The world knew Adrian Wolfe as a man carved out of steel and silence.
But the truth?
The truth was buried under layers of secrets, stitched together by control, precision, and the ruthless need to never lose again.
It was past midnight, and Wolfe Tower was nearly empty. The city lights below glittered like a kingdom he ruled but didn't belong to.
Adrian stood in his private office, jacket draped over the back of his chair, sleeves rolled to his elbows. His reflection glared back at him from the glass the tailored perfection, the calm mask, the eyes that had forgotten softness.
Behind him, the office door clicked open. Damian stepped in, holding a tablet.
"She signed," Damian said quietly.
Adrian didn't turn. "I know."
"How?"
He tapped his phone once, showing the confirmation notification. "The moment she did, I felt it."
Damian hesitated. "You sound almost… relieved."
"Relieved isn't the word," Adrian replied, pouring himself a glass of whiskey. "Let's call it necessary."
He took a slow sip, eyes never leaving the glittering skyline.
"Have the press team prepare the announcement," Adrian continued. "We go public in three days. I want every outlet, every blog, every whisperer to hear the same thing Adrian Wolfe is engaged."
Damian frowned. "People will ask questions. You've never even been seen with her in public."
Adrian's lips twitched slightly. "Then they'll ask. And I'll control the answers."
Damian hesitated before asking, "You really think she's ready for this?"
"She doesn't have to be ready," Adrian said coldly. "She just has to show up."
Earlier That Day
Adrian sat in the conference room with Nicholas Hale, his cousin and the company's acting Vice President. Nicholas was everything Adrian wasn't loud, charming, and perpetually underestimated.
"So," Nicholas drawled, leaning back in his chair. "Rumor has it you're about to make a very strategic move."
Adrian's gaze lifted lazily from the financial report. "I don't deal in rumors."
Nicholas smirked. "Come on, cousin. You think I wouldn't hear about the board's little ultimatum? They want you married before the next quarter review or they'll question your inheritance of the Wolfe Corporation."
Adrian didn't answer. He didn't need to. The smirk on Nicholas's face was proof enough that the rumor was real.
"You know, it's funny," Nicholas continued. "Uncle Arthur was always obsessed with appearances. You'd think death would've cured him of that."
Adrian's jaw tightened slightly at the mention of his father. "Leave him out of this."
Nicholas shrugged. "I'm just saying. If the old man could see you now making marriage a business strategy —he'd be proud."
Adrian's expression didn't change, but something cold flickered in his eyes. "Careful, Nicholas. Pride and envy look the same on you."
Nicholas laughed. "Always so dramatic."
He stood, fixing his suit jacket. "Just remember when the board meeting comes, they'll want proof. A press release isn't enough. They'll expect to see your wife."
"She'll be there."
Nicholas paused, studying him. "So it's true, then? You found someone?"
Adrian didn't look up. "That's none of your concern."
Nicholas grinned. "Oh, it will be. Especially if you think you can keep me from what's mine."
Adrian finally looked at him a look so sharp it could've sliced air. "What's yours?"
"The company, cousin. The empire. Don't forget our fathers built it together. You're not the only Wolfe in the bloodline."
Adrian leaned back in his chair, eyes glinting. "No, but I'm the only one fit to run it."
Nicholas smirked. "We'll see about that."
When he finally left, silence reclaimed the room. Adrian sat there for a long time, staring at the glass table. His fingers brushed the scar near his temple a faint, faded line that no one ever dared to ask about.
It wasn't just business.
It never was.
His father's will had been clear: To inherit full control of Wolfe Corporation, Adrian must marry and sustain a stable union for no less than six months.
It had been written not out of love but out of punishment. His father never trusted him to care about anything other than numbers and power.
And perhaps, he was right.
Adrian glanced at the framed photo on his shelf a younger version of himself standing beside a woman with laughing eyes. She was long gone, and with her, the last trace of warmth he'd ever known.
He set the frame face down.
That was when Damian entered with a quiet knock.
"She's reviewed the contract," Damian said. "It's just a matter of time before she"
"She signed," Adrian interrupted.
Damian blinked. "Already?"
Adrian nodded once, slowly.
Damian hesitated. "You chose her for a reason. Care to tell me what it is?"
Adrian's voice was cool, but the undertone was sharp. "She's perfect."
"In what sense?"
"In the sense that she's desperate enough to say yes, strong enough to survive it, and smart enough not to fall in love."
Damian frowned. "You sound certain."
Adrian smiled faintly a humorless smile that didn't reach his eyes. "No one falls in love with me, Damian. They fall for the illusion. And she's too pragmatic for illusions."
But as he said it, something in him twisted something he hadn't felt in years.
Nightfall
Adrian walked through the penthouse quiet, dimly lit, minimalistic. No photos, no traces of life. Just glass, steel, and silence.
He stopped at the piano in the corner. It hadn't been played in years. His mother used to sit there, humming softly while his father barked orders into phones. The sound had always been the only soft thing in that house.
He sat, pressing one key. The note echoed haunting and hollow.
He closed his eyes.
Control. Always control.
He'd learned long ago that emotions were weaknesses.
But lately, since that drenched woman had stood in his office with trembling hands and defiance in her eyes, control felt like a fragile illusion.
He remembered the way she'd looked at him not with fear, not with admiration, but with disbelief.
No one looked at Adrian Wolfe that way anymore.
He almost admired her for it.
Almost.
The Next Morning
Damian arrived early, as always, carrying files and coffee.
Adrian was already up, dressed, and reviewing reports.
"She'll receive the engagement package today," Damian said. "A stylist, driver, and legal representative to prepare her for the announcement."
Adrian didn't look up. "Good. She'll need to look the part."
Damian hesitated. "And after that?"
Adrian's pen paused mid-signature. "After that, we make it official."
"Press conference?"
He nodded once. "In front of the entire board."
Damian adjusted his glasses. "You're aware this isn't just about a merger, right? You're tying yourself to someone you barely know."
Adrian gave a quiet, humorless chuckle. "That's the point. Attachment complicates things."
"And if she gets attached?"
Adrian finally met his gaze, the air between them turning cold. "Then she'll regret it."
Damian sighed. "You sound like your father."
Adrian froze. The comparison hit harder than expected.
He looked away, jaw tightening. "Don't ever say that again."
Damian bowed his head slightly. "Understood."
After he left, Adrian walked to the window again. The city stretched before him beautiful, heartless, his.
He took another sip of whiskey and whispered to no one,
"She's in my world now. And there's no turning back."
But somewhere deep down, beneath the steel and control, a quiet voice asked the one question he refused to face
What happens when she starts to matter?The glass trembled slightly as Adrian set it down on the counter. A faint ring of condensation marked the surface clean, circular, perfect. Like him. Like everything he controlled.
His phone buzzed again, this time flashing an unfamiliar number. He ignored it, but it rang a second time, and then a third. Finally, with a clipped sigh, he answered.
"Wolfe."
Silence hummed for a moment before a familiar voice poured through the line soft, sultry, and poisonous.
"Still the same, Adrian. All business."
His jaw tightened. "Why are you calling me, Cassandra?"
A low laugh rippled through the receiver. "So you do remember my name. I saw the news or rather, the whispers. You're engaged?"
His tone was flat. "You shouldn't believe everything you hear."
"Oh, but this one feels different," she purred. "You're not denying it."
Adrian didn't answer. His silence was answer enough.
Cassandra exhaled a breath that sounded more like a hiss than a sigh. "She won't last, whoever she is. You and I both know that. You break things, Adrian. It's what you do."
He said nothing, but his hand curled tighter around the glass.
"She'll see the real you soon enough," Cassandra continued, her voice softening. "And when she does, I'll be right here. Waiting."
The line went dead.
For a long moment, Adrian stood motionless, the city humming faintly below him. Cassandra's words lingered like smoke familiar, choking, and uninvited.
He ran a hand through his hair, exhaling slowly, regaining control piece by piece.
No distractions. Not now.
His world was a game of precision. And Elena Brooks had just become his most dangerous move yet.
A soft ping drew his attention a message from Damian.
Delivery confirmed. Miss Brooks has received the engagement package.
Adrian's lips twitched faintly.
Good.
He turned toward the window again, his reflection staring back at him.
She was stepping into his world now a world built on power, secrets, and lies.
And as he stared into the glittering abyss of the city, a quiet, unsettling truth began to take root in his mind one he would never admit aloud:
He didn't just choose Elena Brooks because she was useful.
He chose her because something about her unsettled him.
Something in her eyes fierce, wounded, unafraid reminded him of everything he used to be before he learned that feelings were fatal.
He shut off the lights, letting the city's glow consume the room.
Tomorrow would begin the performance the announcement, the press, the transformation.
And somewhere in that chaos, Adrian Wol
fe intended to win.
At all costs.