*Ethan's POV*
The meeting had already been decided.
Both our fathers had arranged it. Location. Time and Outcome.
My phone
My father's name flashed across the screen, and the anger I'd been holding snapped tight.
"Seven tonight. The Capital Grill," he said without greeting. "Don't keep that pretty girl waiting,"
"I heard you," I said, jaw locked.
The call ended.
I slammed the phone onto the desk, exhaled once, and stood up, leaving for the Capital Grills restaurant, There was no choice left to pretend about.
I arrived exactly at seven.
The entire upstairs had been reserved, it was a quiet luxury with muted lighting and polished wood,
Minutes passed.
Then a lady walked in.
It must be Serena Hale.
She seemed a little confused and nervous as she looked around.
She finally spotted me and began walking towards me.
I assessed her quickly, she was a five-foot-tall, her dark hair pulled into a precise chignon, her honey-colored eyes sharp with awareness. and wore a loose floral dress. Understated. Controlled.
Attractive.
The dangerous kind.
"You're twenty minutes late," I had to tell her.
No one has ever dared to keep me waiting and here she was doing just that.
"..You must be Ethan Crowe?" she inquired curiously.
I didn't stand. "Who else would I be?"
Her brows lifted half in irritation and half in surprise.
I don't care, she needs to get the message that I am not in approval of this marriage.
"You didn't have to book the entire floor," she said.
"I don't discuss contracts in public."
That shut her up.
Another point for myself.
Silence stretched, with the other waiting for the other to speak.
I stood. "So since we now know each other, that means we're done."
She blinked. "That's it...I thought we were meeting to get to know each other,"
"Of course, you know it's me you're getting married to and I know that it's you that I'm getting married to,"
The look of disappointment was all over her face but she shouldn't have been expecting a romantic lover from a husband you just met.
The car ride was silent.
I sat at the far end of the backseat, distance deliberate. Guards flanked us, the city sliding past the tinted windows. Her hand brushed the seat once. I didn't react.
We finally reached her home.
"You can get out."
She got out not saying any goodbyes to me.
The door shut. The driver pulled away immediately.
I didn't look back.
This wasn't romance.
This wasn't a choice.
I know I was being rude to her but I didn't want her and that old man to feel like they had won.
It was a transaction forced by power.
And yet, annoyingly, the image of her calm stare followed me long after the taillights disappeared.
That bothered me more than it should have.
Serena POV
The car's taillights disappeared, leaving me alone in the quiet street.
I stood there longer than I should have, my thoughts tangled and restless.
Ethan Crowe.
Cold. Controlled. Self-centered.
Not once had he tried to be kind. Not once had he pretended this wasn't a transaction. He had looked at me the way men like him looked at numbers—useful, replaceable, temporary.
And somehow, that scared me more than cruelty would have.
I didn't know how I was supposed to live under the same roof as a man like that. A man who didn't need to raise his voice to make you feel small.
I pushed the thought aside and went inside.
Laughter floated from the living room.
Soft. Intimate. Familiar.
My steps slowed.
Damien sat on the couch with Lila curled against him, his arm wrapped around her waist, his fingers brushing her hair like it was second nature. The sight punched the air from my lungs.
"Well," Lila said brightly when she saw me. "You're back."
Damien's smile was polite. Curious. Fake concern wrapped in satisfaction.
"How was your date?" he asked. "We were worried."
I almost laughed.
Worried.
I straightened my spine and met their gazes evenly. "It was… enlightening."
Lila exchanged a look with Damien, her lips curving. "Is he as scary as everyone says?"
"Or worse?" Damien added lightly.
They were enjoying this. Every second of it.
I refused to give them what they wanted.
I inhaled slowly, the way my grandmother had taught me when things hurt too much to show. "Goodnight," I said calmly.
Then I walked away.
In my room, I shut the door and leaned back against it, my heartbeat loud in my ears.
I reached for my phone and dialed the hospital.
The answer came quickly.
"Mrs. Hale's outstanding balance has been settled," the nurse said. "Everything's been taken care of."
For a moment, I couldn't speak.
Relief washed through me so suddenly my knees weakened. My grandmother was safe. Treated. Protected.
If marrying a ruthless man meant keeping her alive…
Then I would do it.
I would endure the cold. The distance. The loveless contract.
I set the phone down and exhaled slowly.
Then, against my will, Ethan's face surfaced in my mind—his steady gaze, his controlled presence, the sharp edge of confidence he wore like armor.
I clenched my fists.
I hated that I had noticed.
Hated even more that I found him… a little attractive.
That was dangerous.
And I had a feeling this marriage was going to cost me far more than I was prepared to lose.