Alexander Quinn had always prided himself on being one step ahead of the competition. That's how he had built Quinn Enterprises—through strategic moves, precise timing, and never missing an opportunity to strike. And this situation with Olivia Carter and Ethan Pierce was no different.
Sitting in his sleek office on the top floor of Quinn Tower, Alexander swirled the amber liquid in his glass as he looked out over the city skyline. The merger between Carter Couture and Pierce Enterprises had been all over the business news, but something about it didn't sit right with him. He knew both Olivia and Ethan—brilliant in their own ways but unlikely to merge without some hidden agenda.
He smirked to himself. There was always something more beneath the surface. And Alexander Quinn was determined to find it.
He turned as the door to his office creaked open. His assistant, Evelyn, entered quietly, followed by a thin, nervous-looking man in his early thirties. This was Victor Gray, the spy Alexander had planted inside Carter Couture a few weeks ago. Victor wasn't impressive, but he had the one thing Alexander needed—access to Olivia's inner circle.
"Mr. Quinn," Victor greeted, glancing nervously between Alexander and Evelyn, who stood silently by the door.
"Victor," Alexander said smoothly, "I trust you have something for me?"
Victor swallowed, his fingers twitching as he held out a manila envelope. "I found something... something big."
Alexander raised an eyebrow, intrigued, and motioned for Victor to sit. He took the envelope and carefully pulled out its contents. His eyes scanned the first page, then the second, his smirk growing wider by the second.
A marriage contract.
Not a merger agreement. Not business plans. Not legal documents related to the joint brand they were supposedly building. This was something much more personal. He glanced at the signature line. Olivia Carter and Ethan Pierce had signed this—an agreement binding them in marriage, with clauses outlining their professional and personal duties.
"Interesting," Alexander murmured, leaning back in his chair. "Very interesting."
Victor shifted uneasily. "I… I thought it was just a business thing between them, but it looks like there's more going on. This marriage—it's not real, not in the traditional sense. It's a part of their strategy."
Alexander's eyes gleamed. So that's what they were up to. They weren't just merging their companies. They were merging their lives in the public eye—playing the perfect power couple to enhance the value of their businesses. Clever. But not clever enough to avoid his reach.
He tapped the contract with his finger, his mind already spinning with possibilities. "Well done, Victor. This is exactly the leverage I needed."
Victor blinked, relief washing over him. "So, what happens now?"
Alexander stood, walking toward the window, the city stretching out before him like a chessboard. "Now, I do what I do best. We're going to make this public—on my terms."
He could already envision the chaos that would ensue. Olivia and Ethan had kept this marriage deal under wraps, likely because it was part of a carefully crafted narrative. But Alexander was going to take that narrative and turn it on its head. By revealing their little arrangement, he would cast doubt on their entire merger. The media would tear them apart, questioning their motives, their authenticity, and most of all, their integrity.
"I want you to arrange a press conference," Alexander said, turning back to Evelyn. "A big one. Reach out to all the major outlets. We're going to make this an event no one will forget."
Evelyn nodded, already typing furiously on her tablet. "What should we say it's about?"
Alexander chuckled darkly. "Tell them we have exclusive information on the real reason behind the Carter-Pierce merger. The world is going to see just how calculated this entire thing is."
Victor shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Do you really think this will bring them down? I mean, they're both—"
Alexander cut him off with a sharp look. "This is business, Victor. If you expose someone's foundation as a lie, everything they've built on top of it crumbles. Ethan Pierce and Olivia Carter have been playing the game well, I'll give them that. But they made one mistake—letting me find out about it."
Victor nodded quickly, clearly not wanting to question the plan any further.
Alexander looked at the marriage contract once more, his mind racing. Olivia had always been smart, always one to think three steps ahead. But in her desperation to secure Carter Couture's future, she'd entangled herself in a web that he now held the key to unraveling.
"Timing is everything," Alexander said, more to himself than to anyone in the room. "We'll wait for the perfect moment—perhaps right before their merger is finalized. Then, we'll drop this bomb. By the time the dust settles, Carter Couture and Pierce Enterprises will be damaged beyond repair."
He handed the contract back to Victor. "Make sure no one finds out you were involved in this. Disappear for a while. I'll take it from here."
Victor stood quickly, nodding as he backed out of the office. Once he was gone, Alexander turned back to Evelyn, who was still typing furiously.
"Make sure everything is ready by the end of the week. I want this to be the biggest story in the business world. And make sure there's no way Olivia or Ethan can get ahead of it."
Evelyn didn't look up, her voice calm and professional. "It'll be done."
Alexander smiled to himself, already imagining the look on Ethan's face when the media asked him about the marriage contract. He could practically hear the questions, the doubt that would ripple through their investors and board members. The deal would become unstable. Their personal and professional lives would become a spectacle.
And Alexander Quinn would be there, ready to take advantage of the fallout.
He walked back to his desk, taking a seat and swirling the remaining liquid in his glass before taking a slow sip. The game was far from over, but with this move, Alexander was positioning himself for checkmate.