THE CONTRACT
Runa had spent the last week telling herself she was learning the rules of the house.
She had learned who to stand near to feel safe, and who to avoid to stay whole. She had learned when to speak and when to let her presence dissolve into the shadows. She had foolishly believed that careful observation—a quiet, watchful passivity—might be enough to keep her alive until the debt was paid.
But as she was escorted into the main hall that evening, the truth settled over her with the weight of a burial shroud.
This was never about survival. It was about ownership.
The hall was vast enough to swallow the sound of her own frantic heartbeat. Above, the massive crystal chandeliers burned with a cold, unforgiving light, turning the polished marble floors into a mirror that seemed designed to expose every flicker of weakness. The entire Vale family was already there, positioned like chess pieces on a board. No chairs were offered. No drinks were served. This was not a discussion; it was a verdict.
Runa stood alone in the center of the floor.
Roman Vale stood at the head of the room, his hands clasped behind his back. His posture was relaxed, yet he radiated a density of power that made the very air feel heavy. Althea stood beside him, immaculate and motionless, her gaze fixed on Runa with the dispassionate intensity of an appraiser looking at a used car. Behind them, Aurora sat like a queen in exile, regal and distant.
Jason leaned against a marble pillar, his arms crossed over his chest, his expression one of dark, flickering amusement.
Near the back, Toni hovered close to Eli, her fingers obsessively twisting the fabric of her silk sleeve. Eli stood like a soldier—back straight, eyes forward, her expression a blank wall of stone.
Roman cleared his throat, the sound echoing sharply.
"Rumina Winters," he said, his voice deep and resonant. "You know why you are here. You are intimately aware of the debt your father owes this family—a debt he cannot, and will not, pay in currency."
Runa's heart slammed against her ribs. Her mouth felt as though it were full of ash.
"And now," Roman continued, "it is time to resolve that debt once and for all."
"Resolve how?" Runa's voice came out thin, a fragile thread in the massive room.
Althea stepped forward, her heels clicking with finality. "You will marry me."
The words struck with the force of a physical blow. Runa's breath left her lungs in a sharp, broken gasp. The room seemed to tilt on its axis, the white marble rising up to meet her.
"I—" She shook her head, her vision blurring. "Excuse me?"
Roman didn't look at her; he looked at the space just above her head. "Your father's debt is binding. Legally documented. Substantial. In our world, when a loan is defaulted upon, collateral must be secured to ensure the family's interests."
Runa's knees buckled, and she had to lock them to stay upright. "You—you can't. We're both women. The legalities alone—"
"In short Men or women, either we have multiple partners doesnt really matter. The Vale words are final" Jason said
"Gender is not a complication for the Vales," Roman calmly said. "Our lawyers have already drafted the necessary paperwork. We did our research, Runa. It isn't a problem for you, either."
Aurora spoke then, her voice cutting through the air like a blade. "Vale women—especially those next in line for the primary seat—do not carry children. It is a matter of health, security, and the preservation of the mother's role in the firm." Her gaze shifted proudly to Althea.
Runa stared at her, the horror deepening. "What are you saying?"
"Surrogacy," Eli said flatly.
The word echoed in Runa's skull. They weren't just taking her life; they were planning her biological function.
"But why me?" Runa demanded, desperation finally bleeding into a raw, jagged anger. "There are thousands of girls in this city.I can pay another way?"
"Like what you cant really do anything" Althea muttered.
"I-,This isnt fair. I didnt know what was in the contract. Why me?"
Jason chuckled softly from the shadows of his pillar. "Because you have blue eyes, little mouse."
Runa turned toward him, her stomach churning.
"All Vale heirs and partners must have them," Toni said quietly, her voice trembling and almost apologetic.
"It's... it's the tradition. The 'Vale Blue.'"
"Bloodline consistency," Roman added, as if explaining a corporate branding strategy. "Image. Continuity. You are a perfect genetic match for the aesthetic of this family."
Runa shook her head violently, her hair falling into her face. "I can't. I won't. I'm not a dog you can breed to match the curtains!"
Althea's expression hardened, her eyes flashing with a sudden, dangerous coldness. "You can," she said sharply. "Or you can learn exactly what a 'refusal of contract' costs in this house. Do you think those men on the floor the other night were the first to say no to us?"
The temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees. Jason straightened slightly, his smile thinning into something predatory. "Compliance is much easier, Runa," he murmured. "Trust me."
Runa searched the room—any sign of hesitation, a flicker of doubt, a grain of mercy. She found nothing. Toni looked physically ill, her eyes darting between Runa and Althea, but she remained silent.
Eli's gaze finally shifted, meeting Runa's for a split second. "Collateral," Eli said quietly, almost to herself, "is never given a choice."
The words landed heavier than all the threats combined.
Roman nodded once, signaling the end of the audience. "The engagement will be announced internally tonight. The contract will be finalized tomorrow morning."
Tomorrow.
Althea turned away as if Runa had already ceased to exist as a person and had become a settled line item on a ledger. "Escort her out."
Back in her room, the door clicked shut with a sound that felt like the locking of a tomb.
Runa collapsed onto the edge of the bed, her hands shaking so violently she had to clutch the mattress to stay grounded.
Marriage. Contract. Collateral.
She wasn't a person to them. She was leverage with a pulse. She was a biological vessel for a "tradition" she didn't believe in. Her father's smiling face flashed in her mind—distracted, gentle, pushing papers across the table with a pen ready.
"Just sign here, sweetheart. It's for our future."
Her fingernails dug into her palms until she drew blood.
A soft knock sounded at the door. Runa stiffened, her voice cracking. "Go away."
The door opened anyway. Eli stepped inside and closed it behind her. She didn't approach; she stayed by the door, a dark silhouette against the hallway light. For a long moment, neither of them spoke.
"I didn't know," Eli said finally. "About the timing. I thought they would wait until the end of the month."
Runa laughed weakly, a jagged sound that bordered on a sob. "That makes one of us. I didn't know I was being sold for my eye color."
Eli hesitated, then took a single step forward. "Vale doesn't marry for affection, Runa. She marries to control. To consolidate power."
"That's supposed to comfort me?" Runa snapped, looking up with eyes red-rimmed and fierce.
"No," Eli replied, her voice steady. "It's supposed to inform you. In this house, information is the only thing that weighs more than lead."
Silence stretched between them, heavy and thick. Then Eli added, much softer, "And control... control can be challenged. If you're smart."
Runa looked up, catching Eli's gaze. It was serious, unblinking. Eli wasn't promising a rescue. She wasn't offering the false hope of a knight in shining armor. She was acknowledging the truth of the battlefield.
"Why are you saying this"
Eli shrug her shoulders then left, Runa sat alone in the dark. Her fingers brushed the old, tarnished ring her father had given her years ago—the one he said symbolized his protection. It felt like a mockery now. It felt heavy.
She closed her hand around it, squeezing until the metal bit into her skin.
I will survive, she told herself, the fear beginning to calcify into something colder. I will not disappear. And I will not be owned.
Outside, the city of the Vales continued—unaware, indifferent. Inside the estate, something had shifted. Runa Winters, bound by contract and watched by predators, felt the first true spark of rebellion ignite in her chest.