7

Hennessey’s POV

“What is this?” I yelled, surging to my feet. My voice cracked under the weight of anger and fear. “Why are you treating my family like this?”

The lieutenant stepped forward, his face a mask of cold authority. “Sit down, ma’am, or I will make you.”

Before I could respond, Kellen raised a hand, halting him. His glare was sharp, cutting through the tension. “Don’t cross your boundaries,” he snapped, his tone low and deadly. Then, he turned back to me, his fury barely contained. “Did you really think I’d let your family go after the massive economic fraud they tried to pull on me?”

I scoffed, my disbelief laced with defiance. “What fraud? Didn’t you want to marry my sister?”

“I did—but you took that away from me.” His voice cracked like a whip, and he jabbed a finger toward me. “It’s all your fault. You’re nothing but criminals.”

The handcuffs bit into my wrists as I strained against them, my whole body trembling with fury. “My sister did nothing wrong! She went to the altar to marry the man my parents chose, but he wanted her sister instead. So tell me, who’s the real fraud here?”

“You fooled me!” Kellen’s voice boomed, veins bulging in his neck. His rage was palpable, vibrating through the air. “Your whole family planned this from the beginning—to humiliate me and steal my money.”

I stepped forward, close enough to feel the heat of his fury. “So what now?” I demanded, locking eyes with him. “You want to send my whole family to jail?”

He leaned in, his smile a thin, cruel line. “No, idiot. Your parents already called their lawyers and claimed ignorance. The only people going to jail are you and your twin.”

My stomach twisted. I glanced at my parents, seeking some sign of solidarity. My father remained unmoved, while my mother bit her lip, casting a fleeting, tearful glance at Helena.

“We would’ve gotten you out soon, darling,” my mother said to Helena, her voice trembling with forced reassurance.

Kellen sneered, cutting her off. “How? Impersonation and attempted fraud are serious crimes in Masseles. Your daughters will be spending a long time in jail.”

Desperation cracked through my mother’s facade. “But it was Hennessey who fooled you, not Helena! She’s the one who should go to jail!” Her words sliced through me like glass.

Even Kellen faltered, surprise flickering across his face. For a brief moment, disbelief softened his rage. He hadn’t expected my mother’s betrayal—and neither had I.

He recovered quickly, turning to my parents with a cold, calculating smile. “Both your daughters were involved. And don’t think I’m done with your family. I’ll make sure you pay for this with every last penny.”

That struck a nerve. My father crumpled, falling to his knees. “Mr. Kellen, please—show mercy. My daughters fooled me too. Why should I suffer? My business is already struggling. What will you gain by destroying it?”

Kellen didn’t even glance at him. His eyes remained fixed on me. “I’ll have the pleasure of watching you suffer.”

A shiver ran down my spine, and I fought to keep my voice steady. “What do you want?” I whispered, my pride crumbling. Helena couldn’t go to jail—not for my mistakes.

Kellen stepped closer, his smirk vicious. He tilted my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze. “I want you to suffer. I want to see the fire in your eyes die.”

I wrenched my chin from his grasp, my fists clenched. “I’ll sign the slave contract. Just let my sister go.”

His smirk widened, victorious. “As we agreed.”

“No!” Helena stepped forward, her voice fierce as she blocked him. “You wanted me, right? I’m all yours.”

Tears blurred my vision, but I managed a smile through them. She was always the careful one, the protector. Even now, she shielded me.

The moment shattered when my father’s voice thundered through the room. “Helena, come here. Now.”

Helena’s shoulders trembled, and she hesitated, looking between me and our father. I gave her a gentle nod. She understood, and with tears streaming down her face, she returned to his side.

I turned back to Kellen, my voice hardening. “Release us. The deal is done.”

Kellen signaled to the lieutenant, who unlocked my cuffs first, then my family’s. But before I could reach my sister, Kellen seized my hand.

“You’re coming with me.”

“Let go of me!” I thrashed, reaching desperately for Helena, who strained toward me, but the lieutenant held her back.

Kellen dragged me into the elevator, shoving me inside. His guards followed. The doors slid shut, cutting off Helena’s tearful face. My chest heaved, rage and sorrow warring within me.

When we exited into the dim parking lot, a sleek car waited. Kellen glanced at his watch, his grin sharp and smug.

“Where are you taking me?” I demanded.

“To the registrar,” he said with a cold chuckle. “Oh, did you forget? For our contract to be valid, we have to be married.”

I had no words. I was barely dressed for a wedding—just a shirt and jeans, no makeup, no time to prepare. Yet, this evil bastard wanted us to get married. He didn’t care about how I looked. He was too busy with business calls, his attention fully on the phone rather than the farce of a ceremony we were about to endure.

At the registrar’s office, the atmosphere was cold and clinical. There was no one else there, just us. I was forced to sit beside Kellen, the pen in my hand feeling heavier with every passing second as I prepared to sign the newly drafted contract.

The officiant’s voice broke through the silence. “Do you take this man as your husband?”

I hesitated. My throat tightened, words stuck like stones. Kellen’s grip on my hand tightened beneath the table, a silent warning. Helena’s teary face flashed in my mind. If I didn’t do this, we would both suffer. I had to stay strong, for her sake. Finally, I forced the words out, my voice barely a whisper, “I do.”

The officiant turned to Kellen, and without hesitation, he replied, his voice full of certainty as if this was just another transaction. The moment the words left his mouth, our marriage was sealed, and so was the contract that bound me to him.

As we left the registrar’s office, my head hung low in sadness, the weight of what had just happened pressing down on me. But then, something caught my eye. A figure—hidden behind a pillar—watching us. A woman, her lips painted a deep shade of red, and a black dress that seemed to mourn with her. She stared at me, and something about her gaze sent a chill up my spine, making every hair on the back of my neck stand.

Unnerved, I glanced at Kellen, drawing his attention to her. But when he turned to look, the woman was gone, as if she had never been there at all.