Dex (Knight Empire #2)

Chapter 1

DANI

I try to hide it, the fear and worry which sticks like a tight ball in my chest every time I see my father.

He used to be unstoppable.

A loving giant. A man who could command a boardroom and inspire his employees with a vision. Now he lies weak and frail before me, but it’s his uncharacteristic quietness which disturbs me. He used to be larger than life, a jovial man whose laughter would bounce off the walls of a room and fill it completely.

He has a reputation as a visionary investor and business magnate, having expanded the company rapidly into international markets. He would regale me with stories about how he built up AO Eletronica from nothing, to becoming one of the largest mobile network operators in the world. It’s not doing too badly, but it was once a powerhouse in Latin America, though lately it’s started to slide.

The company isn’t where it used to be. Investors are backing off, profits are falling, but we’re working on fixing these things. Still, I can’t shake the feeling he’s hiding something deeper. Something worse. And whatever it is, it’s breaking him in slow motion before our very eyes.

There’s a heaviness in his eyes, as if he’s troubled. I noticed it soon after an alliance he’d pinned his hopes on, fell away. A few months ago, out of nowhere, Paul Knight, a billionaire from the US, visited my father and suggested an alliance between our families, one that could help both our companies. It felt like a miracle, so timely and apt. Like my father’s prayers had been answered.

Paul Knight suggested to my father that a marriage of convenience could be helpful. It would be a purely transactional arrangement, with rules to keep emotions out of the equation. A proposal in which I would marry his son, Jett Knight, for a year, thereby securing a high-profile merger between the Oliveiras and the Knights.

My father would get injections of capital, the shareholders would be appeased, and it would strengthen the public image of the company. From what I understand, Paul Knight would get access to a major emerging market.

I remember the day my father asked me if I would be willing to take part in such a scheme. He couldn’t even look at me. But I took his hands and told him I would. For one year? A purely transactional arrangement. A marriage only on paper? I could do that. How could I not?

My parents have given me everything in life. They’ve supported, encouraged and loved me. Asking for a paltry year of my life to do this was nothing in the grand scheme of things, especially if it helped the business.

But the deal fizzled away and with each passing week thereafter, my father seemed to slip into himself, retreating from us.

My m?e sits across from me, worry etched into every line of her face. My parents mean the world to me, and as an only child, I feel the weight of their worry and sorrow. I came back home after attending college in the US, and I still live with them in the home where I’ve grown up, here in S?o Paulo. Once upon a time this place used to feel grand, untouchable. Now, it feels like a little faded, a little old, like it needs a little more care and love. Just like my father’s business.

“Papai,” I whisper. “It’s going to be okay.” But my father’s gaze is distant, like he’s already given up. I hate seeing him looking so helpless and adrift.

As the VP of Brand Strategy and Corporate Communications, I can see that we’ve not quite managed to keep up with global tech giants, rising competition and the heavy costs of maintaining our infrastructure. Our business practices are outdated and, to our detriment, we haven’t adapted to the changing market. Revenue has started to fall and investors have started to pull out. I see these as temporary setbacks and we’re working on fixing these issues. We’re not as bad as my father fears. The world is changing, and we can’t remain at the top forever, but we’re in a pretty good position, nonetheless.

He lost hope after the Knight deal never fully got off the ground. I told him we’d find another way. I told him not to lose hope, because there is another way, but he won’t listen to me. He refuses to even consider my offer.

“I’ll do it,” I say, my voice firm. “I’ll marry Oscar.”

I hesitate, swallowing hard.

Oscar Ramos.

“You will do no such thing, filha.” Daughter. They love me so much. I am so deeply aware of how much it hurts my father that the only way to help him might be through an alliance with a rich and powerful family.

My mother inhales sharply.

Oscar Ramos is a fifty-three-year-old billionaire, the head of a dynasty with questionable business practices. He’s been circling around my family like a vulture, asking for my hand in marriage. He must have caught wind of the Knight deal, and mistakenly believed I was still available.

But seeing my father’s health go into decline, I’m now seriously considering this option, even though my heart aches. I once saw a photo of Jett Knight online. He was handsome, and young. The idea of marrying him didn’t seem scary. I prayed that the deal with Paul Knight would go through.

It gave us all hope.

My father kept saying, “Paul Knight is a good man, Daniela. A good man. He will help us. He wants business in Brazil, but he doesn’t know the market, the people. We do. We will be saved.”

Jett Knight was younger than that dinosaur, Ramos. I feel like I could have married him and made it work, somehow. He also has a daughter I could have focused my attention on, but then he pulled out and now my father won’t let me marry Oscar.

But what other choice do we have?

My mother stiffens. “Ramos is old enough to be your father, Daniela. He’s bald, and so big, and …” She shivers in disgust.

“Looks aren’t important, M?e “ I should know. I’ve been plagued by my looks. People don’t look any deeper when they look at me. They assume I’m a princess, an airhead, that I have nothing of importance to say, that I’m just something to look at and desire.

Men especially.

I hate it.

Oscar Ramos scares me, and he makes me shiver for all the wrong reasons. I don’t want to be with him, but we’re out of choices now. I grip my father’s hand tighter.

“Please. I just don’t want anything to happen to you. I’ll do whatever it takes to help our business. It will only be for a year, Papai. And we’ll go back to how things were.” When my father was strong and well.

“You will not marry him,” my father says weakly.

“I will,” I insist. “I’ll do whatever it takes.”

“You will not ever marry Oscar Ramos,” my father cries.

I swallow, my throat burning. Because if I don’t form an alliance, my father might spiral into depression and become so ill, I fear the worst might happen.

“What about someone else, like the Knights? Another rich and powerful family?”

My father shakes his head. “Paul Knight never suggested anyone else.”

I frown. “How many sons does he have?”

“Five.”

I sit back, stunned. “Five? And he didn’t suggest any of them for the alliance? You never thought to mention it, Papai?”

“He only mentioned the oldest son. He was eager for an alliance because this son was a widower with a daughter who needed a mother. I didn’t want to go back and beg, Daniela. People aren’t as agreeable for arranged marriages in the US, Daniela. They don’t need to make alliances.”

“But Paul Knight approached you, Papai! He needed you .”

My father closes his eyes and lets out a murmur. “He did.”

“The other sons … are they married?” My brain goes into overdrive as I try to find a lifeline away from Oscar Ramos.

“None of them are married, but as far as I understand, they are… not available.”

I exhale sharply. Five sons. Surely one of them might be single and agreeable to an arranged marriage? On paper only.

An idea forms in my mind.

I’m prepared to do whatever it takes to save my father’s business. I was ready to marry a man like Oscar, but if there is another way …

I remember the picture of Jett Knight. He was handsome. If he was good-looking, then maybe his brothers aren’t so bad either.

Also, there are potentially five of them to choose from.

If I can meet and marry a Knight, I can save my family and it won’t even seem like a big sacrifice.