CELESTE
Still holding the paper, I felt like it might burn my hands.
Of course, not literally. But I could feel its weight, as if it were too hot to hold onto for long without blistering my skin.
I did not want this to be real.
But there it was, my name. And his name.
Adrian Kade.
The office smelled strongly of Nina's peppermint from her diffuser. On a normal smooth day, I might have found it comforting, but not today. It felt unpleasantly excessive and completely out of sync with the chaos in my life.
I sat on the edge of the desk, and my eyes were glued to the clause:
'In case of an unsolvable conflict between both parties, the undersigned agree to resolve it through asset consolidation, including, if necessary, legal marital alignment to avoid brand damage and preserve public trust.'
Marital alignment! As in marriage. As in… marry Adrian Kade?
I shut my eyes tight and said to myself that this had to be a joke. Or some sort of mistake.
But Nina's serious face told me otherwise.
"I need some air," I said, standing up too quickly. I felt the world around me tip just a bit, and my knees felt shaky.
"Celeste, you haven't eaten all day," Nina said softly, concern etched all over her. "And you have hardly touched your water." She added.
"I am fine," I replied, even though I was definitely not.
It felt as if I was watching my future crumble apart, and nobody else around me could hear it crashing.
I rushed out of the office, skipping the elevator for the stairs. My body needed to feel something real, from the cold metal under my palm, to the sound of my footsteps on the hard ground.
When I got outside, New York City was loud and full of life. Full of the smells of gasoline, hot dogs, pizza, burgers, and mind-blowing ambitions all over me. The cool breeze hit my face, and I felt my eyes stinging.
Not from the wind, but from tears.
I quickly wiped my cheek.
No, not this. Not again.
I had promised myself I would not fall apart in public anymore, not after everything I had been through.
I had built GlowThread from nothing, from dust and shame. Overcoming days of instant noodles, borrowed Wi-Fi, and the resolve I made to be successful enough that no one could take it away from me.
And now? It's a pity Adrian Kade has found a loophole.
I could sense he did not just want to break me, he wanted to control me.
Back upstairs, I forced myself to read every line of that contract again. Maybe I could get something to terminate the clause.
It was then that Rafi walked in, he glanced at it over my shoulder, and quickly stepped back, as if a bomb had gone off.
"This… this is legal," he said slowly, his tone explaining how shocked he was. "Seems unusual, maybe even outrageous. But… it is legal."
"So what does that mean?" I curiously asked, expecting to hear a different explanation from him.
He heaved a deep sigh and said, "If both companies are facing collapse, and we can't work it out in court, the merger clause kicks in. And marriage is the last resort they will likely turn to."
I let out a short, yet, bitter laugh. "Marriage is not a solution to business problems."
"It is to people like him," he plainly said.
Rafi looked at me carefully, "Celeste, he might have known about this all along. I am not sure."
I froze at the spot, the realization dawning on me.
"You are saying Adrian planned all of this?"
"I am saying this wasn't just by chance," he said, and left me thinking without any proof of his assertion.
Later that day, I reluctantly said yes to a meeting with Adrian's team at his Porsche Midtown office.
Not with him, just his team.
But, of course, he showed up.
The elevator doors slid open, and there he was, adorned in a dark suit with no tie, sleeves rolled up as if he didn't have to put in any effort.
And maybe he didn't.
Adrian Kade did not walk into a room; instead, he arrived.
His presence gave an admired legacy. It felt like icy steel, sharp enough to cut through anything.
"Celeste," he said smoothly, he has this attractive smile. "Glad you are here."
I clenched my teeth. "You knew."
He raised an eyebrow. "About?"
"The clause. The contract. And this so-called merger solution."
Right there, I could see a flicker in his eyes, not that of surprise or guilt, but something worse.
Satisfaction.
"Let's not pretend you did not sign it," he said, his voice calm.
"I was twenty-one. It was a seed round. I barely understood what I was signing back then."
"Anyway, you signed it. That's what counts."
I wish I could wipe that self-satisfying look off his face.
Instead, I forced a smile, cold and controlled.
"What are you playing at, Adrian? You want me to marry you just so you can look like the good guy while taking me down?" I asked, as if I could get the truth from him.
"I don't want to marry you," he said. "I want to make this problem disappear before we both lose everything."
"Isn't it convenient that this clause suddenly appeared?" I said carelessly.
He did not deny it. He did not even blink for a second.
He leaned closer, his voice low and smooth. "If it comes down to destroying our companies… or faking a marriage for the press. You and I both know what our boards will choose."
I hated how calm he was. At the same time, I hated the fact that he was right.
Back at home, I stood to stare at my reflection in the mirror.
Not as a powerful CEO. Not even as an innovator.
Just a woman who might be forced to marry her worst enemy to keep her life from crumbling.
Just then, my phone buzzed with a mysterious message from an unknown number:
'He's not playing nice, Celeste. And he's not the only one watching you. From X.
I froze, my heart began to pound.
Who the hell was X?
And how much worse was this going to get?