"I guess there's a reason you broke in without a date" Alessia smiled. She stared at the man in front of her.

"I heard that you retracted from the engagement," the man gritted his teeth in annoyance. He hated Alessia's smile. It wasn't the way her beautiful thin lips rose, nor was it the wrinkle of her left dimple.

In those brief moments as he looked at her, memories of his parents urging him to marry her began to fill his mind. It was a constant reminder of how this marriage needed to save the family business.

"Why?" asked the manly voice.

 Alessia instantly raised an eyebrow at the question. "Why not?" she challenged.

"I deserve an explanation! Our families have been planning this commitment for months! You can't back down now! This will ruin the reputation-"

"And you think that's my problem... don't you?"  Alessia looked at the man with an amused look in her eyes.

"You—you tell me the reason for this ridiculous actions of your or else—“A vein could be seen on the man's forehead. The man's words were interrupted when Alessia threw an envelope in front of him. "See for yourself."

Niklaus an instantly opened the envelope. His eyes widened at the various documents and photographs he saw inside. “Did you send someone to spy on me?"

Alessia instantly sneered at his words. "Don't overestimate yourself, Niklaus Spencer. It was a business decision," she said as she pulled out another envelope and gave it to him.

"What do you mean by this? How can you ask someone to investigate me in this way?" he asked before slowly opening the second envelope, assuming he would find more photos of him being intimate with his childhood sweetheart. His face darkened as he recognized the content.

"Acquisition. I want to acquire your properties in the Far East. To be specific, I want the retail companies you have in China, Hong Kong and Singapore," she said, ignoring the gloomy look the man was giving her.

"Is this the reason why you initially agreed to the compromise?" Niklaus Spencer's voice had a poisonous edge to it. He wanted to end the beautiful woman in front of him. The smile on Alessia's perfect face made the fury rise from the depths of his heart.

He recalled how his father had wanted this commitment to save his overseas subsidiaries. His father thought that by marrying his son to the prominent Genovese family, he could save his business.

"Didn't you want the same from me too?" Alessia smiled at him, making his temper ignite.

"How dare you! Do you think our Spencer family is one you can bully in this way? Just wait..." Niklaus was about to get up furiously from the chair.

"Tsk... Tsk... Niklaus. Have you forgotten the pictures I gave you just now?" She asked, resting her head on the palm of her hand with the same smile on her face.

"Think about how your board of directors would react once they learn that the great Niklaus Spencer cheated on his fiancée with a simple star, with your half-brother's impeccable performance lately, do you think the board will falter before replacing its current CEO?"

"You-" exploded Niklaus; His eyes were red, the veins on his forehead began to show. "This is the reason you agree to be my fiancée? Isn't it?"  Niklaus clenched his jaw when the realization hit him. “I fell into the scheme of this damn woman didn’t I?” He thought.

"Okay... You're making me sound like I’m a bad person." Alessia waved her hand. "Niklaus, this is nothing more than just business. Your family wanted to take advantage of my dying grandfather and proposed to me to save your business. Think about it..."

Niklaus was speechless of the words of Alessia Genovese. She was telling the truth; his mother took advantage of the closeness of the two families and offered marriage to  the dying lord of the Genovese family. At first, he thought that she had simply agreed to fulfill her dying grandfather's wishes.

Who would have thought that she would back down from the engagement barely a month after Mr. Genovese’s death?

He narrowed his eyes at the smiling woman in front of him before looking at the photos on the table. If the paparazzi got hold of these photos, a scandal would be made and his position as CEO would be over. His father might even kick him out of the family.

He then began to read the documents Alessia gave him. The amount she was offering to buy those companies wasn't too bad. In fact, this was better than what most companies offered them in the past. However, the fact that a woman cheated him was something Niklaus could not accept.

Having a dark face, Niklaus stood up from his seat and looked at her. "Alessia, I never thought you would be so cunning. I always thought you were kind like your mother and grandma! Who would have thought that you had inherited your attitude from your father?" Seeing the smug smile disappear from Alessia's face instantly made him happy.

"I will consult with my father and my lawyers about the offer and send you the documents when the board decides to accept it," he said, furiously leaving the office, leaving Alessia with her face emotionless staring blankly at the now-locked door.

…

"President, these are the files that need your signature," Isabella said. She drowned out a yawn. It was already three o'clock in the morning, but the president was still working. She didn't even stop to look at the glowing horizon, the bright lights coming from the streets of Los Angeles, coloring the city with bright lights.

"Go back to your flat and sleep," Alessia said softly.

Isabella hesitated before nodding. "President, would you like some coffee? Maybe tea?"

"Thank you, Isabella. I'll be fine," Alessia said, her eyes glued to the documents in front of her.

She listened to Isabella gather her things before leaving. They were currently on the twenty-first floor of a building located in downtown Los Angeles. The entire building was owned by one of the Genovese's real estate subsidiaries.

While Alessia was staying in the two-room penthouse, Isabella and the other directors resided in the unit just below Alessia's penthouse.

Alessia made sure Isabella had left before she lifted her head and left the small study. She walked into the luxurious kitchen to grab a bottle of water before looking at the floor-to-ceiling windows that acted as a door to the terrace attached to the penthouse.

After drinking the water, Alessia's feet carried her to the terrace.

It was close to dawn, the sun peeking out from behind the tall building, its dim light slowly illuminating the sky. However, the bright lights of the cityscape managed to take her breath away. The streets below it seemed to have come alive; As if someone had bathed the city in brightness by dropping it from the tallest building.

It was magnificent.

Alessia found herself looking at the tallest building in the city. For its knowledge, it was known as Sky Empire. The building consisted of more than fifty floors. Rumors said that the top floor of the building was owned by a mysterious businessman who was similar to the king of business.

Alessia sneered at her thoughts. King of business? More like the King of the Underworld.

She looked away and went back into her office to continue working. He still had a long way to go before she could launch the new projects she had planned for the newly acquired companies.

“I needed to work harder.” She thought.

"Isabella, cancel all my meetings today."  Alessia didn't wait for her secretary to answer, hung up the call, and pressed the "Do Not Disturb" button on her office phone.

Then she leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes. Thinking lightly that maybe she should take a break and go back to work with more energy.

'Mm, what a shitty day, I couldn't taste a delicious passion fruit juice with mango.'

…

Meanwhile, Lucas was in his room, pencil in hand and drawing endlessly on a sheet.

opium

I can't write or post chapters for a while, sorry to those who were liking my novel.