Cold, ruthless, and brilliant.

Those were the words people used to describe her.

Starting with nothing but ambition, she built A&T Company into a multinational giant in only a few years.

Everyone knew her name.

Alyce White.

The elevator doors closed behind them.

The moment they were alone, Clara burst out laughing.

"Alyce, I swear one day you're going to give me a heart attack."

Alyce raised an eyebrow.

"What did I do this time?"

"What did you do?" Clara repeated. "You pulled out a gun in the middle of a shareholder meeting!"

Alyce shrugged.

"He was being annoying."

"Annoying?" Clara stared at her. "The man almost cried."

A small smile appeared on Alyce's face.

"Then perhaps he shouldn't have threatened me."

Clara shook her head.

"I spent three hours preparing that presentation. Three hours, Alyce."

"And?"

"You solved the entire problem in thirty seconds."

"Work smarter, not harder."

Clara groaned.

"You're impossible."

Alyce laughed softly, something almost nobody outside her inner circle ever witnessed.

"Yet you've been my friend for years."

"Unfortunately."

"You love me."

"Don't get ahead of yourself."

The two stepped out of the elevator and entered the executive floor.

Instantly, the atmosphere changed.

Employees lowered their heads.

Conversations stopped.

The friendly smile vanished from Alyce's face, replaced by the cold, commanding expression the world knew.

Clara leaned closer and whispered,

"And just like that, the Ice Queen returns."

"I have an image to maintain."

"You were literally laughing ten seconds ago."

"No one can prove that."

Clara rolled her eyes.

"Right. I'll make sure the security footage mysteriously disappears."

For the first time that day, Alyce laughed openly.

Several employees nearly dropped the files in their hands.

The legendary Alyce laughing?

Nobody was going to believe them.

"Back to work, everyone."

Alyce's voice turned cold and domineering the moment she addressed the employees.

Instantly, everyone scattered back to their desks. Within seconds, not a trace of the earlier crowd remained.

Clara let out a sigh.

"You know, if you keep acting like this, you're never going to get married in this lifetime."

Alyce glanced at her before casually shrugging.

"Who wants to get married?"

She began walking toward her private elevator.

"I already have everything I could ever want—loving parents, wealth, this God-given beauty..."

She paused dramatically.

"...and a bunch of unwanted but caring monkeys."

Clara narrowed her eyes.

"By monkeys, you mean us."

"Of course."

Alyce's lips curved into a teasing smile.

"Besides, why would I waste my time looking for a man when I already have someone who wants to marry me?"

She threw Clara a wink and continued walking.

Clara froze.

Her brain stopped working.

The tablet slipped from her hand and landed on the floor with a loud clatter.

Alyce didn't even turn around.

"The company will deduct that from your salary."

Clara ignored her completely.

"YOU HAVE SOMEONE WHO WANTS TO MARRY YOU?!"

Her voice echoed throughout the lobby.

"AND WHY AM I HEARING ABOUT THIS FOR THE FIRST TIME?!"

Several employees secretly looked up from their desks.

Alyce merely waved a hand dismissively as she walked away.

"Because watching your reaction is far more entertaining."

"ALYCE!"

The elevator doors closed, cutting off Clara's outraged scream.

Inside, Alyce quietly chuckled to herself, knowing full well that Clara would spend the rest of the day trying to uncover the identity of this mysterious person.

The elevator doors slid open with a soft ding.

Alyce stepped out and walked down the private corridor leading to her cabin.

Unlike the rest of the building, this floor was completely silent. Only a handful of people had access to it.

Reaching the large double doors, she pushed them open.

The moment she entered, a familiar voice greeted her.

"Finally."

Kayla was sprawled across one of the couches, lazily scrolling through her phone.

"Do you have any idea how long we've been waiting?"

"Approximately twenty-three minutes and forty-two seconds," Lisa replied without looking up from her laptop.

Kayla pointed at her.

"See? Even Lisa is keeping count."

"I wasn't keeping count. I simply noticed."

"That's literally the same thing."

Seated by the floor-to-ceiling window, Hazel calmly sipped her coffee while pretending not to listen to their argument.

Meanwhile, Elsa was helping herself to the expensive snacks that had been placed on the table for guests.

"These cookies are amazing," Elsa announced.

"Those were meant for the foreign investors," Alyce said.

Elsa slowly placed another cookie into her mouth.

"Were."

Alyce shook her head with a faint smile.

Some people spent years trying to earn an audience with the infamous owner of A&T Company.

Her friends, however, treated her office like their personal living room.

Hazel glanced at Alyce.

"How did the shareholder meeting go?"

Before Alyce could answer, Kayla grinned.

"Judging by that look, someone got destroyed."

"A shareholder attempted to threaten her," Clara's voice suddenly echoed from outside the cabin.

The door burst open.

Clara stormed in dramatically.

"AND APPARENTLY SHE HAS SOMEONE WHO WANTS TO MARRY HER!"

Silence.

Four pairs of eyes immediately turned toward Alyce.

Alyce paused halfway to her desk.

"...Clara."

Elsa slowly lowered the cookie in her hand.

Hazel nearly choked on her coffee.

Lisa finally looked away from her laptop.

Kayla jumped to her feet.

"EXCUSE ME?"

Alyce closed her eyes for a moment.

She had intended to enjoy five minutes of peace.

Clearly, fate had other plans.

Alyce walked behind her desk and took her seat.

Four pairs of eyes were still fixed on her, waiting for an explanation about the mysterious person who supposedly wanted to marry her.

Alyce calmly picked up a file.

"Keep that aside for now."

"No, we absolutely will not keep that aside—" Kayla began.

"Clara."

Alyce's single word immediately cut her off.

Clara grumbled but opened her tablet.

"There's nothing urgent for now. Most of today's meetings have been postponed."

She scrolled through her schedule.

"You have a meeting with the CEO of Roberts Company in three days."

A smirk slowly appeared on Alyce's face.

Seeing that expression, the others exchanged glances.

It was never a good sign.

Hazel raised an eyebrow.

"Why do I suddenly feel bad for the CEO of Roberts Company?"

"Because your instincts are excellent," Lisa replied.

Alyce ignored them and gestured for Clara to continue.

Clara nodded.

"That's all regarding the company."

Before anyone could speak, Hazel placed her coffee cup on the table.

The room instantly grew serious.

"There is one more thing you need to know."

Alyce looked up.

"What is it?"

Hazel's expression darkened.

"The King of the Underworld is returning."

Silence filled the cabin.

Even Kayla stopped joking.

Elsa slowly set down the cookie she had been holding.

Alyce's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Are you sure?"

Hazel nodded.

"The information came from three independent sources. None of them have ever been wrong."

The atmosphere in the room changed completely.

Outside these walls, Alyce was known as the cold and powerful owner of A&T Company.

Very few people knew the truth.

Behind the scenes, she ruled a significant portion of the underworld, earning the title of Underworld Queen.

Fewer people still knew that she also held a high-ranking position within the government—one so classified that even most senior officials were unaware of her identity.

Only the five women in this room knew every side of her.

The Women Behind the Dark Knights

In a world where power dictated survival and trust was a luxury few could afford, six women stood at the pinnacle of influence, intelligence, and strength.

At their center was Alyce White.

At only twenty-five years old, Alyce was a name that commanded respect in every circle she stepped into. To the public, she was a successful businesswoman and a respected lecturer. To the elite, she was a brilliant strategist capable of turning failing companies into empires. But hidden beneath her elegant smile was a secret identity that could shake the entire underworld.

She was the feared Mafia Queen and the undisputed leader of the Dark Knights.

Anyone who dared threaten her loved ones quickly learned why her enemies whispered her name in fear. Alyce never forgave betrayal, especially from toxic relatives and those who hurt the people she cared about.

Standing beside her was her most trusted confidant, Clara Thomson.

As Alyce's personal assistant and right hand, Clara possessed a genius-level intellect and unmatched hacking skills. No firewall was strong enough to stop her, and no secret remained hidden for long. Beneath her cheerful demeanor was a fiercely loyal woman who would burn the world down for Alyce and her family.

The third pillar of the group was Elsa Green.

A brilliant lawyer with a sharp tongue and an even sharper mind, Elsa was the legal shield of the Dark Knights. While others fought with weapons, she fought with laws and evidence, ensuring her enemies had nowhere to run. Her loyalty to Alyce was unwavering, and she treated every threat against her friends as a personal enemy.

Then came Kayla Evans.

The famous fashion designer was admired for her creativity, but few knew she was also the strongest combat fighter among the Dark Knights. As Alyce's left hand, Kayla was a storm wrapped in elegance. She could walk a fashion runway in the morning and defeat armed opponents by night without breaking a sweat.

The managing order within the chaos was Hazel Campbell.

At twenty-six, Hazel was the oldest among them and often the voice of reason. As a manager in Alyce's company and a member of the Dark Knights, she ensured every operation ran smoothly. Her calm nature concealed a fierce determination to protect those she loved.

Completing the circle was Lisa Allen.

Warm-hearted and dependable, Lisa worked in Alyce's company while secretly serving as a member of the Dark Knights. She was the glue that held the team together, always ready to stand beside her friends in both peaceful and dangerous times.

Together, they were more than friends.

They were sisters by choice.

Bound by loyalty, strengthened by trust, and united by an unbreakable bond, they formed the core of the Dark Knights—a force powerful enough to shake both the business world and the underworld.

And anyone foolish enough to target one of them would soon discover a terrifying truth:

Touch one, and you face them all.