Bobby Knight didn't sleep that night.
He rarely did after seeing Sophia Reyes. It was a pattern he should have grown out of years ago—college was ancient history—but some grudges sank deep under your skin and refused to die. And Sophia wasn't just a rival. She was the one person who had ever made him doubt himself.
He stood in the corner of his penthouse, whiskey glass dangling from his fingers, eyes locked on the glittering New York skyline. The Empire State Building stood tall, a beacon against the inky sky, but all he could see was the shape of his own reflection in the window: the sharp line of his jaw, the fitted suit he hadn't bothered changing out of, the man his father had molded—and the man he was still trying to escape.
Behind him, his phone lit up again. Another text from Emma.
Emma: You can't keep avoiding them forever.
He didn't answer.
The Knight family name carried weight in New York. His father, William Knight, built an empire out of luxury real estate, high-stakes investments, and ruthlessly acquiring smaller companies until they folded or begged for mercy. If you had money in Manhattan, chances were you'd shaken hands with a Knight—or lost to one.
Growing up, Bobby had been groomed for the throne. His childhood was private schools, tailored suits by age ten, and Sunday dinners that felt more like shareholder meetings. His father believed in legacy above all else. "A Knight doesn't work for someone else," William would say. "We build. We own."
The pressure was suffocating. By sixteen, Bobby had been paraded in front of potential investors like a show pony. By eighteen, he had an assigned mentor at the family company. By twenty-one, his future was a checklist already written for him.
Graduate top of his class. Join Knight Holdings. Climb the ranks. Marry well. Inherit everything.
He wanted none of it.
Sophia Reyes had been the first person to make him question if he could want something different.
They met freshman year, both starry-eyed business majors, both obsessed with winning. In the beginning, it had been almost playful—a competitive rivalry between two overachievers who always needed to be the best. But the more he learned about her, the more that rivalry twisted into something sharper.
Sophia wasn't born into power. She worked for it. Her parents ran a tiny repair shop in Queens, barely scraping by. Every internship, every opportunity, she had fought for with blood and sweat. She made him realize how much of his own life had been handed to him.
He resented her for that—for making him aware of his own privilege. And if he was honest, he admired her too. But admiration wasn't something a Knight admitted easily, so he turned it into competition instead.
He flirted with her once—one drunken party when her hair was loose and her laugh was soft instead of sharp. It wasn't meant to mean anything. Just a cocky rich boy testing the waters. But the way she'd shut him down "You're just a spoiled rich boy playing businessman, Bobby. I'm not interested" it hit deeper than he ever let on.
After that, they were enemies.
At twenty-three, the day after graduating, Bobby walked into his father's office and told him he wasn't joining Knight Holdings. Instead, he was starting his own company.
William Knight's laugh had been cold and low. "And what do you know about building something from the ground up?"
Bobby's jaw had locked. "More than you think."
"Without this family's name, you're nothing."
Bobby spent the next six years proving him wrong.
He built Knight Industries from a corner desk in his apartment, using connections he made himself not ones handed to him at charity galas. He focused on innovation and technology, not luxury real estate. Slowly, Knight Industries grew from a startup joke to a serious player in tech development.
And now, with the Easton Tech Partnership on the line, he was this close to stepping out of his father's shadow for good.
But of course, Sophia had to show up to ruin everything.
By morning, Bobby had showered, shaved, and pushed his sleepless night into the box labeled deal with later. The Easton contract wasn't officially decided yet, and until it was, he wasn't backing down. He arrived at the office early, walking into the sleek headquarters of Knight Industries, all steel and glass, modern and minimalist—everything Knight Holdings wasn't.
Emma was already there, sitting on his desk, eating a donut like she owned the place.
"Morning, big brother," she said through a mouthful of sprinkles.
"Do you even work here?" Bobby asked, dropping his briefcase.
"Sometimes." Emma grinned. "I came to remind you about brunch this weekend. Mom's threatening to bring out the embarrassing baby photos if you skip again."
Bobby groaned. "I have actual work to do."
"Work you invented to avoid Dad." Emma hopped off the desk, suddenly serious. "You can't avoid him forever, Bobby."
"Watch me."
Emma crossed her arms, giving him the full weight of her disapproving stare. She was two years younger, sharp as hell, and the only Knight who didn't give a damn about the empire. She worked in nonprofit development, much to their father's horror.
"Why do you even care?" Bobby asked.
"Because you're not just avoiding Dad. You're avoiding everything. Life, relationships—"
"I'm fine."
"You're miserable."
Bobby opened his mouth to argue, but his assistant knocked on the door. "Mr. Knight? Sophia Reyes is here to see you."
Emma's eyebrows shot up. "Oh this I have to see."
"No," Bobby said sharply. "You have to leave."
Emma gave him a slow, mischievous grin before sauntering out. "Have fun with your enemy."
Sophia stood in the hallway, arms crossed, gaze cool. Even dressed down in dark jeans and a blazer, she looked like she belonged in a Forbes spread.
Bobby leaned against the doorframe. "To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?"
"Don't flatter yourself." She stepped past him, straight into his office. "I'm here to talk strategy."
"Strategy?" Bobby closed the door behind her. "For what? Beating me? You're already halfway there."
She turned, eyes narrowing. "You're a child, you know that?"
"And you're still my favorite overachiever."
Sophia's jaw clenched. "Easton's CEO wants us to work together."
Bobby froze. "Excuse me?"
"Joint pitch. Our companies, partnered. They want to see if we can collaborate before they make a final decision."
Bobby laughed. "We can't even stand in the same room without taking verbal swings at each other."
"Then maybe we should grow up." Sophia's voice was sharp, but there was something else under it exhaustion, maybe. Or worry.
He remembered her face last night when she'd mentioned the hospital. "How's your mom?" The question was out before he could stop it.
Sophia's lips parted slightly, like she was surprised he cared. "She's… stable. For now."
Bobby nodded, unsure what to say next. This was new ground for them—personal, unguarded. It felt too vulnerable. He didn't like it. Neither did she, apparently, because she straightened her shoulders and went back to business.
"Can you set aside your ego long enough to work with me?" she asked.
Bobby's smirk returned. "I can if you can."
Sophia stared at him for a long beat, then shook her head. "This is going to be a disaster."
"Probably."
Despite her annoyance, the corner of her mouth twitched. And for a split second, it felt like they were back in college, stuck in the library at 2 AM, fighting over whiteboard space and accidentally laughing at each other's terrible ideas.
But that was a lifetime ago. Now, the stakes were higher. And neither of them could afford to lose.
"Let's do this," Bobby said. "But fair warning, Reyes by the end of this, you might actually like me."
Sophia rolled her eyes, but there was heat behind it. "Don't hold your breath, Knight."
As she walked out, Bobby couldn't help but watch her go.
This was going to get messy.
And if he was honest with himself.. he couldn't wait.