CHAPTER ONE
1045 Words
CHAPTER ONE
Vanessa’s POV
Vanessa’s heart hammered in her chest. “Marry him.” The words landed like a knife twisting in her gut.
“I’d rather die than marry him,” she spat.
“Do you have a say? You’ve always known you were meant to marry into the Domain family,” her father shouted, slamming his fist on the table.
“The Domain family, yes, but not him. Anyone but him,” Vanessa said, gritting her teeth.
Her chest tightened. Every memory of him, the gunshot that had ripped through the night, still thundered in her ears.
“You will not act against my words. You don’t have any say in this,” her father commanded.
“Let our young Lillian get married instead,” her stepmother, Isabella, said.
Vanessa’s eyes flicked to her. From her words and the calm in her posture, Vanessa could sense the plan already forming behind that composed mask.
“Woman, do you think this is some sort of joke or something you can decide?” her father shouted, throwing an old paper toward Isabella. “Read it aloud,” he ordered.
Vanessa watched as Isabella picked up the paper and read aloud.
“The eldest daughter of the Lungeman family and the eldest son of the Domain family shall marry to end the war between the two families. If either party refuses to comply, their company will be forfeited."
Vanessa’s eyes lingered on the scar. It was why she could never marry him. She would not let history repeat itself, not after everything he had done.
“I will not marry him,” Vanessa said, her voice trembling with fury.
“Vanessa!” her father barked. “This is not a debate. You will marry him, or else…”
“Else what?” Vanessa cut in, narrowing her eyes.
“You will kill me, just like you killed my mother!” she said, her voice trembling with fury.
The room grew so quiet that even the faintest sound seemed deafening.
“Vanessa, your mother’s death is a forbidden topic in the Lungeman family,” Isabella said, breaking the silence.
Vanessa turned slowly toward her.
She walked closer, her eyes darkening.
“My mother’s death is a taboo, but destroying a family isn’t? Do not ever speak about my mother!”
“Vanessa!” her father roared, then broke off as he began coughing violently.
Vanessa’s lips curled into a bitter smile as her stepmother fussed over him. How she wished her mother were here… Her eyes welled up with tears, but she swallowed them and turned to walk away.
“Stop right there!” her father ordered, fighting through a cough.
Vanessa’s expression hardened. She turned back, clenching her fists as her father walked toward her.
Her father stepped forward, gripped her chin, and forced her to look at him.
“You’ve crossed the line today,” he said coldly.
“I’m sparing you only because of the marriage proposal. I will give you one more day to make your decision.”
“Now apologize to your mother,” he ordered.
“She will never be my mother, and I will not apologize to her,” Vanessa retorted, her eyes flashing with fury.
“Lock her up,” her father ordered as the bodyguard stepped forward.
“Reflect on your actions. You will remain locked up until you agree to the marriage proposal,” he added, walking away, Isabella following him and looking at Vanessa with a smug expression.
Vanessa gripped the hem of her shirt tightly until her knuckles turned white. Each step they took was like a sting, a reminder of why she could never forgive her father.
The bodyguard stepped closer. “Don’t touch me!” Vanessa lashed out.
Vanessa strode into the cage room, untidy and cloaked in darkness, the air heavy with a foul odour. Once, this room had terrified her. Since her mother’s death, it had become almost familiar.
The war with her father was unending. This marriage proposal only fueled her hatred further.
Vanessa sank to the floor, pressing her hands against the cold, hard surface. Thoughts of him, the man who had almost taken her life, ignited a fire in her chest.
“No way!” Vanessa shouted as the memory of that night came flooding back.
Her pulse raced. Run… But she was still searching for the Gulmiho file. Leaving now wasn’t an option, not when everything depended on it.
Would she watch her mother’s company be sold? Vanessa thought as she paced the dark room.
For the first time, Vanessa felt utterly defeated. A heavy weight pressed on her chest.
“Eminent Domain,” Vanessa said, a shiver running down her spine not of fear, but pure, burning hatred.
Defeated, she made her decision.
Vanessa kicked the door to signal the bodyguard.
Moments later, he opened it and informed her father that she demanded to speak with him.
Vanessa shoved the door open, stepping into her father’s study with a glare.
“I accept the marriage proposal,” she said, her voice cold and dry.
“Really?” her father asked, a cruel smirk tugging at his lips as he lazily swirled the wine in his glass. “You must have thought about your mother,” he said, his eyes glinting with amusement.
Vanessa’s jaw tightened. He dared to speak about her mother, she thought.
“Years ago, your mother and I built this company together…” her father continued.
“Then you cheated on her, brought another woman and her child right after her death, forcing me to call her mother!” Vanessa cut in, her voice sharp as knives.
“And now you are marrying me off to a dangerous man, not just anyone from the Domain family, but Eminent!” Her eyes burned like fire.
“Vanessa!” her father shouted, throwing the glass of wine at her.
Vanessa dodged, but a small piece of the shattered glass still grazed her.
“Thank you for running a perfect family,” she said with a bitter smile.
“Vanessa!” her father called, coughing violently
as she strode away.
Just then, a dangerous idea formed in her mind, and for the first time, she smiled.
- Writer
