For the three people sitting at the table, once they were one hundred percent sure of what Lyle had said, "shock" was an understatement. They stared at him in disbelief. Eira blinked once, then twice, her mouth slightly open as her mind raced, trying to comprehend the gravity of Lyle's proposal. Marriage? To him?
Her pulse thundered in her ears, and she struggled to maintain her composure. Marry him? Of all the things she'd expected—threats, blackmail, maybe even force—this was not one of them. She stared at him, trying to understand his angle, but his violet eyes revealed nothing except the cold certainty that he had already made his decision.
"You can't be serious," Eira finally said, her voice low and disbelieving.
Lyle's expression didn't change. "I'm very serious. You'll have everything you need: money, power, protection, control. And I'll have what I need—my stability, my cure. It's a mutually beneficial arrangement."
