Chapter 1: The deal

Chapter 1: The Deal

“If you ever want to see your grandmother again,” Clara began, her voice smooth yet tinged with menace, “you have two choices. Marry Rowan Hale in your sister’s place, or pay 10 million to free yourself from this responsibility.”

The grand hall of the Calloway estate felt suffocating, as if the walls themselves were closing in on Ivy. Clara’s voice cut through the silence, cold and calculating.

Ivy’s laugh was bitter, jagged. “You want to climb the social ladder so badly, but you won’t let your precious daughter marry a dying man? So, you come to me instead? You’re beyond pathetic, Clara.” She sneered, eyes sharp. “But go ahead, keep dreaming. You can’t threaten me.”

Clara’s eyes hardened. A slow, cruel smile spread across her face as she leaned in. “Then I’ll send that old hag you call your grandmother straight to the crematorium. I’ll scatter her ashes so she’ll never find peace. That’s a promise.”

Ivy’s breath hitched. Her heart dropped, but her gaze remained unwavering. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Oh, I would,” Clara spat, voice growing shriller. “If you care about her at all, you’ll do exactly as I say. Marry him, or I’ll make sure she never sees another sunrise.”

Ivy’s chest tightened. Anger burned in her veins, but no words came. She turned sharply on her heel, her feet carrying her swiftly away from the suffocating room. She didn’t need to hear any more. Clara didn’t bluff. Ivy had known this woman for years, and she had never once shown mercy.

Her grandmother—the one person who had always shown her kindness—was in danger. Panic clawed at her insides. Every second mattered. Clara had forced her hand. Ivy had no choice but to act quickly.

Her mind raced as she pulled out her phone, dialing a number without thinking. Justin. The one person she thought she could rely on. He owed her his life once; there was no way he wouldn’t help her now.

The phone rang, each beep echoing through her chest. She was almost to the door when the familiar ringtone stopped her in her tracks. Her heart skipped. The sound—it wasn’t coming from her pocket.

It was coming from Chole’s room.

Ivy froze, her breath catching in her throat. She told herself it was a mistake, that she was imagining things. But then came the unmistakable voice. Chole’s voice.

“It’s your dumb little girlfriend, isn’t it?” Chole teased, voice laced with mockery. “Why don’t you answer? What if it’s something important?”

A low laugh followed. “Who cares about her? She’s just some crazy, stuck-up bitch who wouldn’t even let me touch her. But you, Mami... you’re irresistible.”

The words felt like a physical blow. Ivy staggered back, as if the floor had disappeared beneath her. Justin, the man she had trusted, had betrayed her. And with her own stepsister.

It all clicked into place—the secrecy, the avoidance, the late-night “business trips.” She had been blind, foolish to think she was the one he wanted.

Her body trembled with fury and disbelief, but there was no time for it. She couldn’t afford to waste another second. The betrayal stung, but her grandmother’s life was on the line.

Ivy spun around, her hands balling into fists, nails digging into her palms. She couldn’t allow herself to break down now. She had to keep moving.

By the time she reached the living room, her tears had dried. The pain was still there, but it didn’t matter anymore. Not when her grandmother was in danger.

“I’ll marry him,” Ivy said, her voice icy with finality. “I’ll marry Rowan Hale.” She met Clara’s gaze. “But I need to see my grandmother first.”

Clara’s lips curled into a victorious smile, but she didn’t speak right away. Instead, she reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. She moved slowly, deliberately, as though savoring the moment.

Ivy’s stomach twisted as the screen flickered to life. Her grandmother lay in a stark hospital bed, pale and frail. Despite her condition, her eyes—those familiar, kind eyes—locked with Ivy’s.

“Ivy, my dear,” her grandmother whispered, her voice weak but filled with love. “Don’t worry about me. Take care of yourself... for me.”

Ivy’s breath caught. Tears welled up, threatening to fall. This woman—her grandmother—had been her only constant, her only protector in a world that had offered little kindness.

“Where is she?” Ivy’s voice cracked, barely above a whisper, her hands shaking.

Clara tucked her phone away, her smirk unwavering. “She’s in the special care ward. She’s safe... for now. Once you marry, I’ll let you see her. But don’t forget your place, Ivy.”

Ivy’s eyes darkened, fury simmering beneath the surface. “You’d better keep your word,” she growled, every syllable dripping with venom. “If anything happens to her, I’ll make sure you regret it.”

For a moment, Clara hesitated, a flicker of doubt crossing her features. Ivy’s gaze was like ice, piercing and cold, and for a brief second, even Clara seemed to shrink from it. But then, she laughed it off, her confidence returning.

Ivy turned on her heel and walked out of the room. Her mind was a whirlwind, but there was no turning back now. She had agreed to marry Rowan, but this wasn’t surrender. This was a fight—for survival.

Her grandmother’s life was the only thing that mattered. Clara may have thought she had won, but Ivy had only just begun.

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Later, Ivy sat in the lawyer's office, the sound of the pen scratching across the paper filling the silence. Her hands shook as she signed the marriage certificate. Her thoughts were a blur. Rowan Hale wasn’t there—he couldn’t be. His condition had left him bedridden, a shadow of the man he once was.

A proxy stood beside her, an impersonal figure carrying out Rowan’s wishes, but Ivy barely registered him. This wasn’t about love. This wasn’t about a future. It was a desperate bargain to save her grandmother.

As the final signature was made, the lawyer sealed the documents with a grim nod.

“You’re married,” he said, his voice emotionless.

Ivy stood, numb. The deed was done. By midnight, she was legally bound to a man she didn’t know, for reasons far beyond her control