I stared at the papers in front of me, the words blurring together as my heart raced. This couldn't be happening. Not to me. Not to my family. But the cold, hard truth was right there in black and white, and my father, the man I had always admired for his strength and resolve, was sitting across from me, his expression stony but his eyes pleading.

"Lily," he said, his voice tinged with a desperation that I had never heard before. "This is the only way. The creditors are closing in, and if we don't act now, we'll lose everything. The business... our home... our name."

My mind raced, searching for another solution, any solution, but there was nothing. I had known for months that things were bad, but I had never imagined it would come to this. A marriage—no, a transaction—with a man I had never met. A man whose name alone sent shivers down my spine.

Alexander Wu.

I'd heard of him, of course. Who hadn't? The billionaire with a reputation as cold as the arctic and a business acumen that left even the most seasoned CEOs trembling. He was ruthless, they said. Unfeeling. The kind of man who saw people as pawns to be moved around the board as he saw fit. And now, my father was asking me to become one of those pawns.

"Dad, you can't be serious," I whispered, my voice trembling. "There has to be another way."

"There isn't," he said, his tone final. "Alexander has agreed to the terms. He'll inject the capital we need to save the company, and in return, you'll be his wife."

Wife. The word felt foreign in my mouth, like it belonged to someone else. I had always imagined getting married one day, but not like this. Not with a man I didn't know, and certainly not as part of some cold, calculated business deal.

"I don't want to do this," I said, shaking my head. "I can't marry a man I don't even know."

"It's not about what you want, Lily. It's about survival. Our survival."

His words hit me like a punch to the gut. Our survival. How many times had I heard that in recent months? Every time another bill went unpaid, every time another employee was let go, every time my father came home looking more defeated than the day before. Our survival. And now, that burden was being placed squarely on my shoulders.

I closed my eyes, trying to steady my breathing. I had to be strong. For my father. For my family. But the thought of marrying Alexander Wu—of signing away my life to a man who saw me as nothing more than a means to an end—was almost too much to bear.

"Lily," my father said, his voice softening. "I know this is hard. But sometimes we have to make sacrifices for the greater good. You understand that, don't you?"

I opened my eyes and looked at him. The lines on his face seemed deeper than I remembered, his hair more gray than black. He looked older than his years, worn down by the weight of the world on his shoulders. I knew he was right. There was no other way. If I didn't do this, everything we had worked for would be lost.

But that didn't make it any easier.

"When do I meet him?" I asked, my voice hollow.

"Tomorrow," he said. "He'll come to the house at noon."

Tomorrow. So soon. I felt like I was suffocating, the walls closing in around me. But there was no escape. I was trapped in this nightmare, and the only way out was to go through with it.

I nodded slowly, the weight of my decision settling over me like a shroud. "Okay," I whispered. "I'll do it."

My father let out a breath he had been holding, relief washing over his face. "Thank you, Lily. You don't know how much this means to me. To all of us."

I didn't respond. What was there to say? I had just agreed to marry a man I didn't know, to save a family business that I wasn't even sure I wanted to be part of. My life, as I knew it, was over.

The next day, I dressed carefully, choosing a simple navy dress that I hoped would make me look confident, even if I didn't feel it. My hands trembled as I buttoned the front, but I forced myself to keep going. I couldn't afford to fall apart now.

At exactly noon, the doorbell rang, and my heart jumped into my throat. This was it. I took a deep breath and walked to the front door, my heels clicking on the hardwood floor. With every step, I felt the noose tightening around my neck.

When I opened the door, I was greeted by the sight of Alexander Wu in the flesh. He was tall, imposing, with sharp features and eyes that seemed to pierce right through me. He was even more intimidating in person than I had imagined. I felt small and insignificant under his gaze.

"Miss Chen," he said, his voice smooth but devoid of warmth. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

I forced a smile, even though my stomach was in knots. "Mr. Wu. Thank you for coming."

He stepped inside, and the air seemed to grow colder. I led him to the sitting room, where my father was waiting, but I could barely focus on the introductions. All I could think about was the contract that lay on the table, waiting to seal my fate.

Alexander wasted no time. He sat down, glanced briefly at the papers, and then looked at me. "I assume you've read the terms?"

I nodded. "Yes."

"And you agree?"

Did I agree? Of course not. But what choice did I have? I swallowed hard and nodded again. "Yes."

"Good," he said, his tone indicating that there was no room for negotiation. He reached into his briefcase and pulled out a pen, handing it to me. "Sign here."

I took the pen, my hand trembling as I hovered over the dotted line. This was it. Once I signed, there would be no turning back. My life would belong to Alexander Wu, and whatever future I had imagined for myself would be gone.

But I couldn't hesitate. I couldn't afford to think about what I was giving up. I had to do this—for my family.

With a deep breath, I scrawled my name on the line, the ink flowing smoothly onto the paper. When I was done, I handed the pen back to Alexander, feeling like a part of me had just died.

"Congratulations, Mrs. Wu," he said, his lips curling into a faint smile that didn't reach his eyes.

I forced another smile, though it felt more like a grimace. "Thank you."

He stood up, signaling that the meeting was over. "I'll have my lawyer finalize the details. We'll be married by the end of the week."

So soon. I nodded, unable to find the words to respond. He gave me a curt nod and then turned to leave, my father following him to the door. I stayed behind, staring at the contract on the table, my mind numb.

I had just signed away my freedom, my future, to a man who saw me as nothing more than a business transaction. A deal with the devil, sealed with my name.

And there was no going back.