Chapter 1

"WHAT happened to your daughter, Noah?" Noah's wife's words echoed in all four corners of the room. "I will not forgive you if anything happens to my daughter!"

Noah exhaled. "I am giving what is best for her—”

"Can you hear yourself?" she stepped in front of him with her hands on her waist and said, "She was your only daughter. What you wanted is not appropriate. You can’t just force your daughter to marry someone, especially if it was Luke! We've been longtime friends with the Carters, but because of Ryleigh's obsession with Lucas, you will use it to destroy someone else's life. You know Lucas has a fiancé, right?"

Noah pinched the bridge of his nose as he control his temper. "She will return. Just let her be—"

“No! Noah, you will stop this nonsense. In case you were unaware, William and Charlotte were forced to marry, and despite the fact that Charlotte loves William, he continues to treat her like a puppet.”

"However, William was born to be domineering, and Charlotte's submission to him is her fault. Lucas is dissimilar to William.”

"I'm still worried about Ryleigh. What if Lucas will treat our daughter terribly just because of what you wanted, huh, Noah? What if our ONLY child suffers in Luke’s hand? You are making Ryleigh destroys her best friend’s life!”

"I'm certain Luke will not do that. He respects us and is kind to Ryleigh. The only difference is that they will marry each other, which is the only way to restore the Carter empire. I will discuss this with Charlotte,” Noah said.

"I won’t forgive you, Noah, if something happened to Ryleigh."

WHEN Lucas returned home, her mother shared the news with him.

"What have you said, mother?" Lucas asked.

"Your uncle Noah will help you with the business and has vowed to recover all damages."

As he removed his necktie, he informed his mother, "I don't need their help." 

Hannah is now out of the country for a photo shoot. His fiancée is a bikini model at a renowned modeling agency in California. Initially, he disapproves of her profession, but he eventually respects her.

Lucas’s mother apologized to him, shaking her head.

Luke then glanced at his mother with confusion. He approached her and knelt in front of her. He witnessed a single tear drop from her eye.

"What's the matter, mom?"

“I… I do not wish for the business where your father dedicated his entire life to be wasted."

"Of course, neither do I. I won't let that happen."

"Therefore, I signed a contract with the Evans—"

“What? What did you do?" Even though he heard everything clearly, he still inquired.

“I signed a contract with the Evans.”

"What contract?"

"Son, you shall wed Ryleigh."

Lucas became deaf upon hearing the news. He has no idea what to think. Why? Why does his mother do this without his permission? He is capable of resolving the issue on his own. He is attempting to collect the significant losses despite the fact that it may be difficult.

"M-Mom, why?" He nearly suffocated. "You knew I was engaged. I love Hannah. I am making every effort; I'm almost there. I can restore the company."

Her mother began to shed tears as she began to shake her head. "I'm sorry," she wailed.

Lucas strokes the back of her mother. "Don't cry, mom. The doctor warned that tension is unhealthy for you. Stop crying!" However, his mother cannot hold back her emotions as she regrets what she has done, but it is the only option to save her late husband's business. "Please, Mom, stop crying." 

The worry in Luke's words causes her to cry more.

Before returning to her mother's room, Luke stepped outside and contacted their maid to deliver water.

"I will discuss it with Uncle Noah, Mom. Don't be concerned."

However, his mother shook her head once more. "It's the only way to restore the business, son. The Evans is potent, and the contract cannot be modified.”

"I will speak to Rye also, mother. Don't worry about it."

Her mother again shook her head. "It is the only option, son."

“No. I will speak to them," he remarked as he exited the room.

RYLEIGH locked herself inside her room after getting back. She doesn’t know what to feel. It was mixed emotions. Luke was her dream guy but she knew she can have him because she saw how in love Luke is with his fiancé. She was about to reach for the tissue box on the side table when her phone rang, and when she saw the caller ID, her heart nearly leaped out of her chest. She hesitated and cleared her throat prior to responding.

“Luke—”

"We should talk."

“I… I can’t—”

“No. Let's talk. Meet me at the coffee shop near your villa," he said and hung up the phone.

Ryleigh sighed and wiped her tears away as she was well aware of his desires. She wore a floral dress with short sleeves, sandals, and a little sling purse.

"Mom, I'll just get some matcha coffee," she remarked, kissing her mother's cheek.

Ryleigh sent Luke a text message while entering the Cafe. And after a minute, Luke came. She was aware of what he wanted and she has a bad feeling about it. She dislikes his gazes. She felt chills and fears.

            “W-Why did you—”

Luke interrupted her murmur with the words, "Cancel the wedding. There is no way I will marry you," he stated in a deep, icy voice.

"I can't—"

"I dealt with you fairly. We've been buddies for a decade. Why must you treat me this way? To my mom? To my life?”

Ryleigh was about to speak when she remembers what her father said when she gets back yesterday.

“Don’t make me go beyond things just because you disobey my will.”

“I-I’m sorry—”

“Sorry?” Luke mocked. "You are a heartless, terrible bitch!"

"O-Only my father will violate the agreement, which bears his signature. Aunt Charlotte signed the document. There is nothing I… I can do about it…”

Luke laughed sarcastically. “Stop pretending. If you don’t want the idea, you should have talked to your father—”

“I’m sorry…”

Luke stood up, scowled at her while clenching his fist, and snarled, "I despise you, Ryleigh," before leaving.

A pain throbs in Ryleigh’s chest. She’s a victim too. Her father threatened her.

LUCAS went to Mr. Evans’s office the following day to encourage him to withdraw from the deal. His mother forbade him from doing it, but he was anxious to do it anyhow.

"Withdraw that decision, Uncle. You should have consulted me first before using my mother just to fulfill it,” he stated, staring at his Uncle Noah.

The old man shook his head. “I can’t.” 

"With all due respect, Uncle. I treasured you as my father’s friend for a long time. You can’t do this to me. I can handle the empire…" he said, attempting to find a glimmer of hope that his uncle may show him consideration. "I love, Hannah." He clenched his fist as he thought about how he will tell her that he is getting married, but not to her, is weakening him.

"Ryleigh loves you, Luke. She deserves a chance."

Luke scoffed, hands clenched, head bowed; his chest is wracked by excruciating pain, and suddenly hatred boosted in.

Noah averted his gaze since he could not bear Luke's anguish at the moment. He doesn’t care if Luke will think that it was Ryleigh’s idea. He may be angry right now but soon he will realize.

Luke was on the thought of begging but he never begged in his entire life. He never went down to ask a stupid question.

“Why?” he murmured.

"The agreement between me and your mother has been settled. You can’t do anything about it. Ryleigh is my only daughter and one clause says that you will treat her nicely. With it, I will surely help you with your business.”

"Bullshit!" he shouted, rising slowly. His nails dug in his palm as he clenched tightly. He stared into his Uncle Noah's eyes directly. "You were Dad's best friend. Aunt Kylie's dearest friend was Mom. I don't need your assistance with the business!" he paused to breathe. "You knew I didn't want your assistance and would oppose the arrangement, so you had Mom sign instead. You use her to your advantage. You knew she was readily persuadable. You chose her instead of me because you knew I would disagree!" he exclaimed, causing the elderly man to jerk slightly in his seat. 

Lucas laughed sarcastically. "I hope you will be happy as you wreck my life,” he added, living the words that may make the elderly guy feel bad. "Since there's nothing that I can do with it, I'll marry your daughter tomorrow." He is too frail to ask for things once more. Luke exited the room after completing his task. All the respect he had for the old man has gone in a blink.