Chapter 2

The Dragon's Den

The Stark Group headquarters loomed over New York's financial district like a god of steel and glass. Thirty-three stories of pure, unadulterated power. To the world, it was the pinnacle of corporate success; to Chloe, it was the first stop on her road to vengeance.

Inside, the lobby was a battlefield. Thousands of ivy-league graduates fought for a single glance from the recruiters here, moving with a frantic energy that made the air hum. But as Chloe stepped into the private elevator, the noise vanished, replaced by a heavy, expensive silence.

The Man Who Ruled New York

On the top floor, the world stopped spinning.

Rob Stark, the man whose name could cause a market crash with a single phone call, was doing something unheard of. His desk-usually covered in billion-dollar mergers and international treaties-held only a single, lowly document.

He was reading it with the intensity of a man dissecting a ticking bomb.

Across from him, Chloe Bishop sat as still as a statue. In the massive leather armchair, she looked like a porcelain doll-small, pale, and easily crushed. Her hands were locked in her lap, her knuckles white. She was terrified, but she refused to blink.

Rob Stark was a mountain of a man. Even seated, his presence was suffocating, casting a long shadow that seemed to swallow Chloe whole.

It had been fifteen years. The boy she once knew had been replaced by a predator. He was devastatingly handsome-sharp jawline, cold eyes, and a mouth that looked like it had never known a smile.

He's handsome enough to ruin lives, Chloe thought bitterly. But if he were any colder, he'd be a corpse.

The Ultimate Gamble

"You want to get engaged to me?"

Rob's voice was a low, dangerous rumble that vibrated in Chloe's chest. He finally looked up from the document-a formal Engagement Agreement that Jake had drafted with trembling hands.

"Yes," Chloe met his indifferent gaze, her eyes burning with a fire that hadn't been extinguished by five years in a sanitarium.

"A fake engagement?" Rob's brow arched. A hint of genuine surprise flickered in his dark depths.

"Yes," Chloe repeated, her voice a steel blade.

Clack.

Rob slammed the folder shut. The sound echoed like a gunshot in the silent office. "Why?"

He was genuinely baffled. He hadn't seen this girl since her mother's funeral. If it weren't for the jade pendant sitting on his desk-the piece of jewelry that proved her identity-he would have had security throw her out the moment she walked in.

"You once said," Chloe pointed at the jade ring, her voice gaining strength, "that if I ever brought this to you, you would fulfill one wish. You told me you would repay me for saving your life. Do you keep your word, Mr. Stark?"

Rob leaned back, his eyes narrowing. He had made that promise to a crying little girl a lifetime ago. He just never expected her to return from the dead and demand a wedding ring.

His curiosity, a dead thing for years, suddenly stirred. He studied her-the thin neck, the cheap clothes, and the regal, unbreakable spirit.

"I need a reason," Rob said, his voice dropping to a silk-wrapped threat. "I don't sign contracts I don't understand. Why me? And why now?"

Chloe leaned forward, the shadows of the office dancing in her eyes. "Do you want the polite lie, or the truth?"

Rob gave a curt, imperious nod. "The truth. I have no patience for anything else."

Chloe's lips curled into a cold, beautiful smile. "The truth is... I'm going to burn the Bishop family to the ground. And I need the Stark name to provide the fuel."