The Engagement
856 Words
I wake up in a bed that isn’t mine.
The sheets are silk. The air smells of expensive cologne, and whiskey.
Caius Wolfe’s penthouse.
The memory of last night crashes into me. The contract. The signature. The cold, calculated look in Caius’s eyes as I signed away my freedom.
I am now engaged to the most dangerous man in the city.
And today, the world will know it.
The Morning After
I throw on the first thing I find, a silk robe hanging on the back of the door and step into the hallway.
The penthouse is quiet. But not empty.
I hear the murmur of voices from the living room.
I move closer.
“…handled the press already. The announcement will go out at noon,” a deep voice says.
Caius.
“Are you sure this is the right move?” a second voice, one I don’t recognize responds. “The board won’t take this well.”
“The board doesn’t have a choice.”
I round the corner.
Caius is standing near the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, dressed in a crisp black suit, a glass of dark amber liquid in his hand. Across from him, a man in his early forties sits on the edge of the leather couch, flipping through a document.
I step forward. “Announcement?”
Caius doesn’t look surprised to see me. He barely even glances my way.
“The engagement will go public today.”
My stomach clenches. “So soon?”
Caius finally looks at me, his gaze sharp and unreadable. “You agreed to this.”
“I didn’t agree to be blindsided.”
The older man clears his throat. “Ms. Delacroix, I assume you don’t recognize me.”
I don’t.
“This is Alexander Pierce,” Caius says. “My lawyer.”
And fixer. I don’t have to ask to know that.
Alexander gives me a tight-lipped smile. “My job is to make this arrangement… presentable.”
I cross my arms. “And what exactly do I have to do?”
Caius tilts his head slightly. “For now? Get dressed.”
An hour later, I sit beside Caius in the back of a sleek black car, heading toward a place I never expected to be. Delacroix Tower.
The press conference will be held in the same building where my life shattered just days ago.
Caius hasn’t spoken since we left the penthouse.
I glance at him now, taking in the sharp cut of his jaw, the cold calculation in his eyes.
The world will believe this is love.
But I know better.
The car slows.
Caius turns to me, voice low. “Whatever happens out there, stay close to me.”
Before I can respond, the doors unlock.
The moment we step outside, chaos erupts.
Cameras flash.
Reporters shout.
“Ms. Delacroix, how long have you and Mr. Wolfe been together?”
“Is this a love match or a business merger?”
“Did you kill your brother to take his company?”
That last one makes my blood freeze.
Caius’s grip tightens on my waist, guiding me through the crowd, shielding me from the worst of it.
But the damage is already done.
I lift my chin, keeping my face blank. If I flinch, I lose.
Inside the building, the press conference begins.
Caius speaks first, his tone steady, controlled. “Given the circumstances surrounding Leon Delacroix’s passing, we understand the speculation. But our engagement is not a business move.”
I force a small, practiced smile. “Caius has been my greatest support through all of this.”
I expect the reporters to ease up.
Instead, one of them, an older man with sharp eyes leans forward.
“Mr. Wolfe, rumors say you were Leon Delacroix’s closest ally. Some even claim you knew about his murder before it happened.”
Caius doesn’t flinch.
But I see it. The flicker of something dark in his eyes.
The room is silent.
Waiting.
Then, Caius laughs.
A quiet, dangerous sound.
“Rumors are interesting things,” he says smoothly. “You never know who starts them.”
The reporter doesn’t back down. “Are you denying any involvement?”
Caius leans forward slightly. “What do you think?”
A shiver runs down my spine.
I don’t know if he’s lying.
And that terrifies me.
The Price of Power
Hours later, the headlines spread like wildfire.
“The Billionaire and the Heiress: A Deal Made in Blood?”
“Zariah Delacroix Engaged. But Who Is Really In Control?”
“Caius Wolfe: Protector or Puppet Master?”
The world sees an engagement. A romance. A power play.
But behind closed doors, the truth is far more dangerous.
Because the moment we step back into Caius’s penthouse, I turn to him and say...
“Tell me the truth. Did you kill my brother?”
Caius doesn’t answer immediately.
Instead, he pours himself a drink.
And then, he smirks.
“Would it change anything if I did?”
My stomach twists.
I don’t know the answer.
And that might be the most dangerous part of all.
- Writer
