Empire Of Lies

CHAPTER 2

Lila Mercer stood in her apartment, the eviction notice in her hand. Paper crinkled beneath her fingers; her knuckles were white as the anger surged through her. That was it, the final blow. There was nothing left. She turned the paper over and over in her hands, pretending there was still a way out, but there wasn't.

The kitchen counter is littered with Sophie's hospital bills, each number a mock, each line a reminder there is no one coming to save her. Lila bites the inside of her cheek, fighting back the welling tears that have been threatening for days. But there's no time for tears. She doesn't have that luxury.

Her phone buzzes on the counter. A message from her lawyer. She reads it: Someone will be there shortly.

She exhales; it shakes. She had known this was coming. It had to. No one stays afloat in this city when they're sinking like she is. Not without help. Not without them.

A rap at the door. Lila does not have to peep through it to surmise who it is. She opens the door with an eyebrow raised, her face expressionless, though her insides are anything but.

The lawyer steps in—carrying a briefcase, his suit too fresh and his expression too well-rehearsed. There is no need for him even to be there. She can well surmise what he would say.

"Ms. Mercer," he begins, his voice as dry as his smile, "I’m here on behalf of Elias Kane."

Lila’s stomach churns. The name hits her like a punch. Elias Kane. Of course. Of course, it had to be him.

She forces a smile, but it’s bitter, like acid on her tongue. "What does he want now? My soul?"

The lawyer acts ill at ease. It's a discomfort that does nothing but whets her determination. She is not afraid. Not anymore. She has seen enough to know what real desperation looks like.

"He's offering you a marriage contract," the lawyer says, as if this is the most normal thing in the world.

Lila's mouth turns dry. "A marriage? What are you talking about?"

"A marriage contract. In return for your marriage to Mr. Kane, he's willing to support you and your daughter."

He looks at her, waiting for the shock to register, for the tears to spill, for her to beg. But Lila's never been that kind of woman. She's never begged for anything.

Lila's voice cuts sharply through the silence. "You've got to be kidding me. You want me to marry some man that I don't know for money? For what? A few little checks? That's your solution?"

The lawyer didn't even bat an eyelid. "This is not about the money," Ms. Mercer. This is security for your daughter's future—this is about your daughter having everything she will need."

She glanced down at the papers in his hand—the contract she had known was just waiting to tie her to this man who brought it all crumbling down. She's seen enough to know how the rich play their games, throw their weight around, and treat people like her.

"Security?" she snarls. "You call this security? I'm supposed to let you and him decide my fate? You think I'm that desperate?"

She wrenches the pen from her hand and slams it onto the table. "You think this is a choice, huh? That I have the luxury of making choices?"

The lawyer shifts uncomfortably. “I’m not here to argue with you, Ms. Mercer. I’m here to deliver a message. And Mr. Kane is serious.”

Lila stands still for a moment, staring at the words on the page. The black ink blurs, twisting and turning, as if mocking her. She looks at the lawyer, her jaw tight.

“I can’t believe this is happening.”

"You're not the first to get such an offer," Ms. Mercer," he says, shifting under her glare. "This is how things are done in his world. You need help. He can provide it. All you need to do is sign the contract."

Lila's hand reaches to the pen; her fingers shudder as they hover over the contract. She didn't want to do this, be tied to Elias Kane—not after everything that transpired between them, not after the way he'd walked away from her when she needed him most.

But she had no choice. She couldn't keep waging this war on her own. She needed to think about Sophie.

She signs her name with a last, bitter breath.

The lawyer doesn't bat an eye. "Good," he says, and there is enough finality in his tone to catch Lila under the ribs with unexpected force. Kane will be in touch with you shortly".

Lila stiffens as the lawyer walks out of her apartment. The moment is silent thereafter. She turns to the contract on the table, the weight of her decision settling over her. It's done now. There's no going back anymore. She has made a choice. Or perhaps fate has made it for her.

She sits at the table, the tears finally welling over the dams, but they're for Sophie, for the little girl who deserves so much more than this.

Two Days Later

Lila stands before the towering glass doors of Kane Enterprises, her stomach twisting in knots. She never thought it would come to this. She never thought she'd be walking into the lion's den, not after everything that happened between her and Elias.

As she enters, the receptionist looks up, her face expressionless, only her eyes reflecting the same thought that crosses her mind each day: dealing with people who think they run the world.

No emotion flickers in her eyes as she asks brightly, "How may I assist you?"

"I am here to see Elias Kane," Lila says, her voice steady, though her heart is anything but.

The receptionist nods and picks up the phone. A few seconds later, she turns to Lila: "He's expecting you. Please, come this way."

Lila follows the receptionist down the sleek, sterile hall; her footsteps echo in the silence. She has never been anywhere like this. It's all so immaculate, so brilliant, polished to perfection to make everybody feel small.

Finally, they end up in front of a door with double-winged doors; the receptionist knocks twice on it, and then she performs a quarter-turn, opening it. "Mr. Kane will see you now."

Lila steps inside, her breath catching at the sight of him. Elias Kane stands by the window, looking out at the city below. He doesn't turn around at first, doesn't acknowledge her. It's as if she's just another visitor, another business transaction.

When he finally turns to her, his eyes are cold, distant. It's as if she's already a stranger to him, as if everything that happened between them has been erased.

"Lila," he says, the word low. "You came."

She nods, swallowing the bitterness rising in her throat. "You knew I would."

Elias steps forward, his gaze sweeping over her, his face unreadable. "I don't expect this to be easy."

Lila raises an eyebrow. "Easy? You think this is easy?"

"I don't know what you expected," he says flatly. But this isn't a tale, Lila. This is business.""

Lila clenched her fists. "This isn't business, Elias. This is my life. And you've made it a mess."

He was silent for a time. He smiles coldly after a while. "Well. Now we've both got to live with that."

Lila's eyes flash hard, and she refuses to back down. Not now. Never.