Chapter 54

Alex’s POV

Control is a delicate thing.

People thought it came from power, money, position, dominance but real control was subtler than that.

It was about anticipation, knowing what pieces would move before they even touched the board and Emily… Emily… Emily was one of those pieces I couldn’t afford to miscalculate.

I watched her across the desk, her back too straight, her expression careful, though I could see the tension vibrating just beneath her skin.

She had dressed like she wanted to convince me she belonged here—black dress, low heels, minimal jewelry, professional, almost severe. If she thought it would intimidate me, she was wrong.

If anything, I found it fascinating. Very fascinating…

“Work in close contact with me?” she repeated, her voice low, wary.

“Yes.” I leaned back in my chair, studying her the way a hunter studies a deer caught halfway across a field.

She batted her lashes, her burrows furrowed in thought