The elevator slowed.
I shut my eyes in readiness for the onslaught. The doors slid open silently. I was met with the large black letters on the wall.
–KARLOS WELLS,
CEO, SOLSTAR INC–
A new personal assistant sat at the reception desk. Every couple of years, at my father’s command, the receptionist was updated. The nameplate on the counter readLexi.
She wore the SolStar custom uniform: a micro-mini skirt, a skin-tight designer top, and five-inch stilettos—a carbon copy of those before her—except, in line with Karlos’s standards, she was younger.
“Good morning, Mr. Wells,” she said politely, already heading toward my father’s office. “Your father is waiting.”
I stopped behind Lexi in front of the imposing double doors. She gripped the handles, pushing them open before standing to one side, waiting for me to pass.
Nodding my thanks, I passed through the doorway and she retreated, closing the vault-like doors behind her.
My attention drifted to the wrap-around glass windows, every angle capturing the sparkling blue harbor below. The office design was intentionally minimalist… to maximize the effect of Karlos himself.
There was one exception…
A huge Andy Warhol original, hanging flamboyantly on the wall. It screamed wealth and power, serving as the ultimate testament to his success.
Karlos sat statuesque behind his marble desk, his gaze fastened on me like a hook.
I hadn’t seen him for almost a year. There were a few more silver strands streaking his dark hair. He had a glowing tan and was the picture of health and fitness. He’d accept nothing less.
“You’re late,” he said quietly as I met his stare. “You missed your mother’s birthday celebration.”
“I—”
“You brought shame on the family name.” The animosity radiating from him almost punched a hole right through me. “Your role is to be an ambassador for this company and our name. Explain yourself,” he commanded.
“It was an accident. It took longer than I expected to get back down the coastline,” I offered thinly.
“You should have left earlier. I assume your late departure was because of a certainguestyou had on board?” His tone was menacing.
How did he even know about Ivy? I never told him.Fury boiled in my veins before cooling into alarm.What else does he know about?
“I’m not a prisoner,” I said, though it felt like I’d walked into the lion’s den.
He rose from his chair and stalked toward me, fixing me with a laser stare sharp enough to slice through steel.
He stopped in front of me. “I have plans for you, and they don’t include dating a nobody. Your destiny is to marry into wealth and power. It’s over with your little plaything. I won’t permit you to degrade yourself further,” he said, as if reality would bend to his will.
I drew my shoulders back and matched his stare. “No. It’s not over. And DO NOT talk about Ivy like that, you bastard. She’s not like anyone else I’ve ever met. She’s better for me than anyone on your fucked-up list. And I’m going to be with her, whether you like it or not.”
A glimmer of hope sparked inside me as he listened calmly.
“It’s going to work out perfectly. It’s all sorted,” I started confidently. “I’ll accept my offer from the University of Queensland so I can be closer to the Gold Coast, where Ivy lives. I don’t need to live in Sydney to work for SolStar, and I can still work here on semester breaks.”
He straightened his posture, glided smoothly to his chair, sat, then stretched back leisurely, studying me.
I swayed slightly, my heart pumping wildly, blood rushing in my ears.
“No.” He leaned back further, placing his hands behind his head. “You’ll accept your offer here in Sydney and live at the house in Bronte. Gus will live in the guest quarters and become your full-time driver. During the semester breaks, you will work here.”
My muscles tensed as I advanced on him.
