Chapter 3 A Deal Sealed with Fire

Maya Brooks had always considered herself a warrior. It was how she endured being raised in a foster home, how she rose through the fiercely competitive business world, and how she managed to survive working for the most dominating, infuriating man in New York City: Alexander Knight.

But tonight? Tonight, she felt like she was suffocating.

Because she made an accord with the devil.

The marriage contract was real. The ring on her finger? Even more so. And now she stood in Alexander's dimly lighted study space, pounding in her chest, striving to make sense of why she was drawn to him for reasons she was unable to describe.

Maya folded her hands against her chest and stared across at Alexander, who stood next to her with the same inexplicable expression that made her rage boil.

"Start talking," she said, her voice firm, but the quiver in her palms misled her.

Alexander did not change his position. His fingers pounded against the surface of the polished wooden desk, and his sparkling gray eyes remained unreadable and intent on hers.

"I had told you" he said, his voice soft. "You were in danger."

Maya exhaled sharply, frustration coursing through her. "From whom, Alexander? Give me names. Give me something real."

His jaw contracted, marking the first true indication of emotion she had seen from him. For the first time, there was a flicker of something-panic. It was short, but present, and it sent thrills down her spine.

"Answer me," she continued, her voice hoarse.

Alexander leaned closer, his fingers laced together, his face hardened but hesitant. "There are individuals who want you dead, Maya."

Her stomach heaved when he replied. The weight of the circumstances hit her like a moving train, her heart pounding and shrieking in her ears. He replied in an aggressive, hostile voice, as if it were a fact that couldn't be refuted.

"Why?" she asked, in a milder tone than expected.

Alexander didn't react. "Because of your mother."

Maya's breath became stuck in her throat.

Her mother? She'd always believed that her mother had died in an awful car crash. No foul play. No mystery. A tragic accident, the kind people tried to forget about. However, Alexander's eyes warned her otherwise.

"What about her?" Maya's voice scarcely rose above a whisper.

Alexander got up and delved into the desk drawer. He took out a big folder, opened it, and passed it over the table to her. Maya resisted, her fingers scrubbing across the file before grabbing it, the weight both physical and mental.

"Look," he said calmly.

Maya's hands were shaking as she unlocked the folder and studied the first page. The words were hazy, but the photograph caused her blood turn chilly.

A black-and-white photograph of her mother was positioned near Alexander's father.

Her breath caught. "What...?"

"She was engaged to him before she disappeared," Alexander said quietly, his voice tense with something Maya couldn't place.

Maya's stomach turned as a cold terror overcame her. "No. That's not possible."

Alexander's jaw clenched. "It is."

She flipped through the pages quickly-documents, records, blurry images from a security camera. Her hands froze on the next one. It was a shot of her mother standing in a hotel lobby... with Victoria Knight.

Maya's head snapped up. "Your mother?"

Alexander gave a slow nod. "She knew your mother. She was also aware she was pregnant.

The words impacted Maya like a blow in the stomach. "Was my mother pregnant?"

Her entire body went numb. The room began to tilt. Everything surrounding her seemed to move, as if the ground underneath her slipped away.

"You're saying that my mother was holding me while she disappeared missing?" Maya's voice quiverred as the words came out.

"Yes," Alexander answered firmly.

Maya placed her palm on her chest, her heart beating against her ribs. "No. That is not feasible. She-she died in an accident."

Alexander's glance remained piercing, unrelenting. "Are you certain about that?"

Her pulse came to a halt. "What do you mean?"

He barely blinked, his eyes concentrated on hers. "I'm saying Victoria had your mother killed."

Maya's air escaped her lungs. "No," she said softly, tilting her head as if the words could be erased if she fought them long enough.

"I was not keen to concur with it either," Alexander clarified, his voice low and strained. "But I have the proof."

Her fingers pressed into the folder, and the paper wrinkled under her grasp. "Why? "What would make her do that?"

Alexander's lips pressed together, his expression hardening. "Because your mother ran. She didn't just leave my father-she left a war. A power struggle. And Victoria was not about to let her leave with secrets that could damage the Knight family.

Maya's stomach tightened as she realized the gravity of the issue. Her whole life had been established in a lie. Her mother's death was a fabrication. The man sitting opposite to her was more than simply her boss; he was a part of something sinister.

She took a drained breath, attempting to maintain her cool. "And you know? You knew all of this and didn't tell me?"

Alexander's jaw flexed, his fists tightening. "I was trying to defend you."

Her hands tightened into knuckles. "By forcing me into marriage?"

His voice dropped, low and rough. "By keeping you alive."

Maya nodded, her body rigid from rage and terror. "So what now? Am I just supposed to accept this? Accept that I'm part of some twisted legacy?"

Alexander's eyes were unwaveringly icy, like a glacier. "You have no options."

Her chest clenched, and her heart struck against her ribs. "There's usually an option."

He took a step closer, closing the gap between them, his stare locked on hers. "Not when it is about surviving."

Her breath ceased, and everything between them looked to be frozen in time.

Then his fingers stroked over her wrist with a slow, deliberate touch. Testing. Measuring.

Maya's breath tightened.

"Let go," she muttered, her voice soft and faint.

He strengthened his grip slightly. "Do you want me to?"

She should say yes. She should pull away. Instead, she stayed still, rooted to the earth, her body mirroring her thoughts.

Alexander lifted his second hand, his thumb slowly moving along her jawline.

Maya's skin was scorched.

"This marriage may have begun as a deal," Alexander mumbled, his voice dark and personal. "But it won't remain like that."

Her stomach flipped, signifying unease and a more sinister twisting inside her. "What does that imply?"

His eyes deepened, revealing an openness in their depths. "It means I desire to claim what's mine."

Her breath hitched, her pulse racing, and before she could process what had happened, his lips were on hers.

It wasn't soft. It didn't seem tender.

It was a conflict of wills, and no side was interested in triumphing.

His grip on her waist tightened, drawing her in as if he were unwilling to go. The kiss was forceful and intense, driving her heart to cave into her chest.

Maya hated him.

She loathed how his lips crushed against hers and how quickly he undressed her.

Her hands clutched his clothes, and instead of pulling him away, she drew him near.

Alexander growled, deep and possessive. His grip tightened.

And then, as abruptly as it began, he drew back.

Maya staggered slightly while panting. Her body remained warmed from the touch and kiss, and her mind started to spin in a million directions.

His gray eyes became wild and filled with something deeper now.

Before she could react, the study door burst open.

One of Alexander's escorts entered, appearing depressed and concerned.

"Sir," the security man said, his tone stern. "We have a situation."

Alexander's entire body went rigid. "What is it?"

The guard halted, his gaze going to Maya before meeting Alexander. Then his words echoed like a thunderclap.

"Liam Brooks is here." And he says "Maya isn't who we think she is."

Maya's heart stopped.

Her entire world tilted.

And Alexander's expression darkened, his jaw tightening.

And just like that-

Everything changed.