Complex Case
1635 Words
Lana’s POV
“This contract is void.”
I threw the papers across his desk hard enough for pages to scatter.
My chest rose sharply with every breath while the words marriage contract kept slamming into my skull over and over again.
Marriage. Marriage. Marriage.
Across from me, Zade Forbes didn’t move or blink.
He didn’t even glance down at the papers sliding across polished wood.
I wanted to hit him. Actually hit him.
I wanted to lean across that desk and wrap my hands around his throat until he finally reacted like a normal human being.
“How sick are you?” I asked quietly.
His calm unreadable gaze stayed on mine.
God, I hated that look.
“That depends,” he said smoothly. “How angry are you?”
I laughed once, disbelief obviously showing from it.
“You tricked me into signing a marriage contract.”
“You signed without reading.”
“You manipulated the situation.”
“No.” His voice stayed maddeningly even. “I created an opportunity.”
I stared at him.
Then laughed again because honestly? This was insane.
“You are genuinely out of your mind.”
Silence.
That silence again.
I grabbed the nearest page off the desk and pointed at it furiously. “This says legally binding marital agreement.”
“Yes.”
“You cannot seriously expect me to go along with this.”
“You already did.”
My jaw tightened so hard it hurt.
“I’ll challenge it.”
“You’re welcome to.”
“I’ll take this to court.”
Another nod.
Like we were discussing weather.
“Do that.”
Something inside me snapped slightly.
“You don’t get to do this to me again.”
That finally made something flicker across his face.
“Again?” he repeated quietly, raising a brow..
I hated how soft that sounded.
I hated myself more for noticing.
“You know exactly what I mean.”
“No,” he said calmly. “I don’t think I do.”
God.
I grabbed my bag before I actually lost my temper properly.
“This marriage means nothing to me.”
His gaze followed me as I walked toward the door.
Somehow that certainty bothered me more than if he’d threatened me outright.
My hand touched the office doors then his voice reached me.
“You’ll come back.”
I stopped just for a second.
He sounded so sure.
I refused to turn around.
The elevator doors closed in front of me and I finally exhaled hard through my nose.
Yeah right.
~~~
“She manipulated you into signing?”
The lawyer adjusted his glasses while scanning the contract again.
I sat stiffly across from him with my arms folded tightly.
“No,” I corrected flatly. “He manipulated me.”
The lawyer hummed quietly, like he wasn't paying any attention to me.
Finally he placed the papers down carefully.
“Well…”
I already knew.
The second he said well, I knew.
Every clause holds.
Every signature is mine.
Every page airtight.
My stomach twisted violently.
“There has to be something,” I said.
The lawyer sighed softly. “Mrs. Forbes—”
“Don’t.”
He cleared his throat immediately. “Miss Siegel… legally speaking, this contract is extremely thorough.”
I stared at him.
“Extremely thorough?”
“Yes.”
“That’s the phrase you’re going with?”
He ignored that wisely.
“If this becomes a public court dispute, the media attention alone could become…” He hesitated slightly. “Complicated.”
Complicated.
Right.
Because apparently humiliation sounded more professional when rich people said it carefully.
I stood before he finished talking.
“Miss Siegel—”
“Send me the bill.”
Then I walked out before he could offer more useless legal condolences.
~~~
“It’s a temporary hardship agreement.”
The finance representative slid the paperwork toward me smoothly.
Across the table, she smiled like she wasn’t actively trying to ruin my life further.
I looked down at the number again.
Then back up at her.
“There’s an extra zero.”
“No,” she said politely. “There isn’t.”
I stared at her.
She didn’t blink or apologize.
“That interest rate is insane.”
“Your company is under investigation.”
“So your solution is predatory extortion?”
Her smile stayed perfectly professional.
“It’s detrimental working with someone connected to financial fraud allegations.”
Rage flashed through me. I wanted to flip the table instead I forced myself to breathe slowly.
Damon was still in jail.
That mattered more than my pride.
I picked up the pen and signed anyway.
The representative smiled wider. “Excellent choice.”
I almost told her to choke on it.
~~~
“Your brother’s case is far more complicated than initially assessed.”
I stared at the new lawyer across the desk.
Three days.
Three entire days.
And nothing had changed.
Damon was still sitting in that cell while my debt climbed high enough to make me nauseous.
“What exactly have you done so far?” I asked carefully.
The lawyer adjusted his cufflinks. “We’ve been reviewing documentation.”
“That’s it?”
“These things take time.”
“No.” I leaned forward slightly. “Losing motions takes time. Court delays take time. What exactly is happening?”
He gave me the same polished expression everyone in this city seemed trained to use before delivering terrible news.
“There may be additional fees moving forward.”
For a second, I genuinely thought I misheard him.
“Additional?”
“The complexity of the case was understated.”
I laughed softly. This wasn't funny in the least but if I didn't….
“I gave you everything I had left.”
“And we appreciate your trust.”
Jesus Christ.
I sat back slowly and looked at this man properly. It was then I realised, despite his posture, the perfect suit and that perfect hair.
He didn’t care whether Damon got out.
He cared whether the invoice cleared.
Something inside me went very quiet after that realization.
Before he could say anything else I showed him the way out..
God what was I going to do? Did I really have to succumb to Zade? Why now of all times?
Suddenly my phone rang, disrupting my thoughts. I looked at the caller ID but there wasn't any name on it.
I picked it anyway. Maybe it's a sign of hope.
“Hey.”
Damon’s voice sounded rough through the phone.
I sat alone in my apartment staring at the city lights outside my window.
“Hey,” I answered quietly.
A pause stretched between us.
Then—
“You sound tired.”
I laughed under my breath. “You’re literally in jail and still trying to do big brother conversations.”
“You raised me. It comes naturally now.”
That hurt more than he intended.
I rubbed a hand over my eyes slowly.
“How are things outside?” he asked carefully.
Terrible.
Catastrophic.
Humiliating.
Instead I said, “They’re being handled.”
Silence.
Damon knew me too well to believe that immediately.
“You don’t have to keep doing this,” he said softly.
I frowned. “Doing what?”
“Destroying yourself trying to save me.”
My throat tightened unexpectedly.
“You’re my brother.”
“I know.”
The way he said it almost broke me like he’d already accepted how this ended.
“You’ll get out,” I said firmly.
Another pause.
“Okay.”
He didn’t believe me. I could hear it in his voice but he loved me enough to pretend.
We stayed on the phone after that without saying much.
Like neither of us wanted to hang up first. And when we finally ended the call, my laptop screen came on with an email notification
I read it twice, then a third time slower.
WITHOUT ADEQUATE LEGAL REPRESENTATION, THE CASE AGAINST DAMON SIEGEL WILL PROCEED TO TRIAL IN FOURTEEN DAYS.
Fourteen days.
After that everything became public.
The Siegel name would be dragged through headlines until there was nothing left of it.
I leaned back slowly against the couch cushions and stared at the ceiling.
Loan debt, a worthless lawyer, frozen accounts and underneath all of it—
You’ll come back.
I closed my eyes hard.
God.
The next morning, I drove back to Forbes Tower. Exhaustion and anger fought for dominance inside my chest.
Security stepped aside immediately again.
Of course they did.
The elevator ride felt longer this time.
When the doors opened, Clara looked up from the desk.
Her hand moved toward the phone automatically.
“Don’t,” I said.
She stopped immediately.
For a second, neither of us spoke.
Then Clara nodded once and sat back slowly.
I walked straight toward the office doors before I could change my mind and pushed them open.
And there he was again by the window.
Like he’d never moved.
Zade Forbes turned the second he heard me enter.
His expression changed immediately. A small smirk appeared on his face.
What is it with him? Why did he act this way? If he really did lose his memories, why would he pull a stunt like this?
I hated that more than I could explain.
I crossed the room slowly and stopped in front of his desk.
“You said this marriage comes with terms,” I said flatly.
His eyes stayed on mine.
“Yes.”
I tightened my grip on my bag.
“Then I have conditions too.”
He didn't say anything for a few seconds then he gestured toward the chair across from him.
“Sit down, Lana.”
- Writer
