Chapter 1:The Night I Was Sold
(First person POV—Aria)
The very night my stepfather handed me over to Zephyr Knox, was marked by a torrential rainfall, while he made the deal.
"Take a seat," Aria, he told me without looking up, before his voice cut through again..
A pair of men in black suits lingered by the doorway, with no sign of worry on their faces.
That felt odd, given the chipped walls and overdue notices piling up inside.
"Why are they here?" I asked.
Fingers dragged across his brow and the words came out slowly, "Marriage is happening."
My eyes stayed on his face. "Who exactly did you mean?"
A man in a suit moved ahead, sharp-eyed…his words came out gentle…as he addressed someone by the name of Zephyr Calloway Knox.
Something about that name hit me wrong…as chill ran through at the sound of it…
That name was on every tongue…a billionaire… cold in his choices.
"You sign tomorrow."
My heart started pounding. "I don't even know him."
"You don't need to—it's a contract."
"A contract?"
The folder sat in his grip when I glanced over with a neat print carrying my name…right there on the final sheet…
"You're selling me," I whispered.
Ronald frowned his face. "I owe people money, Aria. Serious money but Knox cleared it."
Thin air filled my lungs like a whisper…as breathing became something fragile.
"So I'm paying?"
"You'll live in a mansion," he shot back.
"You'll have security…after all you should be grateful."
My hands trembled.
"What if I say no?"
A hush settled in, as stillness crept across the space.
"Close by now…Ronald spoke soft but sharp…there's no chance," he said.
It hit me then as he saw it clear… that the truth sat heavy…
The suited man Victor…I later learnt spoke calmly…
"Mr. Knox ensures your financial stability and safety…rest assured you will not be harmed.
What a pitiful effort that was–which almost slipped past without notice.
"I want a choice," I said.
Victor didn't answer.
That's why it never showed up.
My fingers trembled, Ronald pressed the folder toward me… a single word followed…just "sign."
The weight of it hung there.
Fog rolled across my vision when the letters sank in not just a name—Wife of Zephyr Calloway Knox.
Time stretched ahead open-ended but what followed stayed locked behind silence."This wasn't marriage."
A figure stepped forward, draped in fabric that whispered wealth.
The way they held themselves told you everything—no title needed.
A weight pressed into his fingers…though the pen was small…heavy air clung around something so light.
After I stopped talking Ronald took the folder fast…his face loosened…like a breath he'd held too long finally left him.
Victor gave me a small nod. "The car will arrive at nine in the morning."A moment ago, something finished moving between my hands.
Payment settled without delay…as the exchange left no trace behind.
The following morning it was still pouring with no break in sight by afternoon.
One bag was enough with garments inside. The chain my mom wore and everything else seemed borrowed somehow.
That moment Ronald kept his arms still, he stood there without reaching out. "You'll thank me one day," he said.
I didn't answer.Outside the black car sat still…silently gleaming from a distance…but moved forward pulling me away without asking.
One time I spotted him on TV… his eyes were deep…almost black.
The suit fit like it was made just for him without a single expression breaking through.
A figure stood there…his eyes holding lightning…as storms seemed to answer when he breathed.
"What reason could there be for a person like them saying yes?"
My phone rang with an unknown number.
For a moment I paused before speaking. "Hello?"
A voice came, it was calm but Aria Vale said the words.
"You signed."This was not something anyone would ask."Yes."
A silence fell from somewhere—a murmur crept through scattered talk—far off as he stood still.
"I don't tolerate games," he said calmly. "If you think this marriage gives you leverage, you're mistaken.
"Neither did I," he replied. The connection was cut off without warning.
My eyes stayed fixed on the screen of the device in my hand.
The car slowed, tall iron gates framed by shadows creaked open inch by inch.
Not far past…a mansion sat stiff and watchful…less a place to live more of something built to resist.
Cold stone forms the walls… through vast windows…light spills without invitation. There is no comfort here.
Outside the vehicle came to a halt by the doorway.
The door clicked open before I could knock—a smile met me there, "Hello, Mrs Knox.
The sound of those letters didn't sit right inside my head. Fresh air slipped through as the front doors swung wide.
A woman of height waited within…gray threading through her black hair…her spine sharp like steel, Helena Knox.
She appeared in glossy pages I'd flip through now and then.Her eyes moved over me…taking their time…then they stopped at my face.
Silence came first. Then her words floated out—calm and steady—about what was owed.
My stomach twisted. "I have a name," I said quietly.
Her lips curved just slightly. "We'll see how long you keep it."
She stepped aside. A hush ran down the hall at her back—long, open space.
Underfoot, slabs of smooth stone caught no sound. Above—glass frames hung still—giving light without warmth.
The breath in there moved like it was measured.
I stepped inside.
Behind me—the doors shut with a deep thud.
"Mr. Knox is not here," Helena said as we walked.
"He is handling matters more important than introductions."
"You will learn quickly," she continued, "that being a Knox wife requires discipline…silence and loyalty."
"I didn't choose this," I said.She stopped walking.
"No," she agreed softly. "But you signed."
Once more…just like before…a link of metal loops circles my arm. It rests where skin meets air.
My bag was carried off by an employee, I almost grabbed it… then thought better of it…
Helena led me toward a large staircase. "You will meet my son tomorrow. I suggest you understand something before then."
I swallowed. "What?"
"Zephyr Knox does not lose."
A weight pressed against my ribs as the sentence landed. Then silence grew thick around me. Bang—another thought hit me then.
Marriage never happened for me because that path remains to be tread upon..
Footsteps hit the dirt, as war was already in motion around me.
And tomorrow I will be led to him—the one who had paid for my freedom.