Chapter 1 ESCAPE

ISLA

The night I spent with Adrian Knight was supposed to be a mistake. A fleeting, reckless decision made in the heat of desperation. But mistakes don't grow inside you. Mistakes don't take root, shift your body, and leave you staring at a pregnancy test at four in the morning with trembling hands.

I never meant to see him again. And yet, here I am, standing in the towering lobby of Knight Industries, ignored by the receptionist, dismissed like I'm nothing, and fighting the overwhelming nausea that's been my constant companion for weeks.

But I can't leave. Not when I know what's at stake.

I clutch my bag tighter, my heartbeat hammering against my ribs as I glance over my shoulder. I don't see them yet, but that doesn't mean Victor's men aren't watching.

I have to do this. I have to tell him.

And if Adrian Knight thinks he can just toss me aside like I don't exist, he's about to learn just how wrong he is.

THREE MONTHS AGO

I never should have gone to that club.

I told myself I just needed a break. A single night to pretend I wasn't drowning in Victor Morelli's world, suffocating under his threats and the invisible chains that kept me locked in his grasp. I wasn't naive. I knew the risks.

But then he walked in.

Adrian Knight.

He was everything I shouldn't want. Cold, powerful, and dripping with the kind of danger that whispered promises against my skin. He didn't belong in the underground world I was trapped in. He was above it ,,,untouchable.

Maybe that's why I let him touch me.

One drink turned into two. Two drinks turned into stolen glances, whispered words, and his hand resting possessively on my waist as if he already owned me.

I should have walked away. I should have run.

Instead, I let him take me to his penthouse. I let him press me against the glass windows overlooking the city, his mouth devouring mine, his hands learning every inch of my skin.

I let him ruin me.

And by morning, he was gone.

No phone number. No goodbye. Just an empty bed and a memory that burned itself into my mind.

I told myself it was for the best. I told myself it was over.

Until two months later, when I stared at a positive pregnancy test and realized it was just the beginning.

NOW

The receptionist barely glances up from her computer.

"I'm here to see Adrian Knight," I say, forcing my voice to stay even.

She sighs, her manicured nails clicking against the desk. "Do you have an appointment?"

"No, but...."

"Then Mr. Knight is unavailable."

Panic grips my throat. "Please. It's important."

"Everyone thinks their business is important, sweetheart." She waves a dismissive hand. "If you'd like, I can schedule something for next month."

Next month?

I don't have a next month.

Frustration builds inside me. "Listen, I...."

Then I see him.

Adrian Knight, stepping out of the elevator, his presence sucking the air from the room. Tall, broad-shouldered, and wrapped in an expensive suit, he moves with the effortless arrogance of a man who owns the world.

Our eyes meet.

Something flickers across his face,,,recognition, surprise, before it's gone, replaced by ice.

His jaw tightens. "Get her out."

The guards move toward me.

No.

I dig my heels in. My pulse pounds, my breath catches, and before I can think twice, the words burst from my lips.

"I'm pregnant!"

The entire lobby falls silent.

I watch Adrian's expression shift from irritation to disbelief, to something darker.

Something lethal.

He takes a step toward me, his voice low, controlled.

"What did you just say?"

***********

Introduction: Isla Carter

I was born into a world that never wanted me.

My mother died when I was eight, leaving me in the hands of a father who saw me as nothing but a burden. By the time I was sixteen, I'd learned that love was nothing more than a weapon used, discarded, and forgotten.

I ran. Straight into the arms of Victor Morelli.

He was older, powerful, and everything my father wasn't. I thought he would save me. Instead, he turned me into property.

For years, I survived under his control. I learned how to endure. How to smile when I was dying inside.

And then, one night, I found my way out.

Or so I thought.

Because now, I have his child.

And Adrian Knight is the only one who can help me keep it safe.

Adrian Knight

Power isn't given. It's taken.

I learned that from my father.

From the moment I could walk, I was trained to be his heir. Business meetings at ten, financial reports at thirteen, negotiations with billionaires before I was old enough to drive.

By the time I turned twenty-one, I had already built an empire of my own. By twenty-five, I had buried my father and taken everything.

Knight Industries is mine. The city bows at my feet.

And love?

Love is a weakness. A liability I refuse to indulge.

My mother died because of it. My father destroyed himself chasing it.

I vowed never to fall into that trap.

But now, she is standing in my company, saying the one thing that could change everything.

She's pregnant.

And for the first time in years, I feel my control slipping.

***********

Victor Morelli

The moment the bedroom door swung open, I knew.

She was gone.

A slow, measured breath left my lips as I took in the empty bed, the open closet, the missing suitcases. Isla had run.

Again.

A sharp crack echoed through the room as I smashed the glass of whiskey in my hand against the wall. The amber liquid bled down the wallpaper, but I barely noticed.

She thinks she can escape me.

I let my anger simmer beneath the surface as I reached for my phone. A few taps, and the call connected.

"She's missing," I said, my voice dangerously calm.

A pause. Then a voice on the other end, rough and wary. "We'll find her."

I already knew that.

"She won't get far." My grip tightened around the phone. "I want her back by the end of the week."

And when I found her?

She would learn what happens to women who betray Victor Morelli.

Elizabeth

I watched from the shadows as Victor paced his office, fury coiling around him like a storm waiting to break. Isla's little stunt had pushed him to the edge, and I loved seeing him like this unraveled, vicious.

The bastard deserved it.

Still, I had to give Isla credit. She'd done something I hadn't managed in years, she'd left.

I smirked, adjusting my silk robe as I leaned against the doorway. "Poor Victor," I mused. "Did your little pet finally slip her leash?"

His sharp gaze snapped to me, dark with warning. "Not now, Elizabeth."

I laughed, stepping into the room. "Oh, but this is my favorite part. The moment you realize you're not as untouchable as you think." I traced a finger along his desk. "She never loved you, you know."

His expression darkened. "Shut up."

"She was waiting for an opportunity to escape." I tilted my head. "Just like I did."

His jaw clenched.

Good. Let him remember that I wasn't one of his playthings anymore.

But unlike Isla, I wasn't running. I was coming back.

Victor Morelli thought he could discard me. That I was just another woman to be forgotten once he was done using her.

He was wrong.

Because soon, I'd be standing exactly where I belonged.

Right beside him.