Kiad's eyes never left her as he stood tall, his tone as indifferent as ever. "There's something you need to Know and understand," he continued, his words laced with a seriousness she hadn't heard before. "This engagement... it isn't what you think."
Luna's heart dropped. Her hands tightened around the glass of wine, her knuckles white from the pressure. 'Not what I think?' She had never deluded herself into believing that theirs was a love match, but hearing him spell it out so plainly, with such cold precision, still stung in a way she wasn't prepared for. There was always that small, hidden part of her that hoped no, longed for some affection, some possibility that what they had might turn into something real.
Her voice was barely above a whisper when she finally spoke. "What are you saying, Kiad?" Luna swallowed, trying to regain her composure. "Why now? Why tell me this now?"
Kiad shifted, his expression still unreadable, his voice still annoyingly calm. "Because I need you to Know and understand what this is. I'm not going to be the kind of husband you expect. This engagement isn't based on love or anything remotely personal. It's a deal, nothing more. It was your Dad and My grandpa who chose for us. Okay!"
The words cut deep. Luna felt herself retreating emotionally, trying to put up the walls that had always protected her in moments like this. She had learned to be strong, especially in front of people who always wanted to use her, take advantage of her, or bend her to their will. But Kiad wasn't just anyone. He was her fiancé whether she had wanted him to be or not.
"And why do you think I expect anything?" Luna's tone was sharp now, a defense mechanism kicking in to mask the hurt. "I never asked for this arrangement either. But you didn't see me running away from it, did you?"
Her words hung in the air for a moment, and Kiad's jaw tightened slightly. He seemed to consider her for a long second before speaking again.
"I'm not here to hurt you," he said, Gentle this time, but still controlled. "But there are things happening behind the scenes, things that go beyond either of us. I need you to know that this is about something bigger and it means something to me. I want us to marry, but not for the reasons you're hoping for."
Luna felt her breath hitch. He wasn't asking her for forgiveness, nor was he pleading for her understanding. He was simply stating facts cold, harsh truths that left no room for interpretation. She was being pulled into something, but what exactly.?
"What exactly do you want from me, Kiad?" Luna asked, her voice a mix of frustration and resignation. "What is it that you need me for if this is all just a business transaction?"
Kiad's took a breath, and for a fleeting moment. "I need you to stay," he said quietly. "I need you to marry me because it's the only way to secure what both of our families need. But I'm not asking for love. I'm not asking for trust. I'm just asking you to understand that this is the way things have to be. Let's be Husband and Wife on Paper"
Luna's heart clenched. The way things have to be. Was that all life was going to offer her? Another deal, another sacrifice, another moment of putting her own desires aside for the sake of duty?
She turned away from him, staring out into the darkness beyond the terrace. The party continued in the background, the music, the laughter, the clinking of glasses none of it felt real anymore. It was all a distraction from the harsh reality she now faced.
"I don't know if I can do this," she whispered, more to herself than to him.
Kiad stepped closer again, but this time, he didn't reach out. He simply stood beside her, his presence a steady force. "I'm not asking you to like it. I'm asking you to survive it. You and I, Luna we don't have to pretend to be something we're not. But we do need to be on the same side."
Luna closed her eyes, letting his words sink in. She had always been strong, always been the one to hold things together. But this felt different. This felt like giving up a part of herself that she wasn't sure she could afford to lose.
She turned to face him again, her eyes searching his for some sign of the man she had hoped he could be. But all she found was resolve, and maybe a hint of regret buried deep beneath the surface.
"Fine," she said finally, her voice steady but heavy with the weight of the decision. "I'll marry you. But don't expect me to fall in love with you. Don't expect me to be the kind of wife who waits at home, hoping for your affection."
Kiad nodded, his expression unchanged. "I wouldn't ask that of you."
Luna took a deep breath, her heart still aching but her mind clear. This was her life now. And no matter how painful it was, she would face it head-on, just as she always had.
Because that's what Luna Ross did. She survived.
Luna's heart raced, her mind reeling from Kiad's words. He stood close, his voice cool and detached, as if he was proposing a simple business merger, not a life together.
"I need you to stay. I need you to marry me," he said, his tone unwavering. "But not for love. This isn't about affection or trust. It's about survival for both of us."
Luna's breath hitched. Survival. Was that all it ever was? Was that all her life had been reduced to? She could feel the weight of his words pressing down on her, suffocating the faint hope she had held onto for so long that maybe, just maybe, this time, she would get to experience a love that was real and pure. A love without conditions.
She closed her eyes for a moment, letting the noise of the party fade into the background, the distant hum of voices and laughter becoming a blur. All she could focus on was the echo of Kiad's cold proposal, his demand for something she wasn't sure she could give. Her heart twisted painfully in her chest, and an overwhelming sense of emptiness washed over her.
Memories flashed before her eyes. Her childhood, where every smile, every act of love came with strings attached. Her father, distant and unreachable, only approving of her when she succeeded, when she proved her worth through work and achievement. And now Kiad, another man standing in front of her, asking her to enter into a loveless marriage for the sake of convenience.
She didn't want this. Not again.
Luna opened her eyes, but she didn't look at him. She kept her gaze firmly on the ground, staring at the tiles beneath her feet as if they held some answer to the turmoil inside her. Her grip tightened around her glass, and her lips parted slightly, but the words she wanted to say wouldn't come out.
She wanted to scream at him. To demand why he would ask this of her. Why he would take the one thing she had always longed for a real, genuine connection and reduce it to a cold transaction. But something stopped her. Maybe it was pride, or maybe it was fear. Fear that if she asked, if she truly let him see how much his words hurt, she would only be met with more indifference.
Instead, her voice came out soft, barely audible. "I'll… I'll consider it."
She could feel his eyes on her, but she refused to meet his gaze. If she looked at him now, she knew she would break, and she couldn't afford to break in front of him. Not now. Not ever.
Kiad didn't say anything for a moment, and the silence between them grew heavier with each passing second. Luna felt a lump forming in her throat, but she swallowed it down, willing herself to stay composed. She wasn't going to let him see her pain. Not when he had just torn apart the last shred of hope she had been holding onto.
When he finally spoke, his voice was quieter, almost hesitant. "Luna, this isn't....."
But she cut him off, her words firm and unyielding. "I'll consider it," she repeated, a little stronger this time. "That's all I can say for now."
She didn't want to hear his explanations. She didn't want to know why he thought this arrangement was the only solution. None of it mattered anymore. Because deep down, Luna already knew her answer. She had spent her whole life compromising, giving up parts of herself to meet others' expectations, to survive in a world that demanded perfection from her at every turn.
But this? This was different. This was the last piece of herself she couldn't give up.
Without looking at him, she took a deep breath and turned away slightly, her fingers trembling as she set her glass down on a nearby table. She felt dizzy, overwhelmed by the weight of everything. The party, the project, and now this...this cruel twist of fate that was asking her to marry someone who didn't even want her heart, only her compliance for what she guesses if for his Selfish Reasons.
"I need some air," she murmured, her voice almost lost in the noise of the party beyond the terrace.
Kiad didn't move, and for a moment, Luna thought he might say something else, something to break through the cold distance between them. But he didn't. He simply watched her, As he Took his phone out of course to inform Selena, as she turned and walked away.
Luna made her way toward the edge of the garden, where the soft lights of the party faded into the shadows of the trees. She needed space. She needed to think. But more than that, she needed to breathe. To escape the suffocating reality of what her life had become.
She found a quiet spot near the trees and leaned against a low stone wall, staring out into the darkness. The night air was cool against her skin, but it did little to calm the storm raging inside her.
How had it come to this? How had she allowed herself to get so caught up in the facade of success and status that she hadn't even realized how far she had drifted from what truly mattered? All she had ever wanted was love. Real love. The kind that didn't come with conditions or expectations. The kind that made you feel alive, not trapped.
And now, here she was, being asked to settle for something less. Something hollow. Something that would leave her just as empty as she had always felt.
Luna closed her eyes again, her heart heavy with the weight of it all. She wasn't going to let Kiad or anyone else decide her future for her. Not this time. She had spent too long living up to other people's expectations, trying to prove herself worthy of love and respect. But no more.
When she opened her eyes, the resolve had returned. She wasn't going to give Kiad an answer tonight. Maybe not for a long time. She wasn't going to let herself be swept into another loveless arrangement, no matter how much pressure was placed on her.
Because deep down, Luna knew what she wanted. She had always known. And it wasn't this.
With a deep breath, she straightened up, her mind clearer than it had been moments ago. She wasn't going to give up on her dreams, and she wasn't going to settle for anything less than what she deserved. Not from Kiad. Not from anyone.
And if that meant walking away from him from this engagement then so be it.
Because Luna Ross had survived worse. And she wasn't about to let anyone, not even Kiad, take away the last piece of her heart.