Bound by shadows

The Refusal

The lawyer’s words still echoed in the room like a curse.

You must marry Serena Vale.

My chest rose and fell, my fists tightening at his sides. I didn’t hear the gasps anymore. Didn’t hear the whispers. All I saw was the woman in the corner, silent, composed, watching me as though she already knew I would come undone.

No, I said flatly. My voice cut through the room like a blade. I don’t care what my father wrote. I’m not marrying her. This empire is mine, and I don’t need anyone’s permission to claim it.

The lawyer cleared his throat nervously. Mr. Veyron, the clause is ironclad. If you refuse

Then I refuse the fortune. My jaw clenched. I built my name. I built my worth. I don’t need Lionel Veyron’s strings pulling me from the grave.

Gasps rippled through the room. The board members shifted in their seats, eyes wide, some already calculating how to exploit my defiance. The chandelier above them hummed faintly with electricity, light fracturing across their polished faces. They were vultures, my father’s vultures, and I could almost hear them tearing at the legacy already.

And then finally, Serena Vale spoke.

Her voice was low, smooth, and utterly steady. You think this is about money?

Every head turned toward her.

I narrowed my eyes. I think it’s exactly about money. My father’s money. My company. And whatever scheme you managed to weave to get your name into his will.

Serena didn’t flinch. She met my glare, her lips curving just barely. If I wanted money, Mr. Veyron, I wouldn’t be sitting here right now. I’d have taken what your father offered me years ago and disappeared.

The words hit me harder than I expected. I opened my mouth, then shut it again, unwilling to show surprise. The faintest tremor ran through my chest, confusion, maybe. Doubt. I hated both.

The lawyer shifted uncomfortably. Perhaps we should continue this discussion privately.

No. My voice was ice. “We’ll finish it now. I turned back to Serena. You’re nothing but a stain on my legacy. If Lionel thought he could force me to marry a woman with your reputation, he underestimated me.

For the first time, something flickered in her eyes, not hurt, not shame, but steel. She rose to her feet slowly, deliberately, every eye in the room following her. Her hands were steady, but the air around her changed, sharp as glass.

You don’t know a thing about me, she said softly. But you will. And when you do, you’ll realize this isn’t about your father’s control or your empire. It’s about the truth he was trying to bury.

The room fell silent.

I pulse pounded in my ears, my pride warring with the faintest spark of curiosity.

But before I could speak again, Serena turned on her heel and walked out, her heels clicking against the marble floor like the ticking of a clock.