CHAPTER 003
1187 Words
Chapter 003
RILEY'S POINT OF VIEW
I stood outside the tall, chilly building's glass doors, gazing up at the name in large, silver letters. King Enterprises. My fingers froze against the phone, and my stomach twisted. I gripped as if it were my only means of support.
Harper's voice kept repeating in my mind.
Riley, go meet him. An hour. Don't mess this up.
I felt like screaming. or vomit. Perhaps both.
I winced when the cab behind me honked.
Get moving. Just go inside, i***t.
I inhaled deeply, pushed my legs forward, and entered the doors. The place had the scent of power and polished floors. The click of my heels sounded like tiny gunshots in my ears, and every step I took echoed too loudly.
The receptionist didn't even raise her head.
"Name?"
Riley Carter. Mr. King and I have an appointment.
She picked up the phone, nodded, and spoke so quickly that I was unable to follow what she was saying. She then gestured for me to go to the lift.
Up. Just finish it.
I leaned against the cool wall inside the lift and briefly closed my eyes. My foster father's hoarse voice from last night was still audible to me.
"Kid, you've always been the one with strength. Don't allow them to break you.
I was breaking, though. I sensed the fissures. My debt was choking me, and my business was drowning. My foster father was near death. The woman who left me, my mother, was back now, and she was threatening to blackmail me.
I might be able to save them if I do this, or I become someone else.
The lift made a noise. Top floor.
The receptionist there indicated a pair of double doors as soon as I stepped outside. I didn't enquire; I simply went for a walk. I could hardly hear the faint murmur of conversation on the other end because my heart was beating so loudly.
I opened the doors.
And there he was.
Sitting behind a giant desk, in a black suit, with dark hair, head down, scribbling on a paper. However, I was familiar with him. I knew even before he looked up.
No. No. It can’t be.
Then he raised his head.
His gaze locked with mine.
The same storm-grey eyes. The same ones that plagued my sleep for years. an unfamiliar person. That night's man.
His face went cold. A pen falls to the desk.
"Riley," he said in a rough, low voice.
It hurt how hard I swallowed.
"You—it's you."
The space seemed too cramped. I was having trouble breathing. unable to move.
"Why are you in this place?"
He didn't sound icy. It was worse. It was familiar.
"I was instructed to... Harper said—
"You were unaware that it was me?"
As if I could have anticipated this?
"I... no." No, God.
Something flickered across his face. Fury? Startled? I was unable to tell.
Then he rose, towering and menacing, and walked around the desk. My skin pricked with each step. Too close, he stopped in front of me.
"So Harper sent you to sign the marriage contract agreement?"
I detested how his use of the word "woman" made my heart thud. As if it had some significance.
I yelled, "I didn't want this." "I don't have to sell myself to make money."
He twitched his jaw.
"I could have been duped."
I tensed up.
"I'm doing this for a loved one. Not for me.
He laughed sharply and without humour.
Yes. I'm Santa Claus, too.
Between us, the tension was thick and choking.
"I don't need to give you an explanation," I muttered.
His eyes met mine as he leaned down.
"No, you don't. However, you will be mine if you accept this deal.
My stomach turned over when he said it.
I detested the weird warmth that crept into my stomach.
"Do you treat women like property all the time?"
His lips formed a smirk.
"Just the ones I intend to destroy."
My breath caught.
That heat was there once more. God, what was wrong with me?
This man was poison. The kind that made you want more as it burnt down.
I backed up and muttered, "I should go."
However, his hand sprang out and grabbed my wrist.
"Carter, you leave now, and in the morning, your little business falls apart. Who is your foster father? He will receive his discharge from that hospital by noon. Harper ensured it.
Horror and rage mixed in my chest as I yanked my arm back.
"You are a jerk."
He didn't even blink.
"Sign the agreement. Six months. On paper, be my wife. For the cameras, smile. I will settle your debt, pay for your father's medical care, and leave you with more money than you could have ever imagined.
"And what do you receive?"
Something dangerous flickered in his eyes.
"Retaliation."
I went cold.
“On who?”
He didn't respond. simply gazed at me as if I were the final component of a puzzle he detested.
"What if I refuse?"
He lowered his voice to a whisper.
"You won't."
And deep down, I knew I wouldn’t. I didn't want to. But because I had no good options in life.
"How can I be sure you'll fulfil your end of the bargain?"
A chilly grin.
"You don't."
Silence hung heavy between us.
How did this happen, God? How did this man end up in front of me, offering me ruin and money like candy after one bad night?
I muttered, "You're a monster."
“Good,” he said. "Because that is precisely what you require at this moment."
I took a deep breath. There was a buzzing sensation on my skin. My entire body cried out to flee. My feet, however, remained planted.
This was insane.
Yet somewhere beneath the fear, a twisted, reckless part of me wanted to see what happened next.
In my mind, one final battle.
You lose yourself when you say yes. You lose everything if you say no.
I made eye contact with him.
"When do we begin?"
A gloomy smile.
"Now."
He took a thick folder out of a drawer and threw it on the table. documents that already bear my name.
"Sign."
My hand was shaking as I reached for the pen.
Riley, this is your last chance.
I felt the last vestige of safety evaporating as I closed my eyes and signed my name.
His eyes were molten when I opened them.
"Mrs King, welcome to hell."
I jumped when I heard a knock on the door.
With her phone pressed to her ear, Harper intervened.
"Difficulty", she said. "Big one."
Logan never took his eyes off mine.
"What is it?"
Harper's face turned white.
The deal was leaked to the media by someone. Downstairs, they are waiting.
My heart fell.
"What do you mean by 'leaked'?"
Harper didn’t answer. She was not required to.
Because Logan's self-satisfied, ruthless smile told me everything.
This was his plan.
Everything.
And now... there was no escape.
What did I do?
- Writer
