the merger. It was a game, yeah, but"

"A game." Her voice cracked, eyes glistening. "You hired me to win a bet. My life, my family's survival, was just your entertainment?"

"No." I stepped closer, desperate to close the gap she was building. "It started that way, I won't lie. But you, Elena, you're not a game. Not anymore." My chest tightened, the truth spilling out before I could stop it. "That kiss? It was real. I'm falling for you."

She flinched, stepping back until the balcony railing stopped her. "Don't you dare. You don't get to play the tortured billionaire card after this."

"Elena, please." I reached for her, but she swatted my hand away.

"You don't know me," she hissed. "You don't know what I'm fighting for. My mom's sick, my brother's barely holding it together, and I'm dodging loan sharks who'd hurt them to get to me. I took this job to save them, not to be your pawn."

Loan sharks? That was new, and it hit like a brick. Victor's shadow loomed in my mind: his reach, his ruthlessness. Had he set her up even before the bet? "Who's after you?" I asked, voice hard. "Names. Now."

"Why? So you can fix it with your money and make me owe you?" She shook her head, tears spilling but her jaw set. "I'm done. I quit."

She shoved past me, the tablet clattering to the floor. I grabbed her wrist, not thinking. "Don't walk away. Let me fix this."

She spun, eyes blazing. "Fix it? You broke it, Alexander. You broke me." She yanked free, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Stay away from me."

She stormed back into the gala, weaving through the crowd. I followed, heart pounding, but she was fast, slipping out a side exit. By the time I reached the street, her cab's taillights were fading into Manhattan's glow.

"Damn it," I muttered, slamming a fist against the wall. Pain shot through my knuckles, grounding me. Victor's laugh echoed from the doorway behind me.

"Trouble in paradise, Kane?" he drawled, sipping champagne. "Told you she'd be a handful."

I rounded on him, barely restraining myself. "What did you do, Lang? You set her up, didn't you? The loan sharks; your people?"

His smirk didn't waver. "Careful, Alex. Accusations without proof? Sloppy." He stepped closer, voice low. "You're losing her, and the merger. Tick-tock."

I wanted to wipe that grin off his face, but I turned away, hailing my driver. "To Brooklyn," I snapped, sliding into the car. Elena's address was in her file, I'd memorized it. Stupid, reckless, but I couldn't let her go. Not like this.

The city blurred past, my mind racing. That kiss: her lips, her fire, hadn't been part of the plan. I'd meant to charm her, play the game, and win the merger. But somewhere between her sharp retorts and that spark in her eyes, I'd lost control. She wasn't just a mark. She was everything I'd spent years avoiding: real, raw, alive.

Brooklyn's streets were grittier, the air thick with exhaust and desperation. Her building was a crumbling walk-up, graffiti scarring the walls. I buzzed her apartment, no answer. Again. Nothing. A neighbor poked her head out, glaring.

"She ain't here," the woman snapped. "Saw her leave with a bag."

My chest tightened. Gone. I'd driven her away in one night. But I wasn't done. I'd find her, explain, make this right. Not for the bet, not for the merger, for her.

My phone buzzed. A text from an unknown number: You lost her, Kane. My turn. No signature, but Victor's stench was all over it. My grip tightened, the screen cracking under my thumb. He was playing dirty, and Elena was in the crosshairs.

I slid back into the car, barking at the driver. "Back to the Hamptons. Now." I needed to dig into Victor's moves: his contacts, his plans. If he was behind those loan sharks, I'd bury him, and Elena? I'd fight for her, even if she hated me. Because for the first time in years, something mattered more than winning.

The ocean loomed dark as we sped east, the mansion waiting like a cage. I'd built my life on control, but Elena Vasquez had shattered it and I'd be damned if I let Victor or my own mistakes take her from me.

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