Gabriel's POV

Linda stood at the far end of my office, arms crossed, her black blazer clinging tightly to her sharp frame. The golden light of the evening pressed through the glass behind me, casting long shadows that flickered across the floor.

I didn’t say a word. Just waited.

She had my attention. She knew it.

“This isn’t just about revenge anymore,” she said finally, voice even. “Ava Morales... she’s an opportunity.”

I didn’t respond.

“She’s sharp, calculated, and emotionally resilient. And more importantly—she’s exposed.”

I leaned forward in my chair, letting my fingers steeple under my chin. “Go on.”

Linda stepped closer, tapping the closed folder between us.

“Before she married Liam Reynolds, Ava was already making waves. There was a company, Mara Strategic, founded under her maiden name. Cameron Morales funded her startup. She led one of the most successful rebranding campaigns for three failing tech firms in under two years. At twenty-two.”

I arched a brow. “I vaguely remember the Mara campaigns.”

“She built that,” Linda said. “And when she married Liam, she gave it all up. Shut the company down. Transferred her assets. Buried herself in his shadow.”

I nodded slowly. “Smart girl. Stupid move.”

Linda’s mouth twitched. “She didn’t bury herself out of incompetence. She did it out of loyalty.”

I tilted my head. “And where did that get her?”

“She was loyal to the wrong man,” Linda said, folding her arms. “But the work speaks for itself.”

I let the silence settle for a moment, then leaned back in my chair.

“I’m not denying she’s clever,” I said. “Clearly, she has a mind. But I’ve seen too many rookies ride a lucky wave and think they’re legends.”

Linda narrowed her eyes. “She’s not a rookie.”

“She was married to Liam Reynolds,” I reminded her flatly. “That alone disqualifies her from sainthood.”

“She wasn’t with him. She carried him. There’s a difference.”

I stood and walked to the bar at the side of my office, uncorked a bottle of bourbon, and poured an inch into the glass. I didn’t drink it.

“She’s passionate, persuasive, speaks four languages fluently, and somehow convinced GlobalTech to back Li Technologies despite their inferior bid,” Linda continued, stepping closer. “That’s not luck. That’s influence.”

I took a sip of the bourbon, feeling the sharp burn run across my tongue.

“Why are you trying so hard to sell me on her?” I asked.

“Because I’ve worked with enough minds to know when one stands out,” she said. “And because she can be useful.”

I turned, now fully facing her.

“I’m tired of hearing praises about Ava Morales,” I said coolly. “I want to know what she can do for me.”

Linda didn’t blink. “She can destroy Liam.”

That gave me pause.

She stepped even closer now, lowering her voice. “He used her, discarded her, and humiliated her publicly. She has the motive. She has the knowledge. You want to dismantle Li Technologies? Use the very person who built it.”

I watched her, silent. My drink sat untouched in my hand.

“She’s vulnerable right now,” Linda added. “She’s been abandoned, stripped of everything, standing at rock bottom.”

“And you want me to offer her a ladder,” I said dryly.

“I want you to control the ladder,” Linda corrected.

I looked out the window again. The skyline was blackening now, the streetlights below blinking on like soldiers lining up for war.

“She won’t work for me,” I said. “She’s Morales' blood.”

“She worked for Liam.”

“She loved Liam,” I said, with a trace of disdain. “That’s different.”

“Exactly,” Linda replied. “She loved the man who broke her. Think of what she could do for someone who lifts her up.”

I turned away from the window and returned to my desk, placing the glass down with a sharp clink.

“And what exactly do you suggest I do? Send her flowers? Offer her a job wrapped in a pity card?”

Linda’s eyes flickered.

“No,” she said. “Offer her something no one else can.”

I waited.

“A contract,” she continued. “Something binding. Something that looks like salvation, but is really... control.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Go on.”

“Propose a marriage,” she said.

The words landed softly.

I stared at her, unsure if I’d misheard.

“I’m not joking,” Linda said. “It’s not unprecedented. You've done similar things before—strategic alignments, mergers disguised as relationships. This one would be personal. It would tether her to you legally, emotionally, and publicly. She’d be protected. But more importantly... she’d be yours.”

I leaned forward slightly, the full weight of her words settling in my mind like dust in still air.

“She wouldn’t agree,” I said.

“She might,” Linda countered. “She has nothing. No money. No job. She’s being chewed alive by the press. The right offer, at the right time, with the right amount of mystery... she’ll say yes.”

I exhaled slowly, folding my arms across my chest.

“And what happens when she realizes it’s not about saving her?”

Linda’s voice didn’t waver. “By then, it won’t matter.”

I said nothing for a long time.

I reached for the folder again, flipping to the page with her photograph. There she was—head held high, lips slightly parted, that hint of defiance behind intelligent eyes.

There was no doubt she had fight in her. The question was... how much of that fight could I turn to my side before it turned on me?

“You said she’d be mine,” I murmured.

“Yes.”

“And if she runs?”

“She won’t. Not if you do it right.”

I tapped her image once with my finger.

“I’m listening,” I said.