Boundaries and Beginnings

Sienna hadn't seen Alexander all morning.

Not that she was particularly looking for him, but after their conversation the night before—the first real, open, even raw conversation they'd had—something was lingering in the air. Not tension exactly, but something else. Something unspoken.

She kept herself busy. Meetings with the wedding coordinator, final fittings with the designer, and a quick lunch with Nadia, who kept throwing her meaningful looks every time Alexander's name came up. Not that it needed to.

It was strange how quickly everything around her had adapted to this new life. The staff, the press, even the florist who now called her "Mrs. Knight" with such ease that it made Sienna's stomach twist a little.

By the time she returned to the estate in the early evening, her feet were aching and her head was full.

She wasn't even surprised to find Alexander in the study, shirt sleeves rolled up, the top button of his shirt undone, looking every bit the part of the powerful, unbothered CEO.

He looked up when she stepped in. "You're back."

"I live here," she said mildly.

That earned her the faintest smile. "Fair point."

She walked further in, eyeing the files spread out in front of him.

"Work never stops?"

"Not when the board expects a quarterly miracle," he said, sitting back in his chair. "What about you? You've had a full schedule."

"You have someone tailing me?"

He raised a brow. "I have an assistant who reports where my wife is for security purposes. Don't act surprised."

Sienna sighed and dropped into the chair opposite him. "That's not creepy at all."

"I like to be prepared."

"You mean in control."

He met her gaze directly. "That too."

They stared at each other for a moment. Not in hostility, not quite. But something was there—something charged, maybe even volatile.

Sienna broke eye contact first, folding her arms.

"Are we going to talk about last night?"

Alexander leaned back, thoughtful. "Do you want to?"

"I think we should."

He nodded slowly. "Then yes."

Sienna stood and walked toward the shelves behind him, her fingers lightly brushing the spines of books she wouldn't pretend to have read.

"I meant what I said," she said after a beat. "About my brother. About how I got involved in all this."

"I believe you."

"You said you didn't know. About the agreement. About the debt I owed."

Alexander closed the file in front of him. "I didn't."

"But you picked me anyway."

He rubbed his jaw. "Yes. Because someone high-up flagged your name with a very interesting recommendation. Said you were exactly what the board needed. I didn't realize until later what that flag meant."

"And by then?"

"I had already made my choice."

Sienna turned around to face him. "So, what now?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean… we're in this marriage. Contracted or not. We're living under the same roof. We've got the press spinning fairytales about our love story. Are we still pretending this is temporary?"

Alexander hesitated, then said, "I'm not pretending anything. But I won't lie—I didn't think you'd last past the first month."

Her lips twitched. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"You don't exactly play nice."

"And you do?"

He laughed, short and real.

Then his expression shifted into something more serious. "But you've surprised me."

Sienna folded her arms. "And that's… a good thing?"

"It means I underestimated you."

"Again, not sure that's a compliment."

Alexander stood and walked around the desk, stopping just a foot away from her. He wasn't imposing by size but by presence. The kind that filled a room and made you forget to breathe.

"It means I want to know who you are," he said quietly.

Sienna blinked.

"Not the version in the contract," he continued. "Not the image the press is selling. Not the woman who signed a deal to save her brother. You."

She swallowed. "Why?"

"Because if we're going to keep pretending in public," he said, "then I don't want to keep guessing in private."

Her chest tightened.

"Is that a threat?"

"It's a request."

They stood there for a long moment, the air between them heavy with things unsaid.

Then Sienna said, "Fine. I'll show you who I am."

"And in return?"

"You show me who you are."

Alexander smiled faintly. "Deal."

---

They decided on neutral territory.

Not dinner at the estate. Not a boardroom. Not one of the high-end restaurants Alexander frequented.

Instead, he suggested a diner on the edge of downtown—small, a bit run-down, but clean, warm, and most importantly, anonymous.

Sienna looked around the place as they sat down in a booth near the window.

"This is... surprisingly normal of you."

"I'm full of surprises."

The waitress came by, offered a polite smile, and took their orders. Coffee for both, grilled cheese for her, and a burger for him.

When she walked away, Sienna said, "So this is your version of getting to know each other?"

"You said no extremes," he reminded her. "This is as un-extreme as it gets."

She smiled. For real this time.

"Okay then," she said. "What's your full name?"

"Alexander Christopher Knight."

"Born?"

"June 14th. Manhattan. You?"

"May 1st. Also Manhattan."

"Favorite color?"

"Gray," he said.

She made a face. "That's so bland."

"It's stable," he said. "And neutral."

"Figures."

He smirked. "Yours?"

"Emerald."

"Fancy."

"I like strong colors," she said. "They don't apologize for being seen."

His expression flickered.

And for the next hour, they asked more questions—simple ones, ridiculous ones, even a few personal ones. Favorite book. First car. Childhood dream. Most embarrassing memory.

By the time the check came, Sienna had laughed more than she had in months.

Outside, the air was crisp, the city lights soft in the distance. Alexander walked her to the car, hands in his coat pockets.

"I had a good time," he said.

Sienna nodded. "So did I."

Then, without warning, Alexander leaned in and kissed her cheek.

Not her lips.

Not anything romantic.

Just the barest brush of skin—warm, respectful, grounding.

Sienna blinked.

When he pulled back, his voice was low.

"Thank you. For trusting me with that part of you tonight."

She swallowed.

"You're welcome."

And somehow, that small moment said more than any conversation ever could.

---

Back at the estate, Sienna stood in front of the mirror in her room, staring at her reflection.

Her phone buzzed once.

A message from an unknown number.

"You looked happy tonight. Careful. You're forgetting the game."

Her blood ran cold.

She stared at the screen, her heart pounding.

And then, she did the only thing she could.

She walked straight to Alexander's room and knocked.

He opened the door in seconds, surprised.

"I got another message," she said, voice flat. "They're watching."

Alexander's jaw tightened. "Come in."

And just like that, boundaries shifted again.

Not because of romance.

But because of necessity.

Because sometimes, trust is built not through grand gestures, but small, relentless truths.