Chapter 281
Isabella Sinclair couldn’t suppress the frown that creased her brow as irritation prickled beneath her skin.
She had made her position crystal clear—or so she thought. Yet here was Alexander Kingsley, bold as ever, circling back to the same question.
Did he truly believe there was room for interpretation in her words?
His gaze locked onto hers, unwavering. “What I’m asking,” he clarified, voice low, “is how I can ensure you stay.” He maintained a careful distance, yet his presence was impossible to ignore. “I know you’re not like anyone else.”
Anyone associated with MDH, the elite pharmaceutical research institute, wouldn’t be swayed by mere wealth.
Alexander was well aware that Isabella had only joined Charisma Company to uncover certain truths. More importantly, he sensed that once she had what she needed, she would vanish from Ontdale without a trace—just as she had years ago from Leswington, leaving Julian Whitmore searching in vain.
But Alexander wasn’t the type to let fate decide.
“Your secrets don’t concern me,” he said smoothly. “What I want to know is how to keep you here, Ms. Sinclair.”
When their eyes met again, Isabella found herself momentarily ensnared by the quiet intensity radiating from him. Even in stillness, Alexander exuded a magnetism that was impossible to dismiss. His words hovered between a confession and a challenge, laced with ambition rather than sentimentality.
She tilted her head, studying him. “You can’t possibly mean that.”
“Because you’re the solution I need,” he countered, deliberate. “Your perfumes, your skills—you’re unparalleled, Ms. Sinclair.” He left the rest unspoken, knowing mere affection wouldn’t hold her interest. Isabella valued capability above all else.
To win her, he had to prove himself.
Isabella didn’t soften her tone. “Then you should know, Mr. Kingsley, I’ve been using you from the start.” Her voice was ice. “I don’t fall for people.”
For someone like her, surrendering her heart was unthinkable.
Yet Alexander didn’t flinch. “I know,” he said, gaze steady.
That didn’t mean he intended to concede. Alexander had always played the long game.
“My mistake today was mine alone,” he murmured. “If you want to punish me, I won’t resist.”
The breeze tousled the dark strands of his hair, and his deep-set eyes gleamed with an allure that felt deliberate. Isabella almost scoffed—was he trying to seduce her into leniency?
She had her own secrets, but she wasn’t blind to the enigma that was Alexander Kingsley.
After snapping a photo of the necklace, she stepped closer and handed it to him. “With the secrets you’re offering, money is irrelevant.” A faint smirk touched her lips. “And punishment? Hardly worth my time.”
His brow arched. “Then what do you propose?”
“A wager,” she said, fingers brushing the cold red gemstone. “If you uncover all my secrets, I’ll stay. Assist with your perfumes in my spare time.”
She paused, letting the weight of her next words settle.
“But if I uncover yours first, you hand over control of the Kingsley Group.”
The Kingsley Group was worth billions. To most, her demand would sound like madness.
Yet Alexander took the necklace from her hand, a slow smile curving his lips. “Deal.”
His voice was smooth, igniting something primal within her—a thrill of danger, of stakes higher than mere flirtation. No one had ever dared to challenge him for his empire.
But this? This was intoxicating.
After their earlier kiss, the air between them had shifted—unstable, electric. The tension was a living thing, crackling with unspoken possibilities.
