The words on the projector blurred together for the third time in fifteen minutes.
Alex blinked, tapped her pen against the edge of her desk, and stared harder at the diagram projected at the front of the lecture hall. Something about corporate structures. Shareholder leverage. Normally, she’d be at the front of the discussion, correcting the professor mid-sentence or adding another layer to the case study.
But not today.
Her head buzzed with noise that had nothing to do with class. She barely heard the questions around her or the scratch of pens on paper. Her mind was elsewhere—lodged somewhere between last night’s argument with her father and the deafening silence that followed.
Why couldn’t he see she was ready?
Why did he treat her like some reckless kid playing CEO?
Her stomach churned at the memory of the look in his eyes—disappointed, stern, calculating. He didn’t yell. Luca Steel didn’t need to. The worst part was always the quiet that followed.
She barely noticed when the professor dismissed class. Brenda called her name from across the hallway, but Alex waved her off, muttering something about needing to catch up on reading.
She didn’t.
She just needed air.
The park near campus didn’t help. Neither did the overpriced coffee or the hour she spent staring at her screen, trying and failing to text Michael.
He hadn’t reached out either.
Her thumb hovered over his name more than once, but each time, she locked the screen again. What would she even say? Sorry I walked away yesterday, but I don’t think my parents would ever accept you and I’m terrified I’ll ruin everything by choosing you over my legacy?
Yeah, no. Not something you could send over text.
She tried not to think about how little Michael cared about the future. How his plans always ended in the same vague shrug. He was beautiful, easy to be around, a soft place to land—but deep down, Alex knew softness wasn’t what she needed right now.
She needed purpose.
Michael was nice. She liked him, and he obviously liked her. Sometimes, Alex wasn't sure what she liked more: Michael or being liked by him. But she tried not to think about it too much, because it was easy to just stick around, allow herself to rest, relax, forget about everything around. While with Michael, Alex could forget that she's the only heir of two billionaire families, that she has tons of expectations and responsibilities, that her whole life is being built on what she's supposed to be and not what she wants to be. She could just... be.
But it wasn't a forever kind of feeling. Because as easy as it came to be with Michael, it was like an illusion. Illusion of easiness.
By the time she got home that evening, her head throbbed. The elevator opened into the penthouse with its usual quiet luxury—cool marble, floor-to-ceiling windows, and curated silence. Her heels clicked softly as she walked across the foyer, tossing her bag by the staircase.
She wanted nothing more than to just go to her room, forget everything, and maybe sleep for a good 10 hours.
“Alex,” her father called from across the hall.
She froze.
Luca stood in the center of the main hall, tall and composed in dark slacks and a tailored shirt, sleeves rolled up like he’d come straight from a board meeting. Next to him stood Nova, her arms folded, expression gentle but unreadable.
Alex felt her chest tighten. “Yeah?”
“Come sit,” Luca said.
The foyer wasn’t usually where serious conversations happened, but tonight, it felt intential. No walls. No table to separate them. Just space and gravity.
Nova smiled softly, stepping aside as Luca motioned to the seat across from him.
Alex obeyed, every nerve in her spine buzzing.
Luca didn’t waste time.
“Your mother and I have been discussing something important,” he began. “Regarding your future.”
Alex held her breath.
“You’ve always been ambitious. Fierce. You’ve pushed harder than most students your age, and you’ve made it clear you want more than grades and a diploma.”
She nodded slowly. Carefully.
“We’ve resisted including you in the company until now because we believed it was too soon. That it would expose you to risks you weren’t ready to carry. But it’s clear now... that you are.”
Her heart leapt.
“You’re ready, Alex,” he said. “We’re prepared to bring you into the company—formally—as our heir.”
For a second, time stopped.
No way. No way this was actually happening. Luca always kept her away from the family business, being too afraid to let her join in, haunted by his past and the history of his family. He never wanted her in; he always promised she would be in one day, but this "one day" was more of a far-away dream that seemed to never become a reality.
Not today, apparently.
Alex blinked, mouth slightly open. “You mean it?”
Luca nodded. “You’ll train with our department heads. Shadow key executives. Eventually, when you graduate, you’ll take your place on the board as Alexandra Steel.”
Her breath caught. “I—I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything yet,” Nova added, her smile still faint but warm.
But Alex could barely contain herself. “I’ll do anything. I swear. You won’t regret it.”
Then Luca’s expression shifted.
“Actually,” he said. “There is one condition.”
Alex’s smile faltered. “What?”
Luca’s voice didn’t change—still steady, still deliberate. “If you want to step into the company fully… you’ll have to agree to an arranged marriage.”