Married To My Sister's Arranged Fiance

Four

Elena

The morning of the formal proposal felt like a funeral. The Vanoss estate was a hive of activity, but for me, it was a prison tightening its grip. I stood in front of the full-length mirror in my dressing room, staring at a woman I no longer recognized. My mother had chosen a dress of pale cream lace. It was high-necked and modest, designed to make me look like a porcelain doll—innocent, untouched, and ready to be handed over.

Every time the silk brushed against my stomach, I felt a jolt of panic. The secret was a physical weight now. I was barely six weeks along, but the knowledge of the life growing inside me made me feel like I was carrying a bomb. If it went off, everyone I loved would be destroyed.

"You look perfect, Elena," my mother said, stepping into the room. She adjusted a stray hair with a cold, precise touch.

"The DeRicos value tradition. They expect a bride who knows how to represent her family. Today is not about your feelings. It is about the signature on the contract."

I nodded, my throat too tight to speak. My mother didn't wait for a response; she simply turned and walked out, expecting me to follow.

The grand drawing room was filled with the scent of expensive cigars and old money. My father sat in his high-backed chair, looking like a king on a throne. Tristan stood behind him, his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes scanning the room like a hawk. On the table between them lay the marriage contract. It was thick, filled with clauses about territory, shipping lanes, and blood loyalty. I was just the ink used to sign it.

The heavy doors opened, and the DeRicos entered.

Roberto DeRico walked with a heavy, confident stride, but it was the man behind him who stole the air from the room.

Xavier DeRico.

He was taller than I expected, with shoulders that seemed to fill the doorway. His suit was dark, his hair perfectly styled, and his face was a mask of cold indifference. He didn't look like a groom; he looked like a predator entering a new territory.

His eyes swept over the room, landing on me for a brief, clinical second. He didn't smile. He didn't acknowledge me with anything other than a slight tilt of his head. I felt a chill run down my spine. This was the man who would share my bed. This was the man who would eventually discover my betrayal.

"Christian," Roberto said, shaking my father’s hand. "Let’s get to it. Time is money, and we have a lot of both to manage."

They sat down, and the air became thick with the jargon of our world. They talked about the northern docks, the h****n distribution routes, and the percentage of the cut. I stood to the side, a silent ornament. I watched Xavier. He didn't join the conversation much. He sat with his legs crossed, looking bored, but his eyes were never still. He was observing everything.

"The marriage will take place in two weeks," my father said, his voice booming. "A full cathedral wedding. We need the city to see the strength of this union."

"Agreed," Roberto said. "Xavier, do you have any objections to the timeline?"

Xavier shifted his gaze to the contract, then to me. "The sooner the better. I don't like lingering business."

My heart hammered against my ribs. Lingering business. That was all I was to him. A task to be completed.

"Elena," my father called. "Come here."

I walked forward, my legs feeling like lead. My father picked up a heavy gold pen and held it out to me. "Sign. Accept your duty to this family."

I looked down at the paper. The words blurred before my eyes. If I signed this, I was officially a DeRico property. I was committing to a life of lies. I glanced at Tristan, who looked away, and then at the door, where I knew Kayla was watching from the shadows. I felt the walls closing in. I wanted to scream, to tell them that I couldn't do it, that I was already carrying a Houston child.

But I saw the cold look in my father’s eyes. I knew what would happen to Nate if I spoke. I knew what would happen to me. With a hand that shook so violently I had to grip the table, I took the pen and scrawled my name at the bottom of the page.

It was done. I was sold.

The room erupted into polite, cold congratulations. Drinks were poured. Xavier stood up and walked toward me. The scent of his cologne was sharp—something expensive and masculine that made me want to shrink away. He stopped just inches from me, his presence overwhelming.

"We should speak," he said. It wasn't a request.

He led me toward the balcony, away from the prying eyes of our parents. The air outside was cool, but it offered no relief. Xavier leaned against the stone railing, looking out over the Vanoss gardens.

"You look terrified, Elena," he said, his voice a low, smooth drawl. "Is it the reputation? Or just the idea of me?"

"I... I know my duty, Xavier," I whispered, refusing to look at him.

"Duty is a boring word," he replied. He reached out, his fingers brushing the side of my neck. I flinched, and his eyes narrowed. "I don't like fear in my house. It’s messy. I expect you to be composed. I expect you to be loyal. Do you understand?"

"Yes," I said, my voice barely audible.

"Good. Because this alliance is worth more than your life or mine. If you break this contract, there won't be a place on this earth where you can hide from me."

He stepped closer, his shadow falling over me. I felt the sheer power of the man, the ruthlessness that earned him his name. He didn't love me. He didn't even like me. I was a strategic asset, and he was the manager.

As he turned to go back inside, he paused. "One more thing. My father mentioned a visit to a clinic. I do care about your health, but I don't tolerate such undefined visits or health problems as long as you can produce an heir. But I don't like being kept in the dark. If there is a problem, tell me now."

I felt the blood drain from my face. My breath hitched. He knew something. Or he suspected. I looked at him, the lie sitting heavy on my tongue. I had to say it. I had to protect Nate. I had to protect the baby.

"There is no problem," I lied, looking him straight in the eyes. "I am perfectly healthy."

Xavier stared at me for a long moment, his dark eyes searching my face for any sign of a c***k. For a second, I thought he would see right through me. But he just nodded once, a cold, sharp movement.

"See that it stays that way," he said.

He walked back into the drawing room, leaving me alone in the cold air. I leaned against the railing, my stomach churning. I had just lied to the most dangerous man in the city. I was trapped in a marriage that was built on a foundation of blood and secrets, and I knew that if I didn't find a way out, the war my father was trying to avoid would be the very thing that consumed us all. I looked back through the glass and saw Kayla watching me, her expression full of a dark, rising fear that matched my own. The contract was signed, the date was set, and I was running out of time to save my child before the King claimed us both.