I Signed A Contract With The Moon Alpha

Chapter Seven: My Grandfather's Last Promise

Aria's POV

My dearest Aria,

If you're reading this, then I have failed to protect you myself.

The words blurred before my eyes. I blinked, trying to steady my breathing, but the tears refused to stop. My grandfather had been gone for two years, yet seeing his handwriting made the grief feel fresh all over again. I swallowed hard and continued reading.

There will come a day when people you trust will betray you. On that day, you will question everyone—including yourself. Don't. You were never the problem.

A lump formed in my throat. For months, I had wondered what I had done wrong. Why Ethan had stopped looking at me the way he used to. Why did he become distant? Why I hadn't had enough.

Now, my grandfather's words shattered those doubts. He knew. He had known someone would come after me. I kept reading.

The company your parents built with me is worth far more than money. There are people who believe controlling Winters Corporation will give them access to something they have spent decades searching for.

My brows knitted together. Access to what? The letter didn't say. Instead, another paragraph caught my attention.

When the time comes, trust the man who carries the crescent mark.

My heart skipped. Without thinking, I looked at Kael. He was standing beside the window, giving me the privacy to finish reading.

"Crescent mark..." I whispered. "What does that mean?"

His eyes met mine. Instead of answering, he slowly rolled back the cuff of his left sleeve. Just above his wrist...

A silver crescent-shaped birthmark rested against his skin.

My breath caught. "No..." "You..." "My grandfather knew you."

"He did."

"Who are you?"

Kael lowered his sleeve again. "I'm someone who made him a promise."

"What promise?"

"That if the day ever came when you had no one left to trust..." He paused. "...I would protect you."

The room fell silent. I folded the letter carefully before placing it back inside the envelope.

"I appreciate what you did today." My voice was quieter now. "But protecting me doesn't explain everything."

"It doesn't."

"You still haven't answered my questions."

"I know."

"You knew Ethan was planning to steal my company."

"Yes."

"You knew my house had been broken into."

"Yes."

"You even knew my grandfather."

"Yes."

Frustration rose inside me. "Then stop speaking in riddles!" My voice echoed through the room. "I deserve the truth."

Kael didn't react to my outburst. Instead, he walked toward the fireplace. For a long moment, he simply stared into the flames.

"The truth," he said quietly, "has a habit of destroying lives."

"My life is already destroyed."

"No."

He turned to face me. "You only think it is."

I frowned. "What does that mean?"

"It means today wasn't the end of your story." "It was the beginning."

Those words sent a strange chill through me. He reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and removed a folded document.

Unlike my grandfather's letter, this one looked new. Official. Bound with a silver ribbon. He placed it on the table between us.

"I asked you here because of this."

I looked down at it. The words across the top immediately caught my attention.

CONTRACT OF UNION

A knot formed in my stomach. I looked back at him.

"You've got to be kidding me."

"I don't joke about contracts."

"I just walked away from one."

"I know."

"And now you're asking me to sign another?"

"I'm asking you to read it."

I let out a bitter laugh. "I don't even know you."

"You will."

"No."

I shook my head firmly. "I'm done letting men make decisions about my life."

A flicker of approval crossed his face. "Good."

That response caught me off guard.

"I don't want blind obedience, Aria." "I want an informed choice." He pushed the document slightly closer. "If, after you've read every page, your answer is still no..." "I'll personally take you anywhere you wish to go."

I stared at him, searching for the catch. "There isn't one?" "There never was."

The sincerity in his voice unsettled me more than any lie could have. Slowly, I untied the silver ribbon.

The first page contained only a single sentence. This contract can only be accepted willingly. I frowned. That was... unexpected. I turned the page. Then another.

My eyes widened. None of it mentioned money. None of it mentioned my inheritance. Instead, every clause spoke about my safety.

Protection. Confidentiality. Residence. Freedom to refuse any personal request. Freedom to leave after one year. I looked up at Kael in disbelief.

"This isn't a marriage contract."

"No."

"It isn't."

"Then why does it say 'Union'?"

For the first time that evening… Kael hesitated. His jaw tightened. As though he were choosing his next words with extraordinary care.

"Because in my world..." "...those two words mean very different things."

Before I could ask what he meant, hurried footsteps echoed through the hallway. The doors burst open.

Gabriel entered, breathing harder than I had seen all night. He looked directly at Kael.

"Sir..." "We have a problem."

Kael's expression darkened instantly. "What happened?"

Gabriel's eyes shifted toward me before returning to him. "Ethan Blackwood is at the front gates." "He says he's here..." "...to take his fiancée home.”