I Love You Selene's POV Elias Knight didn't waste time . +25 BONUS " Miss Selene , " he said , flashing that signature half - smile that could undo most women in a heartbeat , " your work with the Vale didn't just make them number one in New York - it made them number one in the States . " He leaned in slightly , voice low and confident . " I'm building something here . A casino empire . And I need someone who knows what they're doing . Someone like you . I was wondering if you'd consider joining me ... I think we could make magic happen . " C Elias Knight - asking me to work with him . It would've been foolish to say no . Not to mention he had that look . Dangerous , magnetic , sharp as sin . A man born for midnight deals and velvet - gloved power plays . By the end of that meeting , I agreed . He offered me three times what the Vale ever did . And more importantly ... he offered me respect . I was grateful . No - empowered . Exactly one week after Adrian Vale's engagement party , I set foot in England . Only then did it finally hit me- This was my clean slate . No Adrian . No Vale . No more begging for scraps of affection or being pitied by the very people who should've honored me . Just me . Selene . Running her own life . Owing nothing to anyone . My career at Knight's casino ? Explosive . In just two years , I had turned a new start up casino into a household name - not just across England's elite circles , but in the underground too . Money poured in like rain . And Elias ? He treated me with unwavering respect . Sometimes he'd bring me into meetings that had nothing to do with the casino , asking for my opinion on his other ventures . He listened - really listened - like I was royalty . He honored my words like they were law . Like I was king . To celebrate this year's record - breaking profits , Elias planned the most extravagant party London had seen in years He invited everyone - partners , competitors , royalty in both silk and blood . And me . A week before , he handed me a dress . " Wear this ," he said simply " You'll look perfect . " I thought it was for show - for appearances , so I'd match the room when he introduced me to his powerful friends . But I was wrong I Love You +25 BONUS When I arrived that night , Elias met me at the entrance himself and led me away from the glittering chaos . Just him and me . He wore a pitch - black suit , tailored to lethal perfection . But his tie - his tie matched my dress . " Selene , " he said , voice velvet - dark and steady , " you've worked with me for two years now , haven't you ? " My heart fluttered . Was this a goodbye ? A shift in our arrangement ? " Yes , " I replied , wary . He smiled faintly , like he knew exactly what I was thinking . " I'll admit , when we first met , I didn't see you like the others . The women I kept around were ... different . But you ? You weren't just a woman . You were a force . " His hand reached out slowly - not demanding , just .... offering . " But I have to be honest now , " he said , locking eyes with me . " Selene , I've fallen in love with you . " The words struck like lightning . Of all the outcomes I'd prepared for - this wasn't one of them . Elias Knight . The man who Jt an empire with silence and steel ... loved me ? I felt the heat rise to my cheeks , my breath catching . " You ... " He smiled gently . " Don't answer now . Just know this I'm a man of promises . I never make one I can't keep . If I say I love you , Selene , I mean it . Every word . Nothing less . " Then , carefully , he reached again - his fingertips brushing mine . " I've never met someone like you . And if I'm being honest , I think I fell for you the moment we met . But back then ... I didn't dare say it . " His voice dipped to a whisper , brushing against the shell of year . I hadn't even considered the possibility of Elias Knight loving me . Let alone asking for my love - right here , right now . Istammered My pulse raced . " I ... " He didn't let me flounder . " The Knight Casino ? " he said , his voice low and resolute . " That was just the beginning . I want to give you more - everything- if you want it . But I can't keep standing by your side as just your partner . Just your boss " His eyes , usually calm and calculated , burned with frustration . " I'm tired of standing next to you while other men flirt with you - smiling through it like it doesn't kill me inside . Watching . Saying nothing . Because I had no right . " Elias Knight - the man who ruled empires and yet stood before me , vulnerable . Open . " Selene , " he said , his gaze locking with mine , " I only ask for one thing . One chance . To show you that I can be better than Adrian Vale ever was . That I am better . I won't let you down " That was what undid me . The way Elias Knight - a man feared and followed - lowered himself to ask me for something as fragile as a chance " Elias " I breathed his name like a prayer , " you know what I went through with the Vales . I don't think I can trust again - not yet . I'd hate to be selfish and keep you waiting for something I might never be able to give- " I Love You He stepped in , cutting me off . " I'll prove it to you - Selene , have I ever let you down ? " I looked up into those steel - blue eyes . And for once ... I didn't see the mobster . I saw the man . Slowly , I smiled . " I'm not a coward either . So let's do this . I trust you . " Elias's whole face lit up - like a boy who'd just been handed the world on a silver platter . The King of London ... undone by a single yes . +25 BONUS The very next day , he brought me to meet his family . He said he didn't want to wait another second before introducing me as his girlfriend I expected icy stares . Formidable mafia types . But instead - his parents were warm , gracious . His mother even clasped a velvet box into my hands . Inside , a delicate necklace shimmered under the chandelier light . This , " she said , smiling , " is only passed down to the next Mrs. Knight . " I tried to refuse . She wouldn't let me . After Elias and I got together , the business soared . He trusted my instincts , championed my voice . Within a year , we'd opened four more casinos across major English cities . I was named Vice President of the Knight Casino . And on New Year's Eve - under a sky bursting with champagne - colored fireworks - Elias got down on one knee . Everyone he knew was there . Even my mother - who Elias had personally flown from Chicago to London . She couldn't stop talking about him . Couldn't stop smiling . News of our engagement swept across the mafia world like wildfire . Every syndicate whispered the same thing : Who was the woman Elias Knight chose as his queen ?