I didn't breathe for a full second after his words.
Mine. Every breath and every I inch.
He'd said it like he already owned me, like the deal was signed in blood. And for one dizzy, terrifying heartbeat, I almost wanted to surrender just to see what it felt like.
But then reality slammed back.
I straightened in my seat, tightening my grip on my pride. "This isn't about belonging to you. It's about business. A deal."
His laugh was low and sharp, the kind that cut. "Business. Christ, you really don't get it, do you? Marriage isn't a deal, sweetheart. Not with me. If you want my name, my power, my protection. then you give me more than just a signature."
I forced my chin higher. "And what do you want?"
He leaned forward, elbows resting on the table, his gaze steady and merciless. "Everything you've never given anyone else. Your loyalty. Your silence. Your obedience."
Heat crawled up my neck. "I'm not some pet you can control Adrian."
"No," he said smoothly, "you're worse. You're a spoiled heiress who only comes crawling when her perfect little world comes comes crashing down. And that makes me wonder, princess how far are you really willing to go to get what you want?"
The words stung, but I refused to flinch. I had walked into this bar knowing he'd make me bleed.
"I'll give you what you want if you give me what I need."
His lips curved slowly, dark amusement lighting his eyes. "Bold words. You think you can bargain with me?"
"Yes." My voice shook, but I didn't let it falter. "Because I know you. You want me to suffer for how I treated you, fine. But you also want me. You wouldn't be here if you didn't."
The air between us went still. For the first time, something flickered across his face, something dangerous, something he tried to bury as quickly as it surfaced.
I pressed on, my heart hammering. "So stop pretending this is just revenge. You could've ignored me. Deleted my message. You didn't."
Silence stretched. His jaw tightened. And then, suddenly, he smiled.
Not cruel this time. Not mocking. Just… dangerous in a different way.
"You always were smarter than I gave you credit for princess ."
My breath caught. Did he just indirectly insult me? No he didn't, did he.?
He leaned in close, his voice a whisper that slid right down my spine. "Fine. You want my name? My protection? You'll get it. But not for free. Not without conditions ."
I swallowed. "What conditions ?"
He let the pause linger, dragging my nerves to the breaking point. Then his words landed, heavy and certain:
"You don't just marry me. You move into my house. You sleep in my bed. You stand at my side. And you never, ever run."
My chest tightened so hard it hurt. Living with him. Sharing his bed. No escape.
It wasn't a proposal. It was a sentence.
But behind the fear twisting my stomach, there was something else, something reckless, something I hated myself for. A flicker of heat, of curiosity, of longing.
I looked him in the eye. "And if I say no?"
He smirked, slow and merciless. "Then you go crawling back to Daddy. Alone. Empty-handed. Weak."
The thought made bile rise in my throat. My parents' sneers. My sister jeslyn's smug smile. My father's empire slipping through my fingers. Everything I worked so hard for. I couldn't let that happen.
So I whispered the word that sealed my fate.
"Yes."
For a moment, the world felt too quiet.
His eyes darkened, his smirk sharpening into something far more dangerous. He leaned closer, until his breath brushed my lips.
"I thought as much. Good girl."
My pulse slammed. I hated how my body reacted, how heat shot through me at those two words.
"How long will this charade go on for?."he asked.
"A year, by then I'll have the company in my name, we can part ways then."
He sat back, satisfied, like a king who'd just won another war. "We'll draft the contract papers. Tomorrow. Be ready."
And just like that, the conversation was over. He stood, buttoning his jacket, his presence filling the dim bar like smoke.
I stayed seated, my legs trembling, my throat dry, my mind screaming.
Because I'd just agreed to sell myself to the man I once swore I'd never want.
And worse? Somewhere deep down, in the part of me I couldn't admit even to myself…
I already did.