Betrayal Behind The Contract

CHAPTER 3 A STRANGER'S TOUCH

Even though the wedding was only a few days away, I felt like my whole life was falling apart. I felt like every second I spent with Lucas drew me farther into a web I shouldn't have been in. To make sure the occasion would go well, the caterers, photographers, and wedding coordinators were all working really hard. However, none of it was important. Not when I was on the verge of making a choice that would alter everything.

I was no longer merely a desperate woman. Lucas Kane was playing for keeps, and I was a lady in a risky game.

Even though I hadn't heard from Vanessa since our altercation, her comments continued to reverberate in my head. Don't you believe that you will rescue your mother? Lucas seems like the answer to your prayers. However, allow me to provide a little caution. A cost is always involved. Sophia, I promise you won't like the price.

What was she trying to say? And why did I feel like the object of the game?

My mind was racing with questions as I sat in my little apartment with the walls closing in around me. Every time my mother was admitted to the hospital, her health deteriorated. There was too much pressure to make the correct choice about the contract, the marriage, everything. Still, it seemed like my only hope was the money Lucas had offered.

I was attempting to calm my mind by running my fingers through my hair when the doorbell rang, startling me out of my reverie. I looked at the time. I shouldn't have had anybody knocking on my door at that hour. I approached the door gingerly, my pulse pounding. I didn't think anybody would show up.

Slowly, I opened it, gasping as I saw the last person I had anticipated standing there.

Kane, Lucas.

His imposing form loomed over me as his presence filled the entryway. His eyes were cold and calculating, his black suit appeared to swallow him whole, and he looked just as he always had. Tonight, however, there was something more in his eyes. Something that sent a chill down my spine and made my heart skip a beat.

"Lucas?" Uncertain if I was dreaming or whether reality had somehow flipped upside down, I said.

He didn't respond right away. Before he moved forward, his gaze lingered on me for a second, a little too long. I immediately took a step back, feeling an odd, electric tension crackle in the air between us.

He continued in a deep, solemn voice, "I need to talk to you."

He came into my flat without waiting for an invitation, and I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck spring up. Breathing became difficult due to the weight of his presence as I shut the door behind him.

"What are you talking about?" Trying to keep my voice calm, I asked.

He didn't spend time making small talk. He said, his eyes never leaving mine, "There are things you need to understand, Sophia." "Marrying me is more than simply a financial decision. The only way to save what remains of your life is for you to marry me. Remember that.

The remarks were harsh and frigid, like a smack in the face. They weren't the worst, however. The way he said things was the worst—so sure, so certain that I would agree, that I was forced to obey.

I attempted to inhale deeply, but it was ineffective. Everything else was muffled by the echo of his words in my head.

I whispered, my voice almost audible, "I know." "How come you're here?"

He took a while to respond. Rather, he took a step toward me, his eyes never leaving mine. His closeness was oppressive. It was hard to think coherently because of his enormous and overwhelming presence.

His voice became quieter but no less passionate as he said, "I need you to understand what this contract means." "What you're going to agree to, and what this marriage actually means."

I wanted to argue. I wanted to let him know that I already got it. In actuality, however, I didn't. Not quite. I also became more aware of how little I really understood about Lucas Kane the more I stared at him. I had seen a businessman's face, a CEO who was calculating and cold. He was standing inches from me now, however, and I was starting to notice something else. I wasn't sure I was prepared to deal with it.

"What is involved?" My heart thumping in my chest, I muttered.

His breath was warm on my face as he drew slightly closer. It needs collaboration, Sophia. a collaboration where you get what you need and I get what I need. However, you need to realize one thing. He hesitated a second, his eyes darting to my lips and back to my eyes. "We shall simply be legally wed in the name. I won't ask for anything more. However, you have to carry out your end of the bargain.

My heartbeat accelerated. The tension between us became stronger by the moment, and I could feel the heat radiating off him. Money wasn't the only factor here. It was more than simply the agreement. I was aware of that now. I couldn't describe it, but there seemed to be a change in the air that felt... frightening. I was unable to draw away, however.

I murmured, "You're a stranger to me, Lucas," loud enough for him to hear but no more than a whisper. "How am I supposed to just... believe you? To accompany all of this?

As he moved closer, his body almost touching mine, his eyes became darker. His heat and the attraction of something new and magnetic were palpable to me. I wanted to push him away and take a step back, but something I couldn't quite put my finger on kept my body still and my feet planted firmly on the ground.

He said, "You don't need to trust me," in a voice full of an emotion I couldn't identify. "All you have to do is follow through. That's all.

His hand went out and touched mine, causing my breath to hitch in my throat. Even though it was a gentle touch, my body felt an electrical shock. It was an odd, alien feeling, personal enough to make my heart beat and my pulse quicken.

I was momentarily unable to think. I was immobile. I was limited to feeling.

Then, as abruptly as it had started, Lucas took a step back, ending our enchantment. There was a flare of something in his eyes, something dark and complicated, like a storm about to break, but his face was inscrutable as he removed his hand.

His voice was low and decisive as he responded, "I'll see you tomorrow." We'll work out the specifics. Remember what you're agreeing to till then.

He then left, leaving me standing there shaking and with my hand still hurting from where he had touched me.

I had no idea what had just transpired. His touch had seared into my flesh, and I wasn't sure how to interpret the way he had stared at me. One thing was certain, though: Lucas Kane was more than simply a business associate. Between us, there was something more. Something we couldn't both ignore.

And I was more afraid of it than I wanted to acknowledge.

There was an uncanny silence the next morning. I had a nagging suspicion that something was about to happen that would completely alter my life. The choice was pressing down on me like a vice as the wedding drew nearer. However, the wedding wasn't the only thing that kept me up at night. Lucas was the one. Vanessa, too. And the promises—the ones that were made and the ones that were not.

The words on the contract were starting to blend together as I sat at the little kitchen table and looked down at it. I believed that I had already decided. But now that everything had transpired and Lucas and I were becoming more tense, I wasn't so sure.

The doorbell then rang once more.

When I answered the door, I was surprised to see someone I had never seen before. Davenport, Vanessa.

This time, however, something was different in her gaze. Something far more hazardous.

With hatred in her voice, she continued, "I know what you're doing, Sophia." "And it's probably time for you to find out the truth about Lucas Kane."

End of Chapter 3