Chapter 6

My jaw ached. Alexander's fingers were icy cold, gripping me like a steel trap. But I didn't fight back or beg. I stared at him calmly, letting him glare at me with that murderous look, as if he could kill me with his eyes alone.

"Who I am doesn't matter." I forced out. "What matters is what I can do for you. You've always wanted to bring down the Sterling family, but Edward's dad, Charles Sterling, is too cautious. There's never any dirt to catch him with.

"And Edward? He's guarded so tightly. No one can get close. But me? I'm the only one who can walk right up to Edward and make him drop his guard.

"If you marry me, I'll be the sharpest weapon you have, a blade you can plunge straight into the heart of the Sterling family."

I put my worth out there. This was a transaction, a deal where I was gambling my marriage, my entire life, as the price.

Alexander stared me down, his eyes searching for any sign that I was lying. After a long pause, he finally released me. My jaw was left with bright red marks.

"You're quite the character," he said, withdrawing his hand and moving back to the window, turning his back to me like before. "But I don't trust anything that comes too easily. You're scheming so hard to marry me and help me deal with Edward.

"What's your real angle? Don't tell me it's some nonsense about falling for someone else." He clearly didn't buy any of those rumors about me breaking off the engagement.

I wasn't about to insult his intelligence with some lame excuse. "Of course not," I said, meeting his gaze. "My reason's simple. I hate Edward. I hate him so much. I want him gone for good. Is that enough for you?"

The study fell silent again. The wind drifted in from outside, carrying a chill. I could sense a flicker in Alexander's mood. My hatred was real, bone-deep, impossible to fake. I was sure he could feel it.

After what felt like forever, so long I thought he'd never speak again. He finally broke the silence, his voice cold as ice. "Donald."

Donald, who'd been standing guard outside, slipped in quietly.

"Take Miss Hartwell to the guest room. She doesn't leave that room unless I say so."

Donald paused for a moment, then bowed respectfully. "Yes, Your Grace."

I knew this was my test, and my chance. I didn't ask any questions. I gave a respectful bow to Alexander's back. "I respectfully take my leave, Your Grace." Then I followed Donald out of that suffocating study.

I was sent to the most isolated corner of Blackwood Manor, a courtyard so overgrown with weeds that it looked like no one had lived there for ages. The room itself was bare, a bed, a table, and a chair.

Donald escorted me to the door, his face blank, then left without a word. Before long, two armed guards took their posts right outside my room.

I was confined. Emily wasn't allowed in. In that cold, lonely room, I was completely alone.

I sat down at the table and poured myself a glass of water. The cold went straight to my heart. I knew tonight was going to be anything but peaceful.

Alexander was suspicious by nature. He'd never trust a new ally so easily. He'd definitely put me through his own kind of test. I had to be on high alert, ready for anything.

As the night deepened, I stayed awake, sitting quietly in the darkness, waiting.

Sure enough, after midnight, my door was silently pushed open. A shadowy figure slipped in like a ghost.

It was Alexander. He'd swapped his robe for a set of black tactical gear. A silver mask covered his face, leaving only his eyes exposed, eyes colder than the night itself.

In his hand, he held a sword, blood dripping from its blade. The heavy scent of blood instantly filled the room.

He advanced toward me, step by step, the tip of his sword aimed straight at my throat. "I'll ask you one more time," he said, his voice colder than in the study. "Who are you? Speak, or die."

The cold edge of the blade pressed against my skin. I could feel a sharp sting. If he moved an inch closer, my throat would be slit. But I wasn't afraid. I'd seen this coming.

I lifted my gaze to his cold mask and spoke, each word deliberate. "Your Grace, there's no need to test me. I am the Hartwell family's heiress.

"As for how I know those things..." I paused, letting the suspense hang in the air, then played my trump card before he could lose patience.

"Because I know far more than that. I also know that three years ago, the ledger from the Courthaven shipping scandal was hidden in Charles's study, on the third bookshelf, inside the fifth book's hidden compartment. The book is called The Wealth of Nations."

As I finished speaking, I caught it. The way Alexander's eyes behind the mask suddenly narrowed. The killing aura he'd been radiating seemed to freeze in the air, for a moment.

I knew that I'd made it through the night alive. He'd taken my pledge as proof of loyalty.