CHAPTER 2: The Man She Was Supposed to Hate

Gunshots shattered the silence outside the mansion.

The sound exploded through the office so violently that Daniella flinched instinctively.

Alexander moved instantly.

Before she could even react properly, his hand caught her wrist and pulled her sharply against him just as glass shattered behind them.

A bullet tore through the office window.

The impact echoed through the room.

Daniella gasped as Alexander turned his body, shielding hers completely with his own while broken glass scattered across the floor around them.

Her heart slammed painfully against her ribs.

Not from fear alone, but also from him.

From the overwhelming awareness of his body pressed against hers.

Strong arms.

Warm breath near her temple.

The scent of whiskey and rain clinging to his clothes.

Everything about the moment felt dangerously intimate.

“Stay down,” Alexander ordered quietly.

His voice remained calm.

Too calm.

Like gunfire was normal to him.

More shots echoed outside.

Somewhere downstairs people screamed while alarms suddenly blared throughout the mansion.

Alexander’s arm tightened slightly around her waist as another bullet struck the wall near the window.

Daniella looked up at him instinctively.

Big mistake.

Because he was already looking down at her.

Not cold, not distant but focused and protective.

Like her safety genuinely mattered.

The realization unsettled her badly.

Marcus burst into the office moments later with two armed guards behind him.

“Sir, we need to move now.”

Alexander still didn’t release her immediately.

Only after checking quickly for injuries did he finally loosen his grip.

“You hurt?” he asked quietly.

Daniella shook her head automatically even though her pulse was completely unstable now.

“I’m fine.”

Alexander studied her face another second too long before finally stepping away.

The sudden distance felt strangely noticeable.

Marcus glanced between them briefly.

Then toward the shattered window.

“Sniper outside the north gate,” he said sharply. “Possibly more than one.”

Alexander’s expression darkened instantly.

“Guests?”

“Security is evacuating them now.”

Another gunshot echoed outside.

Closer this time.

Marcus handed Alexander a gun without hesitation.

Daniella froze slightly.

Alexander handled the weapon too naturally.

Too comfortable.

The movement looked practiced, experienced and dangerous.

He noticed her staring.

And for a brief second something unreadable crossed his face.

Then gone.

“Stay with Marcus,” Alexander said.

“I can take care of myself.”

His eyes returned to hers immediately.

And annoyingly, there was amusement hidden inside them now.

“I believe that,” he murmured.

The low softness in his voice made her stomach tighten unexpectedly.

Marcus looked impatient. “This is not the time.”

Alexander finally looked away from her.

“Get her somewhere secure.”

Daniella frowned immediately. “I don’t need”

“You almost got shot because of me.”

The roughness in his voice silenced her instantly.

Something about those words felt too personal.

Too intimate.

Before she could respond, the lights suddenly died.

Darkness swallowed the office completely.

A few distant screams echoed downstairs.

Then emergency red lights flickered on throughout the hallway casting the office in dim crimson shadows.

Alexander somehow looked even more dangerous under red light.

Marcus cursed quietly beneath his breath.

“They cut the power.”

Alexander’s expression hardened.

“Backup generators?”

“Offline.”

Everything about this attack was planned carefully.

Daniella’s chest tightened.

Was someone trying to kill Alexander?

Or silence him?

Alexander stepped closer to the shattered window carefully while Marcus spoke urgently into his earpiece.

“No visual yet.”

Rain poured heavily outside now, Manhattan glowing darkly beyond the broken glass.

Then suddenly…Another shot exploded.

This one is much closer.

Alexander reacted instantly.

He grabbed Daniella again and pulled her against the wall beside him just as another bullet shattered through the remaining glass.

The force knocked her breath away.

Her hands instinctively pressed against his chest to steady herself.

Big mistake.

Because now she could feel his heartbeat beneath her palms.

Strong, steady and dangerously calming.

Alexander looked down at her hands briefly before his gaze lifted slowly toward her face again.

Everything around them suddenly felt quieter and slower.

Daniella hated the way her body reacted to him.

Hated how safe she felt standing this close to the man she came to destroy.

His hand remained firmly against her waist.

Not inappropriate but protective.

Still…Her pulse became uneven.

“You should listen when I tell you to stay down,” he murmured quietly.

The closeness in his voice sent warmth unexpectedly through her chest.

Daniella forced herself to pull away first.

“I didn’t ask you to protect me.”

Something flickered behind his eyes.

“Maybe I wanted to.”

The answer hit her harder than it should have.

Marcus interrupted before the tension between them could become unbearable.

“Sir.”

Alexander finally stepped back slightly though his attention never fully left Daniella.

Marcus lowered his weapon slowly.

“The shooter’s gone.”

Alexander’s jaw tightened. “Dead?”

Marcus nodded once.

Daniella noticed something then.

Disappointment.

Alexander looked disappointed.

Why?

Because dead men couldn’t answer questions.

The realization settled heavily inside her mind.

Alexander looked toward the broken window thoughtfully before turning back toward Marcus.

“Search the entire property again.”

“Already happening.”

“Do it again.”

Marcus nodded immediately before leaving the office.

Silence settled heavily between Daniella and Alexander the moment they were alone again.

Rain continued falling outside while distant alarms echoed through the mansion.

Daniella became painfully aware of:

the shattered office around them

Alexander standing too close

the tension still lingering in the air between them

“You’re shaking.”

She looked down quickly.

Damn it.

Her fingers trembled slightly.

“I’m cold.”

A lie.

Alexander noticed immediately.

Without speaking, he removed his suit jacket slowly and stepped toward her again.

Daniella’s breathing became uneven.

“You don’t have to”

“Take it.”

His voice remained calm and gentle.

She hesitated before finally accepting the jacket from him.

The jacket is warm and still carries his scent.

That realization irritated her instantly.

Alexander watched her slide it over her shoulders quietly.

Something dark and unreadable passed through his expression while looking at her wearing his clothes.

Not lust, Something worse.

Interest.

Real interest.

Daniella needed to leave this room immediately.

Because every second near him felt dangerous in ways she hadn’t prepared for.

“You keep looking at me like you know me,” Alexander said softly.

Her heartbeat stumbled.

“I don’t.”

“But you think you do.”

The words landed too close to the truth.

Daniella looked away first.

Huge mistake again.

Because Alexander suddenly stepped closer.

Close enough that she could feel his warmth even through the jacket.

“Who are you really, Anna?”

The way he said her fake name sounded almost intimate.

Like he was testing it.

Questioning it.

Daniella forced herself to stay calm despite the violent pounding in her chest.

“I’m exactly who I told you.”

“No,” Alexander murmured softly.

His eyes moved slowly over her face again carefully.

Like he was trying to memorize her.

“There’s nothing ordinary about you.”

The tension between them thickened painfully.

And suddenly Daniella realized something terrifying.

She no longer knew if she wanted Alexander Knight to stop looking at her that way.