Chapter 4
DEX
It’s rare for all of us to be in the same place at the same time, unless it’s a Knight family dinner. And tonight, while it’s still at the old man’s penthouse, it’s not a family dinner.
This is a soiree, according to the email that was sent out.
As Zach, Jett, and I approach the elevator, I spot the Italian Knights, Rio, Enzo, and Matteo, already waiting. Rio cocks an eyebrow at me. I nod back. I haven’t had a chance to ask him yet if he’s spoken to our father about the Brazilian Beauty Queen.
Beside him, Enzo stands stiff, unreadable as always, and Matteo looks as pissed off as ever.
None of us likes coming here. At the dinners the old man hosts every month or so, he forces us to sit through an evening of veiled insults, business talk, and power plays. But tonight, it’s something different. This time it’s a small and intimate soiree and a chance to network with high-worth individuals, high-powered investors, CEOs and social elites.
At least there’s safety in numbers and the old man will be busy mingling and working the room.
Which means I can stay for a short while, show my face and get the hell out. Jett probably has the same idea. I notice he brought Cari along with him tonight, and I’m still trying to work out if it was a very brave move on his part, or insanely stupid.
We stare at the elevator, not sure how the seven of us are going to fit in there. The Italian Knights were already here first so, when the doors fly open, they take up the back wall. The rest of us stare, with hesitation, not stepping inside.
“There’s plenty of room,” Enzo says.
“Let’s just get in,” Zach says, always the only one of us eager to come here.
We step inside, but Jett and Cari still hover outside.
“Stop being such an ass,” I mutter, glaring at Jett. Now that he’s all loved up, he’s already acting different. Like he not one of us. “You can squeeze in, even with that big head of yours.”
Jett cuts me a look that has the power to freeze me. Cari steps in and my brother reluctantly follows. He leans against the mirrored wall, surveying us like he’s already figured something out. “A soiree,” he states, flatly. “I wonder what the agenda behind this is.”
“The last thing we’ll expect, no doubt,” I say. “There’s always an agenda, even if it’s just dinner.”
“It’s never just dinner.” Everyone says in unison.
“Are you sure you want to go to this?” Jett asks Cari.
She places her hand on his arm, looks up at him like he’s her world. “Your father invited all of us. It would be rude not to.”
I frown. “It’s a bit late now, bro, you’re already heading up.” He’s treating Cari like she’s made of glass. When did he turn into such a wuss? “It’ll be easier to get lost among the guests,” I offer, then turning to Cari, after remembering the last time, “Tonight won’t be so bad.”
“After my last visit …” Her voice trails off. That must have been a baptism by fire. First time she came, and the first time any of us had the balls to stand up to the old man in the way Jett did.
Jett seems to be overanalyzing this evening. “But why? This is quick. Usually he tells us about these weeks in advance, and he only told us a few days ago.”
“You’re right. The old man usually holds these things in some plush hotel ballroom, not his penthouse,” I say. “Maybe it’s a party. His birthday, or something?”
“Do we even know when his birthday is?” Enzo asks.
Matteo snorts. “Does anyone care?”
The elevator ride falls silent after that.
When we step out into the penthouse, the housekeeper greets us and leads us towards the Great Room, a large, expansive open space with windows looking onto Central Park. Despite having been here many times, I find myself still awestruck at the views of the Manhattan skyline.
Before we even round the corner, I hear it already.
Music.
Not just any music.
Live jazz. There’s also dim lighting and the kind of atmosphere that screams wealth and sophistication but I smell manipulation.
“What the hell?” Matteo says under his breath.
My mouth falls open slightly. “What is this?” I scan the room. No band, thankfully, just music filtering through high-end speakers. But the champagne towers? The waiters in crisp black-and-white suits, serving gourmet hors d’oeuvres and canapés? This signals something else.
“Are we about to stage a hostile takeover or something?” Jett asks dryly.
“Guys, calm down. Maybe Dad just wanted to have a nice evening.” Zach looks hopeful. Stupidly hopeful. I can’t shake the stupid out of this one. He thinks our father has a good bone in his body.
“Nice and Paul Knight don’t sit well in the same sentence,” says Rio, swiping a glass of champagne off one of the server’s trays.
Matteo grabs a couple of canapés like he doesn’t give a shit. Enzo stands with his hands in his pockets, looking effortlessly detached despite the tuxedos our father insisted we wear. “Glad I dressed up,” he says.
I glance at Rio, who looks just as confused as I feel. What the hell is this about?
Then I see him.
The old man. The patriarchal figurehead of Knight Enterprises. And a bane in our lives.
He’s across the room, standing in a small circle of powerful men. The type of people who make decisions that shake markets.
Seeing us walk in, he excuses himself from the group and strolls toward us, his suit impeccable, his expression unreadable. “Glad you could all make it,” he says smoothly.
“This isn’t a Knight family dinner,” I say.
“Excellent observation,” he says, in his usual patronizing tone. “Did you not get the memo?”
“I did, but this…” I gesture around. “You don’t tend to do these types of evenings unless you want something.”
Jett’s gaze sweeps over the room. “I see a lot of heads of industry here. Investors. CEOs. Social elites. Why here and not in some swanky hotel? What are you not telling us?”
Paul smiles. “So many questions. So much suspicion. Why not just enjoy a nice event like this for what it is?”
“And what is it?” Jett asks. “You never host an event unless there’s something in it for you.”
“You never do anything unless there’s something in it for you,” Rio counters, just as I was about to say the same thing.
“So?” Jett waits for the explanation. He and our father still haven’t thawed from their last battle. Paul had tried to push Jett into an alliance with a Brazilian heiress, and Jett shut him down, hard. But what really pisses the old man off is that Jett is in love with his assistant, and he snubbed the old man and his deal completely.
But tonight isn’t about Jett.
It’s about something else and I’m determined not to leave until I find out what. Our father steps to the front of the room, lifting a champagne flute. He taps the rim of his glass with a silver spoon, and a hush falls.
“My friends,” he begins, his voice rich with authority. “Welcome. I’m delighted to have you all here tonight. Just a small gathering. An informal evening to bring together captains of industry, esteemed investors, and, of course, family.”
Bullshit.
Then he smirks, and I know what’s coming before he even says it.
“Did you know the combined wealth in this room exceeds, oh, I don’t know, a few trillion dollars?”
I roll my eyes. Of course, this asshole would do the math.
Paul Knight doesn’t collect people. He collects power. He likes to own the narrative, make sure every piece on the chessboard moves at his command.
And tonight?
Tonight is a goddamn power play.
I tense as he continues, his voice oozing control.
“Tonight I have a very special guest…” He lifts a hand toward the entryway, that familiar smile of his sharp enough to slice through steel. “As Knight Enterprises looks to strengthen its ties in emerging markets and expand our global footprint, it’s my pleasure to introduce a woman whose intelligence, influence, and heritage align perfectly with that vision.”
The moment she steps into view, I fucking know exactly who she is.
Jett curses under his breath.
I hear collective gasps around me, from my brothers.
Daniela Oliveira.
She’s breathtaking. Tall. Voluptuous. Filling out her sparkling, shimmering, sequined dress, like it was made for her.
It’s also completely inappropriate. There are only two other women here, excluding Cari, and they’re both wearing dark business suits. And trousers. As if they need to dress like men to fit in.
This Brazilian Beauty Queen looks like she ought to be on the red carpet at a Hollywood film premiere.
“Jesus,” I mutter.
“Fuck,” Jett says at the same time.
“Isn’t that the woman you were meant to marry, Jett?” Zach jokes, elbowing me.
“Is that her?” Cari pipes up. She’s been silent for most of the evening, but she cranes her neck, her gaze fixated on this woman that Jett was once supposed to form an alliance with. Just like that, Jett slips his arm around Cari’s waist and pulls her closer to him. A territorial move if ever I saw one.
“Who cares?” he growls.
“She’s gorgeous,” Enzo adds, nodding.
“Shut up,” Rio snaps. “Shut the fuck up.”
I look at Rio’s face and his eyes are transfixed. Paul stretches out his hand, and Daniela takes it as he leads her to the front. He introduces her as the “the family behind AO Eletronica. All the way from Brazil,” Paul adds, looking jubilant. Like the cat that caught the canary.
She steps forward, her voice measured but soft. “I’m delighted to be here.” She sounds a little breathless, and she’s not as thin or as fragile as I thought she was. She is literally Amazonian; tall and voluptuous, with the face of a movie star. Full, luscious lips. Dramatic eyes. High cheekbones. Long, wavy dark hair.
This was the “ something” on the old man’s agenda. My attention fixes on Rio again, and I see that his eyes are glued to this woman.
The heiress is still talking but I barely hear it. Because all the pieces are falling into place. Paul Knight just made this event about her.
About this deal.
About the marriage alliance.
Something in the pit of my belly tells me it’s back on.
I glance at my brothers. “He can’t stop himself, can he?”
“Never.” Jett drains his whiskey glass. The old man crafted this entire night around her. Then, like the goddamn showman he is, he takes Daniela’s hand and leads her straight toward us.
“Surprise guest, huh?” I snap.
His expressions smacks of a win. “Daniela was in town, and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to invite her.”
I don’t fucking believe the gall of this man. “She just happened to be in town?” My gaze flicks to the heiress’s wide eyes. She stares back at me, calm and collected, as if she’s seen men worse than me. But that big, wide smile of her soon got wiped off her face.
Matteo sniggers. “Or maybe you put this event together just so you could find a way for her to meet us.”
We’re all thinking the same thing.
Zach offers her a polite nod. “Nice to meet you, Daniela.” He extends his hand, and the heiress shakes it firmly, but she eyes us with uncertainty.
“Yeah,” Jett mutters, barely looking at her as he catches another whiskey glass. Rio, on the other hand, can’t seem to look away. He’s transfixed by this woman.
“This is a bride auction, isn’t it?” I say flatly, glancing at the Beauty Queen, and I swear I see her flinch. “Just call it what it is.” I eyeball the old man.
He chuckles. “This is Dexter. You’ll have to watch him, Daniela. He can be quite cutting with his remarks.”
Her bright green eyes meet mine with surprising ease. What I see now is something else. Not fear. Not even interest. There’s a calmness about her, like she’s assessing me. Trying to figure out what kind of monster I am before deciding how to handle me.
But even though she plays it cool, I can see the tension in the way her fingers tighten ever so slightly around the stem of her glass. I can see right through her indifference.
I glare at the old man again and don’t care if the heiress hears me. “You planned this.”
“If my sons are too busy running from responsibility,” he says smoothly, “then I have to bring opportunity directly to them.”
I snort. “And by opportunity, you mean something for your own personal gain.”
“That’s up to you.” He scans us all in one swooping one-hundred-and-eighty-degree gaze. “I’ll leave you to make Daniela feel at home.” He pins his gaze on Jett.
“I’m already taken,” Jett growls, and tightens his arm around Cari’s waist. The heiress and Cari talk, before Zach jumps in, just itching to be noticed.
My father turns to Daniela. “Please, make yourself at home, and report to me if they bite, or are rude. They shouldn’t be. I’ve spent a fortune on educating them.”
I look away, feeling abject disgust and unable to face him.
“You know what?” I mutter. “I need some fresh air.”
I head towards the balcony, desperate to get away.