Chapter 6 The Only Reason She Matters

A sleek black Maybach waited curbside.

Through the half-open window, Andreas drummed his fingers on the wheel, his focus trained on Aimee, who was stepping out of the hospital.

He'd caught wind of everything that went down today.

Aimee's sharp instincts and cutthroat resolve had matched every expectation he had for someone in his orbit.

Just then, the passenger door swung open and Felix Dixon, a friend of Andreas', slid inside, his trademark smirk firmly in place. "Andreas, since when do you get tangled up over a woman? You've even got Vicki tailing her. What's so special about this one?"

Andreas barely spared Felix a look, offering nothing but silence in return.

But Felix had known him too long - quiet from Andreas always meant more than words.

Felix let out a low whistle, grinning like he'd just uncovered a secret. "Come on, Andreas, don't tell me you've got a thing for her."

Leaning in, Felix watched for any hint of a reaction, eyes alight with mischief.

For a moment, Andreas' hand paused on the wheel before he turned and gave Felix a sharp glare.

A thing?

For Aimee?

The thought was laughable.

In his mind, she was simply an asset - a golden goose.

Three months and the profits could multiply tenfold. That was the only reason she mattered.

Andreas dismissed the remark with a vague "hmm," shrugging off Felix's accusation without a second thought.

Felix's jaw dropped, his expression filled with mock shock. "Are you serious right now? Did you just admit to having feelings?"

Andreas didn't bother with a response. His gaze followed Aimee and Vicki as they made their way out of sight. There was a confidence in Aimee's stride, a fearless edge that made her impossible to overlook.

Narrowing his eyes, Andreas recalled everything he'd uncovered about her - supposedly an unremarkable girl from nowhere, barely educated, returned to the Bennett family to cover for Rylie's crimes.

But the woman moving through his world now was nothing like the shadow in those old reports - she was sharp, daring, and always a step ahead.

Felix, encouraged by Andreas' silence, grinned wider and slapped the dashboard. "You're doomed, Andreas! Admit it, you're head over heels."

At last, Andreas' patience wore thin. "Shut up. I'm not in the mood for chit-chat."

"Then why did you assign Vicki to her?" Felix persisted. "You've trusted Vicki with your life for years. And you set Aimee up in a mansion, gave her a black card-"

Andreas interjected, "Because she can turn my investment into ten times the profit in less ninety days."

Felix stared, stunned. "Hold on, what did you just say?"

Andreas didn't waste another word, stepping out of the car.

But Felix caught his arm before he could leave. "Wait, Andreas! Don't tell me you're being played! There's no way someone just out of prison is that talented!"

Andreas shot Felix a cold glare and yanked his arm free. "Felix, another word out of you and I'll have you exiled by sunrise."

That shut Felix up right away.

Meanwhile, in the shadows of an underground fight club, Aimee commanded the room in her high heels. The crisp black suit dress hugged her waist, and every click of her heels echoed through the crowd.

Scanning the rowdy arena, she set her sights on the battered pair in the steel cage.

Dragged out by guards, the two men wore ripped shirts and bruised faces, but their eyes burned with fierce defiance - like cornered wolves ready to strike.

Those two weren't strangers. They were Nicola's brothers: Ricky Gibson and Jaxton Gibson.

Aimee remembered too well - back then, the Gibson brothers had ruled this place as undefeated champions before the Reid Group hired them.

In the end, their loyalty to their sister cost them everything, landing both in prison for life after a brutal revenge spree.

With a flick of her wrist, Aimee swirled her champagne and let her red lips curve into a hint of a smile. "I want Ricky and Jaxton. Both of them."

Poised on the railing, she tapped her glass, her sharp silhouette in a fitted dark suit dress making her look almost regal in a world of sweat and chaos.

A hush swept through the crowd, every eye turning toward her.

Danny Burton, owner of the fight club, approached her with a wary grin. "Miss Bennett, those two are relentless. If you're planning to take them on, someone from your camp will need to beat them first."

The owner took a moment to study the group Aimee had walked in with.

There was no denying it. They carried themselves like people who knew how to handle a fight.

Even so, the Gibson brothers were the club's newest stars. No ordinary challengers could afford to mess with them.

Still, against all expectations...