"I don't want this," I whispered, my voice trembling despite my best efforts to keep it steady.
Alexander Wolfe's gaze never wavered. Cold, calculating, and filled with a stern resolve, he stared at me as if he were studying a business contract. The man was as indifferent as ever, and it made my blood boil.
"You don't have a choice," he said simply, his deep voice betraying no emotion.
His words sliced through the room, the weight of them hanging between us. I should've known. People like Alexander didn't offer choices. They made deals, and you either took them or you were crushed under the weight of their consequences. That was how it had always been with him.
I had hoped for something different. A way out. A way to protect my family, to save us from the financial ruin that threatened to swallow us whole. But the price for that salvation was this—marrying a man I barely knew, a man who was a stranger to me despite his power, despite his wealth. A man I would never, ever have chosen.
"I don't need your money," I said, more fiercely this time. "My family will survive without your empire."
Alexander's lips twitched slightly, as if he were amused by my defiance. I hated how he found my resistance amusing. How he could stand there, tall and unyielding, while I felt like I was suffocating.
"It's not about money, Christiana," he replied, his voice softening ever so slightly. "It's about protection. Yours. Your family's. The Hayes family legacy will survive because you make the right decision today."
I swallowed hard, the words stinging. He had me cornered. My family's gallery was at risk, and the debts that had piled up were too much for us to escape. I could fight all I wanted, but at the end of the day, Alexander Wolfe was the only person who could save us from the mess we were in.
But there was something about the way he said "protection." Something about the cool detachment in his eyes, as if this were nothing more than a business transaction to him.
"I'm not just some... some asset to be used for your convenience," I said, my voice breaking slightly.
His expression didn't change. "No. You're the key to my family's future. And in return, I'll secure yours."
The weight of those words crushed me. I could almost hear the chains of fate locking around my wrists. The deal was already made in his mind. It was only a matter of time before I would be forced to accept it.
My heart pounded in my chest as I tried to find some way out of this. Some loophole, some escape. But my mind was clouded, and all I could think about was the gallery, the years of history, the legacy of my family that was teetering on the edge of ruin. If I didn't do this, if I didn't marry him, everything I had worked for—everything my family had built—would be lost.
A deep, uncomfortable silence stretched between us. His eyes were locked on mine, waiting for me to say the words. To agree.
"I... I don't want to do this," I whispered, the words tasting bitter on my tongue.
Alexander finally stepped closer, the air thickening with the force of his presence. His dark eyes never left mine as he reached out and gently tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear. The softness of the gesture made my stomach flip, but I quickly shoved the emotion aside.
"You'll do what needs to be done, Christiana," he said, his voice low, almost tender. "This isn't just about you or me. It's about survival. And you're smarter than to let pride or fear get in the way of doing what's right."
I wanted to scream. I wanted to slap him, to tell him that he didn't know anything about me, about what I was willing to sacrifice. But instead, I nodded, my throat tight. He was right, wasn't he? There was no other way. No other choice.
"I'll do it," I said, barely above a whisper.
The relief that passed over his face was barely noticeable, but it was there. A flicker of triumph. It was sickening, the way he looked at me as if I were nothing more than a piece on a chessboard, a pawn he had successfully maneuvered into place.
"Good," he replied, his voice now tinged with satisfaction. "We'll finalize everything tomorrow."
Tomorrow. The word felt like a death sentence. It would be the day my life, my future, would no longer belong to me. It would be the day I became Mrs. Alexander Wolfe, a name I didn't choose, a life I hadn't wanted.
I tried to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall, but I could feel them pooling in my eyes, blurring my vision. This wasn't what I had imagined for myself. This wasn't the life I had dreamed of.
"Do you know what you're getting into?" I finally managed to ask, my voice shaking. "This marriage... it's not just about business. There's more at stake here than you realize."
Alexander's expression shifted, his gaze hardening as he took a step back. "I know exactly what I'm getting into, Christiana. Do you?"
I stared at him, unable to respond. The tension in the room was suffocating, the weight of his words and the looming consequences settling over me like a storm cloud.
And just when I thought I couldn't feel more trapped, the door behind me swung open, and in walked a figure I hadn't expected to see—the one person I had hoped would never be involved in this.
Victor Langston.
My heart skipped a beat, and I felt the blood drain from my face. He was the last person I needed to see right now. The one person who could ruin everything.
"You made the right choice, Christiana," Victor said, his voice smooth, almost mocking. "I'm glad to see you finally coming around."
I froze, my body tense as Alexander's gaze flicked between Victor and me. The storm that had been brewing inside me now exploded. There was no way this was happening. No way.
"You—" I started, but the words stuck in my throat.
Alexander looked at me sharply, his eyes narrowing. "Is there something you want to tell me?"
Before I could answer, Victor stepped forward, his eyes gleaming with a dangerous intensity. "Don't worry, Christiana. Everything will work out... just as planned."
My mind raced as I tried to process what was happening. This wasn't just about Alexander and me. There was something bigger here. Something I had missed, something that threatened everything I thought I knew.
I had no idea what Victor's game was, but I could see now that the deal I had just agreed to wasn't as simple as it seemed. There was more at play than anyone had let on. And I was about to be caught in the middle of it all.
The room seemed to close in around me as the reality of the situation hit me. The trap had already been set.
And I had just walked right into it.