Laura almost hung up. The silence on the line was heavy, almost painful.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Knight, but I need your help. I know you are a powerful man, an influential one. I'm willing to do anything."
"Anything?"
"N-no, sir. Please don't think wrong of me. I mean… anything that won't shame me or my family's name."
"I understand," the voice on the other end said.
Laura could almost feel him smiling at her words.
"What's your name? And why should I help you?"
"Laura… Laura Bennett." Her voice shook as if she was waiting for rejection. Her father and this man were more than rivals. They were enemies.
But he stayed on the line. For some reason, he wanted to hear her. That gave her a little courage to go on.
"Honestly, I don't even know if I should expect you to help me. Even knowing you could say no, I still called."
She took a deep breath.
"I hope you can believe the fights between our families can stay in the past. I know you and my father were close friends once."
"I don't know why he decided I was his enemy. But I don't see him that way."
The silence that followed made her chest tighten.
Deep down, Laura wasn't sure if her words were even true. Her father was an honest man. If he had called Knight an enemy, there must have been a reason. But now, she couldn't say the opposite.
Then she heard a sigh.
"Come to Knight Enterprises tomorrow. Eight a.m. We'll talk."
"Thank you, sir."
The line went dead. Only Laura's heavy breathing filled the empty apartment.
That night, she couldn't sleep. She lay awake, torn between fear and hope. And the night felt longer than any she had ever known.
When the first light touched Laura's room, she got up in a hurry. She showered. Made pancakes.
Almost forty minutes before the time, she was already ready to leave. She kissed Ethan on the forehead and walked down the stairs.
The Knight Enterprises tower rose against the sky like a wall of glass. Laura stopped on the sidewalk, clutching the folder with overdue bills to her chest. As she got closer to the glass doors, her reflection grew clearer—tired face, hair tied in a rush, deep shadows under her eyes. She saw two sides of herself: the sister desperate to protect a boy at home, and the woman about to walk through a door that would change everything.
The lobby was wide and cold, all pale marble. Crystal lights sparkled on the metal walls. The echo of her heels felt too loud, like every step was counted. Laura shrank a little, her old bag heavy on her shoulder.
"Name, please?" the receptionist asked softly. The smile was polite, but her eyes judged.
"Laura Bennett." Her voice came out low, shaky. "Mr. Knight is expecting me."
The receptionist raised a brow, made a quick call, then nodded.
"Eighteenth floor. He's waiting."
The elevator crawled upward. Laura breathed deep, but the knot in her stomach only grew tighter.
At the end of the quiet hallway, tinted glass doors reflected her blurred figure. She pushed them open.
The office was big, almost overwhelming. Huge windows showed the city below. Behind a dark wooden desk, Alexander Knight stood with his hands in his pockets, staring at the skyline like it belonged to him.
When he finally turned, Laura held her breath. He was even more imposing than the pictures she remembered. Lines of age marked his face, and the gray in his hair made him look stronger, not weaker.