Page 75 of Lord of the Dark

I shifted closer to him until our faces were barely a breath apart. "Many a king has paid with his life for underestimating his queen."

He let out a dry scoff and sat down. "Do you have the contract for your company shares?" His tone was businesslike again.

I frowned. "Why?"

"Because I want to see it. It's important you understand what options you have."

I hesitated but finally stood, retrieved the folder from my shelf, and handed it to him. Alessandro took it, opened it, and began carefully reading through the pages. He flipped through the contract, scrutinizing every line, seeming completely absorbed in another world. It was fascinating to see him so focused—the way he worked, how he blocked everything else out. Finally, he paused, tapped a finger on a clause, and leaned back slightly. "Here it is," he said calmly, as if he'd just played an ace.

"What?" I asked, curious.

"Carter made a mistake," Alessandro explained, his voice matter-of-fact, but his eyes glinted with sharp calculation. "This clause—it states you can sell your shares to an external buyer at any time, as long as the market value is met. Meaning, for example, to me. Carter only secured first refusal rights, but he didn’t account for the fact that he has to buy them back within 90 days if he doesn’t want to lose them to the buyer. And the problem for him is that your 49% stake is high enough to block or push through strategic decisions in the company."

I furrowed my brow, reading the passage myself, but the full weight of his words only hit me as he continued.

"With these 49%, you can bring him to his knees," Alessandrosaid. "Or if you want to apply more pressure, you can sell to me. Every major decision, every contract negotiation would go through me. And Carter would have no choice—he’d either have to pay up or accept a sale to me."

"He can’t afford that. It would ruin him," I murmured, the words churning heavily in my mind.

Alessandro nodded. "Exactly. He’s financially backed into a corner. He can’t buy you out."

I leaned back, the folder heavy in my lap, my gaze fixed on Alessandro, who now looked completely at ease. I let the words sink in, but the unease didn’t fade. "And then what?" I asked quietly. "If I trust you and sell my shares—what happens to me? You say I have a choice, but in reality, you’ll always have control. You’ll always be the one pulling the strings."

Alessandro was silent for a moment, and when he spoke, his voice was dark and weighted. "I don’t want to own you, Fiona." He paused, his gaze flickering, then a dangerous smile ghosted over his lips. "Actually, I do. Physically, at least. But…" He leaned slightly forward, his eyes locked on mine. "What I respect about you is that you want something else. You want to stand as an equal, to decide for yourself where your life goes. It drives me insane, but that’s what I admire about you."

His words made my throat tighten.

"I’m superior to you in many ways," he continued, without arrogance, as if stating a simple fact. "But that doesn’t mean I want to keep you small. On the contrary—I want you stronger, to have the tools to survive in this unforgiving world. Not for me. For you."

"That sounds so selfless," I muttered sarcastically, trying to deflect the storm inside me with a sharp remark. But he wasn’t deterred.

"It’s not selfless," he replied calmly, his grin still there, but his tone grew more serious. "I want you strong, Fiona, because I’llonly accept a woman by my side who can match me."

"Who says I want to be by your side?"

"How long are you going to keep lying to yourself?"

His directness flustered me.

"You’re a fury who challenges me. You’re not like the others—and that’s exactly why I want you."

"If that was supposed to be a compliment, you packaged it well." He had a strange way of phrasing admiration. Still, his words struck deeper than I wanted to admit. I felt the truth in them, the raw honesty he never bothered to hide. Alessandro Russo was playing with his cards on the table in my living room. He was dangerous, yes. Dominant and manipulative. But at the same time, he was the first man who didn’t want to change me—who respected me because I was strong, not in spite of it.

I pulled my knees tighter to my chest, wrapping my arms around them as if shielding myself. My gaze stayed locked on him, and though I knew I couldn’t evade him, I forced myself to speak calmly. "I’m grateful for your help, Alessandro," I began slowly. "But you have to understand that I can’t blindly trust you. Not now. Not when I risk trading one dependency for another."

My words seemed to give him pause. Alessandro said nothing, but I saw his face still for a moment, as if my honesty had struck a nerve. His fingers rested on the folder he’d just examined, and he dragged his thumb over the paper—a tiny movement that betrayed his otherwise impenetrable composure.

"So that’s what you think?" he finally asked, his tone sharp.

I stayed silent, just watching him as the tension in the room became unbearable.

"Let me make one thing clear," he began, and his voice now carried that edge that brooked no argument. "I’m not Carter. I don’t need your shares. I don’t need your contract. And Carter…" He gave a dismissive shrug. "Carter can go to hell."

I opened my mouth, but he raised a hand to silence me. "Let me finish, Fiona." His eyes narrowed slightly, and I saw him choosing his words with care, as if making sure I'd grasp every single one. "Do you know the difference between me and Carter? Carter needs you. He uses your name, your skills, your loyalty to make himself stronger."

I felt his words strike straight to my core. But he wasn't done.

"My operations span more countries than Carter will ever set foot in. I own more than you can imagine—real estate, corporate stakes, shipping routes, and yes, the darker sides of business too. Do you really think I need your stake in some mediocre Miami firm? Do you really believe I'd bother manipulating you when I already have everything I want?"

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