Ally stood outside the towering glass building, gripping her purse tightly.
Dallas & Co.
The name gleamed under the morning sun, a beacon of the life she once knew. This company wasn't just a business—it was his legacy. The last remaining piece of him.
For weeks, she had been drowning in whispers, accusations, and pitiful glances. Her husband's death had left a gaping hole in her heart, but what hurt more were the murmurs—the lies—that followed.
They said Dallas had betrayed her. That he had been with another woman. That his death wasn't just an accident, but the tragic consequence of an affair.
Ally refused to believe it.
The man she married had been devoted to her. He wasn't like other men. He loved her.
He would never do what they were saying.
But no matter how much she denied it, she could still feel the way they looked at her.
She still thinks her husband was innocent.
Poor thing. She's living in denial.
Someone should tell her the truth.
Ally straightened her shoulders and stepped inside, ignoring the weight of their judgment.
As she entered the building, everything felt… foreign. This was supposed to be hers now, yet it didn't feel like it.
She could hear murmurs as she walked through the lobby. Employees exchanged uneasy glances, their whispers blending into the hum of the office.
Then, she reached the receptionist's desk.
The woman behind the desk stiffened at the sight of her. "Mrs. Dawson," she said hesitantly. "Mr. Moon is expecting you."
Ally frowned. "Mr. Moon?"
She hadn't arranged any meetings.
Still, she followed the woman upstairs, her steps cautious. The tension in the air grew thicker with every step she took.
And when she reached the office—her office—she froze.
Because someone was already sitting in her chair.
Not Him...Again
He was leaned back, his legs crossed, fingers drumming against the desk in a lazy rhythm. But there was nothing lazy about the way his eyes locked onto hers the moment she stepped in.
It was the same man from the hospital.
The man whose wife had died with Dallas.
She had seen him before—his rage, his pain. He was just as lost as she was. Just as shattered.
Their eyes met, and something charged crackled in the air between them.
Then, he smirked.
"You're late."
Ally's frown deepened. "Excuse me?"
The man stood up, his movements slow, controlled, as if he had all the time in the world. He grabbed a folder from the desk and walked toward her.
"You're the new owner, aren't you?" he asked casually, though his voice carried an edge. "Dallas & Co. belongs to you now?"
Ally lifted her chin. "Yes. And who exactly are you?"
The man ignored her question, tossing the folder onto the desk between them.
Ally hesitated before picking it up.
The moment her eyes landed on the first page, her breath caught.
A contract.
She flipped through the pages, her hands trembling. Every word, every clause was a trap. A cruel, binding agreement.
Her head snapped up. "What is this?!"
The man's smirk widened, but his eyes remained void of warmth.
"Your husband owed me seven million dollars," he said, his voice calm, almost amused. "Your company now belongs to both of us."
Ally's breath hitched.
Seven million?
That was impossible.
Her mind raced. "Dallas never—"
"Oh, but he did," the man interrupted smoothly, tilting his head slightly. "He borrowed seven million dollars from my wife."
Ally's stomach twisted violently.
This was a mistake. It had to be. Dallas wouldn't have kept something like this from her.
She forced herself to keep her voice steady. "I don't believe you."
The man's gaze darkened, his smirk finally fading. "You don't have to."
His eyes flickered with something dangerous.
"Either way," he continued, stepping closer, "since he's gone, and you've taken over… that means you owe me now."
Ally clenched her fists.
He was lying.
He had to be.
She didn't know much about this man, but she knew one thing—he hated Dallas.
She had seen it in his eyes at the hospital. The way his rage burned beneath his grief.
And now, he was here, forcing his way into her company?
Why?
She took a shaky breath. "And what exactly do you plan to do with my company?" she asked icily.
The man let out a humorless chuckle. "Our company."
Ally's jaw clenched.
She didn't know his name.
Didn't know why he was doing this.
But she knew, without a doubt, that he wasn't here to help her.
He was here to destroy everything Dallas had built.
And she was trapped with him.
Together.
Meanwhile…
Austin watched as she stormed out of the office, her grip on the contract tight enough to tear it apart.
She was furious.
Good.
He wanted her to be.
She had no idea what she had just walked into. No idea who he was, or why he was here.
But that was the beauty of it.
This wasn't just business for him.
This was revenge.
Seven million dollars.
That was how much Kira had given to Dallas. Seven million dollars of his money—gone, wasted on a man who had betrayed his wife the same way Kira had betrayed him.
And Kira? She never told him.
She had given away that money behind his back.
To him.
Austin clenched his fists, the sharp sting of his nails biting into his palm.
He could've let this go. Could've walked away, let time erase the past.
But he wouldn't.
He couldn't.
Because every moment this woman stood here, acting like her husband was innocent, acting like she was some grieving widow, it made him sick.
She had no idea.
No idea what kind of man Dallas really was.
And worse?
She refused to believe it.
That was what enraged him the most.
She was still holding onto a lie.
Still pretending.
And if she wanted to pretend?
Then he would show her the truth.
Piece by piece.
She thought she was stepping in to save Dallas & Co.?
She had no idea she had just walked into his game.
And by the time he was done, there would be nothing left.