A storm brewed inside Dominic as he stared out the towering glass windows of his office. From the thirtieth floor, the city below looked calm, but his world was anything but. The call from his father hadn't just been a warning—it was a declaration of war.
His family wasn't bluffing this time. They were ready to strike—hard and fast.
Across town, Aurora stood in front of the mirror in her penthouse, pulling her hair up into a high ponytail, her expression steeled with determination. Her company, her reputation, her heart—all of it was on the line. But if Dominic was going to face this battle, he wasn't doing it alone.
She grabbed her bag, slipped on her heels, and headed for the door. If his family wanted to treat her like a pawn, she would remind them that she was a queen—and queens don't fall easily.
---
The boardroom at Raine Corporation was flooded with icy tension.
Dominic sat at the head of the table, his face unreadable as his father, Charles Raine, entered with their family lawyer and Dominic's cousin Elias—his so-called "backup" successor. The vultures were circling.
Charles' eyes swept the room before landing on his son. "You have until the end of the quarter to dissolve whatever relationship you have with Aurora Lane. And if you don't, the board will vote to replace you as CEO."
Dominic didn't blink. "You mean you'll force the board to vote against me."
Charles smirked. "Semantics."
Elias leaned forward, smug. "You're not thinking straight, Dom. She's making you sloppy. Emotional. That's dangerous in this business."
Dominic's fingers tapped against the table in a slow, calculated rhythm. "You mean she's dangerous to you. Because unlike you, she doesn't kiss the ring. She plays to win."
"She's nothing but a loudmouth with a pretty face," Elias snapped.
That was it.
Dominic stood, his chair scraping across the marble. "Say something like that again about her, and I'll forget we're related."
The room went quiet.
Charles narrowed his eyes. "We built this empire for you, Dominic. But if you choose her, you lose everything. Your shares. Your title. Your legacy."
Dominic's lip curled into a cold smile. "Then build a new legacy. Because I'm not giving her up."
---
Aurora arrived at the Raine headquarters like a shot of adrenaline. All eyes followed her as she stepped out of the elevator—black power suit, fierce red lipstick, and that intoxicating confidence only she could wear like perfume.
Elias saw her first and muttered under his breath, "Of course she shows up like it's her kingdom."
She smiled sweetly at him as she passed. "Aw, Elias. Still pretending you matter?"
Before he could retort, she walked straight into the boardroom without knocking.
Charles turned in his seat, visibly annoyed. "Miss Lane, this is a private meeting—"
"It's about me, isn't it?" she interrupted, slapping a thick manila file onto the table. "Then I belong here."
Dominic didn't move. Didn't smile. But something sparked in his eyes when he saw her—like fire licking through ice.
Aurora turned to face Charles, unbothered by the daggers in his gaze.
"I know you don't like me," she said coolly. "I'm not from old money. I didn't go to Yale or marry into a dynasty. But I built my company from the ground up, and unlike your golden boy Elias, I didn't need anyone to hand me a thing."
She slid the file toward them. "These are the contracts we're closing with the Ortega Group. My company's partnership could double Raine Corp's overseas expansion projections. But I'll pull out—unless you back off Dominic."
Silence. Then Charles chuckled, like she'd told him a bad joke.
"You really think I'll let some sugar-lipped brat blackmail me with a few deals?"
Aurora leaned forward, resting her palms on the table. "Not blackmail. Leverage. You taught Dominic to play the game, right? Well, I'm here to remind you—he plays it better than you ever did."
Charles's face darkened. Dominic finally stood beside her.
"She's not your weakness," Dominic said, locking eyes with his father. "She's my weapon. And with her beside me, we're stronger than any empire you built."
---
They left the building hand in hand, heads held high, the storm temporarily silenced—but not over.
Back at Aurora's apartment, she kicked off her heels and threw herself onto the couch with a dramatic groan. "That was the most stressful boardroom power play of my life. I deserve a vacation. Somewhere with no suits. Or Charles Kings."
Dominic chuckled, loosening his tie. "You were perfect."
She glanced up at him. "You really think this will hold? That they'll back off?"
"For now," he said, sitting beside her. "But they won't stop. Not really."
Aurora's smile faded. "Then what's next?"
Dominic turned to her, serious. "We merge."
Her brows lifted. "Merge?"
"Our companies," he said. "Not just for business. For survival. Together, we'd be unstoppable. Lane Designs has influence Raine Corp needs to grow. Raine Corp has the infrastructure to elevate Lane internationally. They can't separate what they can't break apart."
Aurora looked at him, stunned. "You want a merger? Like… a real one?"
Dominic nodded. "In every sense of the word."
Her heart skipped a beat, but she masked it with sass. "Dominic Raine. Are you trying to seduce me with corporate strategy?"
He smirked. "Is it working?"
She leaned in, teasing, "Maybe."
But as his lips found hers, she realized something more powerful than strategy was unfolding. They weren't just playing the game anymore.
They were rewriting the rules.
---