You may now kill the Bride

The Deal

Lexi's heels clicked against the marble floor, each echo a reminder of the path laid before her. She'd always known this day would come, but that didn't make it any less daunting. As she entered the grand boardroom, her gaze swept across the familiar faces of the Thompson Industries board members. At the head of the table, her uncle, Edward, gave her a reassuring smile.

"Alexandra," he began, his voice firm but tinged with warmth, "You're the future of this company. Your parents would have wanted this for you."

Lexi nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat. Her parents hadn't just been killed in a car accident five years ago – they'd been murdered. A fact the police, and apparently her uncle, still deemed a secret from her. But she had her own sources, her own suspicions...

"Reg will be good for you, for the company," Edward continued, drawing her back to the present. "He has the experience to guide Thompson Industries into the future."

Reg. Reginald Montgomery. The billionaire with the charming smile and cold eyes. She'd met him only twice, but an overwhelming sense of unease settled in her stomach whenever he was near. Yet, this was the price of legacy, of privilege. She would do her duty.

With a deep breath, Lexi reached out and picked up the pen lying on the contract before her. The weight of it was nothing compared to the weight of her name. She signed, the scratch of the pen echoing through the silent room.

As she straightened, a chill ran down her spine. From the corner of her eye, she caught Reg watching her, his gaze glinting with a light that made her skin crawl. Triumph? Satisfaction? It was almost...predatory.

A shiver ran through her, but Lexi squared her shoulders. She was Alexandra Thompson, and this was only the beginning.