The concrete steps outside the drug den were cold, even through the thick fabric of Alex’s trousers. Dust coated her sneakers. A flickering streetlight buzzed above her, casting pale yellow shadows onto the cracked pavement. Somewhere in the distance, a dog barked, sharp and ragged. The night was long. Miserable. And humiliating.
Alex Steel, CEO’s daughter. Heiress of Steel Corporation. Now reduced to curling into herself on the doorstep of a drug kingpin’s empire, head tucked against her knees like a child who had nowhere left to go.
Because she didn’t.
She had tried everything—Zade, Arthur, even Gale. Every lead had run cold. Except for this man. David Brown. And she had been thrown out of his presence like a pesky fly, with nothing to offer that interested him. But she knew something he didn’t: Alex Steel didn’t back down. Not now. Not after everything.
She didn’t cry. Didn’t sleep much either. Her thoughts churned until the sky started turning gray. By 4:00 AM, exhaustion won, and her head lulled sideways, sleep pulling her into a tight, aching place. She didn’t hear the doors creak open.
David Brown stepped outside, a cigarette already between his lips. Marty, the guard, followed behind him, squinting into the dawn.
“I thought she’d be gone by now,” David muttered, eyes scanning the steps.
But there she was.
Alex. Asleep, chin against her shoulder, arms wrapped tight around herself. Her face looked softer in sleep, but stubbornness clung to every inch of her posture. She looked like someone who wouldn’t give up if you set her on fire.
David exhaled a slow stream of smoke and said quietly, “Stubborn.”
Marty frowned. “Want me to wake her up?”
“No,” David said. “Take her to the deco.”
Marty blinked. “You serious?”
David’s eyes didn’t leave her. “Yeah. Let’s see how serious she is.”
***
When Alex stirred, the scent of stale cigarettes and musty velvet slapped her awake. She jerked upright and found herself on a green velvet couch—dusty, sunken in the middle, and clearly older than her. The room around her was cavernous, with faded art-deco wallpaper peeling at the seams, and a grand chandelier hanging from the ceiling like a memory of luxury.
And David Brown was watching her.
He leaned against a cracked pillar, arms folded, smoke curling from his cigarette as if this were some twisted stage play. His dark eyes were unreadable.
“You just can’t give up, can you?” he asked, voice smooth and low.
Alex pushed herself upright, ignoring how her back ached from the awkward sleep. “No. I can’t. And I won’t.”
David raised an eyebrow. “Why? What makes you think I owe you anything?”
“I never said you owe me anything,” Alex replied. “I’m asking for help. We both have reasons to want the Hales gone.”
David let out a short laugh. “So you’re the Steel girl who thinks she’s got problems.”
Alex clenched her jaw. “I don’t think—I know.”
He took a step forward, slow and deliberate. “Here’s the thing, kid. I’ve seen a lot of desperate people in my life. You? You’re not one of them. You’re entitled. You’ve had everything handed to you—money, name, safety. You don’t even know what desperation tastes like.”
Alex’s chest burned. “You think I haven’t earned anything?”
“I know you haven’t. That’s why you’re sitting here begging a man you just met.”
“I’m not begging,” she snapped.
David tilted his head. “You’re offering money. Favors. Help. That’s bargaining, kid. Bargaining is just classy begging.”
Alex stiffened. He smiled like he’d won a round.
“I’m not helping a brat who thinks the world is unfair because one man didn’t love her back or because her daddy’s company is under fire.”
Her voice trembled—not with fear, but fury. “I’ve been played, lied to, betrayed by everyone I trusted. My company is bleeding. My mother is dying. And the only reason I’m still standing is because I refuse to let them win.”
David blinked. His smirk faltered just slightly. Silence stretched between them.
Then he stubbed his cigarette out on the windowsill and walked toward the door.
“You want help?” he said. “Prove you deserve it.”
Alex frowned. “How?”
“You want to work with a man like me? Then show me you’re worth the risk.”
“I’ll do whatever it takes.”
David paused. Then turned back to face her fully.
“Two days,” he said. “You work for me. You do as you’re told. No shortcuts. No special treatment.”
She narrowed her eyes. “That’s it?”
“That’s it.”
“And if I last two days?”
“Then I’ll give you what you came for.”
Alex’s spine straightened. “Deal.”
David nodded once, then gestured to the doorway. “Marty’ll brief you. Don’t be late.”
***
Marty was already waiting in the hallway. His massive arms were crossed, face unreadable.
Alex followed him down a dark corridor filled with broken light fixtures and flickering shadows.
“You sure about this?” he asked without looking at her.
“Yes,” she said.
“You’ll regret it.”
“I’ve regretted worse.”
Marty snorted. “Fine. First day’s at the factory. You’ll be packing.”
“Packing what?” Alex asked warily.
“Tomorrow’s inventory,” Marty replied.
“And what about day two?”
He looked over his shoulder and grinned, but there was no humor in it. “You’re on the street.”
Alex blinked. “Street?”
“You’re going to deal.”
Her heart skipped. “Deal what?”
Marty stared at her. “You really want to ask that question in this building?”
Alex didn’t answer.