CHAPTER TWO
519 Words
May’s breath caught in her throat as Zane Williams stepped into the room. He was nothing like she imagined. The stories hadn’t done him justice.
He was tall imposingly so with sharp cheekbones and broad shoulders that made the room feel smaller. He wore a fitted black suit like a second skin, the fabric molded to every line of strength in his body. His tie was undone, the first two buttons of his shirt open, revealing a glimpse of tanned skin and a tattoo curling along his collarbone.
But it was his eyes that held her. Cold. Unforgiving. Calculating.
And they were locked on her.
She felt exposed in the wedding dress, as though he could see straight through the
fabric into the panic burning in her chest.
“So,” he said, his voice low and deep, like a rumble of thunder. “You’re the replacement.”
The words sliced through her like a blade. No introduction. No soft pleasantries. Just that.
She straightened her shoulders, even as her fingers trembled. “I didn’t agree to this,” she said.
Zane’s lips twitched into something between amusement and disdain. “Neither did I. But here we are.”
Her father stood awkwardly to the side, wringing his hands, trying to speak. “Zane...”
Zane raised a hand. The room silenced.
“I didn’t come here for your excuses,” he said flatly. “Your family failed to hold up their end. Now, I’m giving you a chance to fix it.”
May’s eyes narrowed. “I’m not some business deal.”
“No,” Zane said slowly, stepping toward her. “You’re collateral.”
May flinched.
He circled her like a predator, his eyes scanning her with slow precision. “You don’t look like Mia,” he murmured.
“I’m not Mia,” she snapped.
His eyes flicked to hers. “Good. She was a
liar.”
May’s pulse quickened, but she didn’t back down. “You don’t know anything about me.”
“I don’t need to,” he said. “You’ll be my wife by morning.”
The words hit her like a punch.
“What?” she whispered.
Zane turned toward the door. “The ceremony is at ten. You have until then to decide if you want to walk down the aisle... or be dragged.”
May’s mouth went dry.
“You can’t force me,” she hissed.
Zane paused at the door, his voice like ice.
“You’d be surprised what I can do.”
And with that, he was gone.
The room seemed to exhale once he left. May’s knees gave out, and she sank to the edge of the bed, shaking.
Her father approached, but she held up a hand. “Don’t. Just... don’t.”
He hesitated, then left her alone.
May sat in silence, the walls closing in. She had just hours to decide her fate. A stranger. A marriage. A life she didn’t choose.
But Zane Williams didn’t seem like the kind of man who took no for an answer.
And somehow, that terrified her more than anything.
- Writer
