Chapter 6: The Daddy’s Demand

From Alessandro's POV

Isabella stood at the edge of my office; her eyes cast down. She knew better than to step in without permission, but today her expression held a spark of defiance. I leaned back, letting her stew in the silence, that little dance of patience that she really hated.

“Isabella,” I said finally, letting her name drag from my lips, soft and firm. “Come here.”

She took a cautious step forward, that practiced poise of hers faltering just a fraction. With each step, her heels clicked on the marble, echoing against the cold walls of my office.

“Alex, I—” she began, but I raised a finger for a warning.

“Daddy,” I corrected her, cool and commanding.

Her cheeks flushed, but she knew better than to protest. It was written in the contract, after all. “…Daddy,” she whispered embarrass, her voice turns low, but I caught a faint shiver in it.

She stopped just before my desk, hands twisting at her sides, clearly fighting her own instincts.

’ Good. I liked watching her squirm.’

“Eyes up.” I waited, and when those defiant blinking eyes finally met mine, I let a smirk slip. “Tell me, what is it you think you want?”

Isabella shifted, her gaze flickering down and turned aside. I could see her body practically humming with a mixture of annoyance and attraction. She could pretend all of her desire, but I knew how she felt when I had her under my thumb.

“I need a signature,” she said confidently, holding out a contract, her voice firm. However, there was something hiding—with miserable unsure. I could practically taste her reluctance, her need to stay distant. But that wasn’t how this worked. I took the paper from her hand, but not before letting my fingers graze her skin, watching her shiver just the way I knew she would.

“Not everything is just business, sweetheart,” I said, letting the term linger in the cold air hanging along. “You should know by now. Everything you need goes through me. And you’re asking too politely.”

Her lips parted, and I could see the fire sparking in her eyes. “Maybe I don’t need to beg.”

A dark chuckle rumbled from me. “Oh, you will.” I leaned closer. “It’s what good girls do, isn’t it? They beg when they want everything from Daddy.”

She was shaking in a mess, and I knew I had her all. The line between her disdain and desire for control blurred whenever she was with me. And I loved exploiting it. It was a game she tried to play—keeping me at arm’s length, her walls up, pretending like she didn’t need this… need me. But we both knew the truth.

I signed the contract with a flourish and handed it back, catching her wrist tightly before she could pull away. She stilled with hate, and I saw her breath catch, her defenses breaking just a fraction.

“Why are you always fighting me, Isabella?” I whispered, close enough that I could feel her body heat radiating. “You agreed to this. To everything.”

She swallowed, looking everywhere but my face. Her silence was loud, telling honestly. She wanted out, but she couldn’t help falling back this every single time.

“I agreed to the contract,” she said, her voice barely a whisper. “Not to… whatever this is.”

“You knew what this was,” I countered, my tone cold, calculated. “You can walk away anytime. But you won’t, will you?”

Her gaze sharpened, a flicker of that defiance surfacing, cold with anger. “You can’t control every piece of my life, Alex.”

My grip tightened, a warning. “Don’t test me, Isabella. Because when I say I own you, I mean it.” I leaned down until I was inches from her, my words low and laced with threat. “And you never get to change the rules just because you don’t like playing.”

I saw a flash of fear in her eyes, mixed with something else—a fire that flickered and then faded. She's jumping cross on the redline. That damn silence hung between us again, and I let her go. She didn’t flinch, but I could see her hands tremble as she took the contract back.

She backed away slowly, her expression unreadable, but there was something there—something she was holding back. She thought she could hide from me, but I could read her like a book. Every subtle movement, every flicker of emotion betrayed her. Little as possible.

“You’re hiding something,” I said, my voice a low growl.

She stopped dead, her shoulders tensing.

“Isabella. Talk.”

"Isabella. Tell me"

For a split second, I thought she might, but she shook her head slowly, eyes flashing with that same defiance, her voice turned to ever since soft, “You don’t need to know everything… Daddy.” The last word dripped with sarcasm, almost like a taunt.

It wasn’t often that she managed to surprise me. But that line… it hit, hard.

“Oh, we’ll see about that.” I stepped forward closer , my gaze locked on hers, unyielding. “Because whatever secret you think you’re keeping from me?” I let a dangerous smile curve my lips. “I’ll drag it out of you if I have to.”

She swallowed, a barely concealed tremor in her throat. And that was enough to tell me that she was hiding secrets big— worth prying out any.