CHAPTER 5

I felt the blood rise to my cheeks as Adrian's lips curled in a slight sneer in greeting. A simple "Hi." That's all I could get out-pathetic, even to my ears. Why couldn't I have been poised, collected? I didn't know this man, and yet somehow, I felt that with one greeting, I'd already let him down, myself down. And, well, a part of me wanted to say sorry for the awkwardness I couldn't shake, but I didn't. I took another step back, eyes flashing to the floor, hoping he didn't see how badly my hands shook.

Samuel, blind to my discomfort or just enjoying it, smacked Adrian on the back and hustled him inside. His jovial tone sliced through the tension like a knife, and I followed behind, silently cursing myself for not being able to pull myself together. The living room stretched out before me, sterile and empty-the space feeling larger and colder than I remembered. The smell of freshly brewed coffee was hanging in the air, but it didn't help smooth my nerves. Nothing would now.

I sat down, trying to make myself as small as possible on the couch. A few minutes later a staff member came in carrying a glass of whiskey-smooth and amber-and set it down in front of Adrian. The glass sparkled in the light; I was deaf for everything except the sound of my pulse pounding in my ears. The room was starting to cave in around me.

Adrian took a sip from his glass, savoring it, before he turned his gaze on me. I looked up just for a glimpse, enough to catch his silver eyes, but I lowered it again quickly, feeling the weight of his stare press into me.

"So, when can we get this done?" Adrian's voice was low, but his words managed to slice through the silence like a blade. "When can we get married?"

This question caught me off guard, and before I was able to utter a reply even, Samuel managed to nudge in and answer for me. His voice was ecstatic, as if he were showing off some sort of grand prize. "Once you sign the contract, the wedding's set. I'll have her packed up and ready to move in with you within the week."

My stomach flipped, and a wave of sickness ran through me as the words tumbled out of Samuel's mouth. Move in with him? My mind whirled, but they all reached the same buried truth in my head: I have no say in this.

Adrian's keen eyes cut to me, registering my silence. "You're awfully quiet," he said, his tone even, still sharp like glass. "Are you okay?

I blinked, thrown by the matter-of-factness of his question. He wasn't being rude-just. calm, as though everything was okay, nothing unusual. As though this wasn't the greatest kind of  breach of everything I ever believed in.

Adrian cocked his head to one side, watching me. "Do you even want to marry me? Is this your choice?"

My heart had jumped up into my throat, and his question still resounded within my head. It was as if time froze in place, and I couldn't catch a breath. I looked towards Samuel, hoping at least for some sort of signal, anything to give me signs that I wasn't in this trap. But one sharp, warning look in the eyes settled it: There's no escape.

I knew what I had to do. I couldn't fight this. Not here, not now. I took one deep breath and pushed the words out, though they felt as if it would scald my throat.

"Yes," I stuttered, my voice low, barely above a whisper. "I want to marry you."

Adriano's eyes flickered for a moment, and he said nothing, almost as if he didn't really believe me. But before either of us could say anything else, Samuel spoke again, cutting through the awkwardness. He clapped his hands together, as if it was the signal of a grand performance.

"Good! Now, let's move on. We don't want to waste any more time, do we, Adrian?" Samuel's voice was so smooth, so confident, like this was part of some play that had been scripted just for him.

I tuned out the rest of their conversation, unable to focus on anything but the empty space between Adrian and me. So alive and familiar once, this room now felt foreign. My fate, my life was being discussed between these two men who didn't care about my thoughts, my feelings-anything but the transaction they were about to make.

The soft click of a door opening pulled me from my trance. A staff member walked in, holding a contract in his hands. It was thick, heavy—official looking. He laid it on the table in front of Adrian, and wordlessly, Adrian reached for it.

He flipped through the pages with practiced ease, scanning each line. The contract was nothing short of business. No mention of love. No mention of any kind of connection. Just signatures and dates, and the fine print that sealed my future. I couldn't tear my eyes away from the pen in Adrian's hand as he signed his name in quick, sharp flourishes. It seemed so final.

Adrian handed me the contract. For one fraction of a second, his eyes flicked to mine as if appealing silently for me to accept what had just transpired. His face was impassive, but for that instant, something flashed across those quicksilver eyes. Was it concern? Or just plain curiosity?

My hand hovering over the contract, I hedged. My heart was racing, the sound of the blood pulsating in my ears louder than anything else. I looked up at Adrian, then to Samuel, whose expression was cold, unyielding. The warning was crystal clear: there would be no going back.

I took a deep breath and signed my name on the dotted line. The pen was cool against my skin, like I somehow branded the end of something-me. Maybe.

A self-satisfied sparkle lit up Samuel's eyes, while Adrian-a moment's hesitation later-offered his hand. The handshake was firm, cold, impersonal. Just like the man himself.

"The wedding preparations start tomorrow," Adrian said coolly and impassively. "I will expect everything in order by then."

Samuel, who had looked every inch a proud father sending his daughter off, firmly shook Adrian's hand. "Of course, we will take care of everything."

With that said, Samuel turned to usher Adrian out, and just like that, it was all over. I was no longer a part of this house, no longer a part of my life. My fate had been sealed, and there was no more escaping it now.

Just like that, I was signed off to Adrian Sterling.