The Contract
1516 Words
I must have been crazy to agree to this.
The message stayed on Aria's screen long after she sent it, continuing to torture her mind with every passing second.
"I'll do it."
She continued to stare at those three words even as the previously deafening silence of the room was filled with her pulse, now loud and ringing in her ears.
There was no taking her decision back now.
For a moment, nothing happened. Lucien didn't send her a reply. There was no confirmation that he'd even seen it at all. Just silence.
Then her phone buzzed.
Her breath caught in her throat she looked down. There was a message from an unknown number.
She opened it.
"Be ready. A car will be there in ten minutes," it read.
Almost as if he had been expecting it, Aria thought. Of course he had.
She let out a slow breath, her grip tightening around her phone. Ten minutes was not a lot of time. There was something important she needed to do before she left.
Her gaze shifted toward the hallway. "Maya?" she called.
A few seconds later, her sister appeared, clutching the small bag from earlier. "Yeah?"
Aria forced her voice to be steady. "I have to go out for a bit."
Maya frowned slightly. "Right now?"
"Yes," she nodded, already reaching for her coat. "I'll be back before you know it."
She hoped that wouldn't be a lie. She couldn't know how long Lucien would keep her there, wherever he intended to take her.
Maya hesistated. "Is everything okay?"
Aria met her younger sister's eyes. For a moment, she considered telling her sister the truth: about Lucien, the offer, the deal she had just agreed to, everything.
But the words caught in her throught before they could come out.
"Yeah," she assured. "It will be."
Maya studied her sister's expression, like she didn't really believe what she was saying. But she nodded anyway.
"Okay."
Aria gaver her a small smile, then turned away to leave before she could changer her mind. As she did, the atmosphere of the hallway felt colder and heavier than it ever had before.
By the time she stepped outside, the night air felt sharper against her skin.
A black car was already waiting for her at the curb.
This is it, she thought. This was her last chance; the moment where she could still walk away and attempt to find a way out on her own. Except, there wasn't one, and she knew it.
She stepped forward and opened the door. The interior was dead silent. Cold.
Just like him.
The door closed behind her with a soft, final thud, before the car pulled away.
Aria tried to relax, her hands folded tightly in her lap as the city passed by in a blur of lights and shadows. There was no music to listen to in the car, and the driver didn't even attempt to make conversation. She guessed he wasn't allowed to.
All she had was the quiet hum of the engine and the steady train of her own thoughts.
"Marry me," he'd said. Her grip tightened.
She had said yes. Not because she wanted to, but because she knew she had to.
Too soon, the car slowed down. Aria glanced up through the window as it came to a halt in front of a towering glass building, so tall its upper floors dissappeared into the dark night sky.
Blackwood Holdings.
Her stomach twisted.
The driver stepped out of his seat and held the door opened for her. She hesitated for a fraction of a second, then she stepped out.
The lobby was as cold as she expected- marble floors, high ceilings, every surface polished to perfection. The kind of place where even breathing felt like it required permission.
She approached the front desk. "I'm here to see-"
"We've been expecting you." The receptionist didn't even let her finish.
Of course they were.
Aria pressed her lips as she was directed to an empty elevator. The doors closed behind her, sealing her in. Her reflection stared back at her from the mirrored walls.
She hardly recognised herself.
As the elevator moved smoothly upward, each passing floor felt like a step further away from everything she knew.
And closer to something she could never undo.
The doors opened. A quiet hallway stretched before her, tastefully decorated with soft lighting and lush, thick carpets.
At the end stood a single, open door.
Aria stepped forward.
Lucien was inside, waiting. He stood near the floor-to-ceiling windows, the city lights stretching behind him like something distant and untouchable.
He didn’t turn when she entered, almost like he was ignoring her presence completely. For a moment, she just stood there, watching him, trying to steady her uneven breathing. Then-
"You're on time." His voice broke the prolonged silence.
He turned, his gaze settling on her figure just as it had earlier that night- sharp, cold, and unreadable.
Aria simply crossed her arms, grounding herself. "I said I would be."
There was a brief pause, then he gestured toward the desk. "Sit."
He said it with a tone that indicated it was not a request, but an instruction to be followed.
Aria considered refusing for a moment, before deciding against it. The chair felt soft, expensive, and very out of place beneath her.
Lucien walked over, placing a thin stack of papers in front of her.
"This outlines the terms," he said.
Aria looked down at the document.
"You always had this ready," she said quietly.
Lucien didn't deny it. "I don't make offers I'm not certain will be accepted."
Aria let out a slow breath and picked up the first page. Her eyes moved over the text, reading through the legal language and all the terms stated in the marraige agreement. Her fingers stiffened.
"And this is how you choose to handle everything?" she asked. "Contracts and signatures?"
"It is the most efficient way." Of course it was the most efficient way in his eyes.
Aria looked back down. Her eyes scanned the first section.
The marraige would be legally binding and recognized by law. It would also be public, so there would be no room for ambiguity regarding their relationship status.
"Public appearances," she read aloud, her voice quieter now. "Events, functions, media obligations..."
"You will be expected to attend with me," Lucien completed.
She let out a short breath. "And pretend."
Lucien said nothing, simply choosing to nod.
She flipped the page to see another clause. "No personal expectations," she murmured.
His voice was even. "This is in no way a romantic arrangement."
Her lips pressed together.
"No emotional involvement. No... attachment."
"That would complicate matters, " he said simply.
A hollow laugh escaped her. "God forbid that happens."
He didn't respond, so Aria swallowed and moved on.
"Absolute loyaltly," read the next section. Her grip on the papers tightened.
"What does that mean?"
Lucien met her gaze.
"It means you do not act against me."
He said it quite calmly, but there was something dangerous beneath them.
"And what if I do?" she asked.
"You won't," he said firmly.
Aria held his gaze for a moment, before looking back down and proceeding to read the rest of the agreement. Every line, clause and condition pointed to the same thing: this wasn't a real marraige. This was her giving control of her life away.
She exhaled slowly, placing the papers down. "This is insane."
"Yes," he replied. "Yet... you're still here."
Her jaw tightened. "You already know why."
"Of course I know why. It's for your sister."
At the mention of Maya, Aria looked away. Silence stretched between them as she considered what she was about to do.
Finally, she reached for the pen.
As her fingers hovered over the dotted line, she looked up. Lucien watched her, his expression remaining remarkably still and patient.
Aria lowered the pen to the paper. For a second, she hesitated.
Then she signed it. The sound of the pen against paper felt louder than it should have. When she finished, she set it down.
It was done.
She pushed the contract lightly towards him. "There," she said. "You have what you wanted."
Lucien glanced down at the signature. Then back at her.
"Then we're done here."
Aria sighed, picking up her few belongings and turning to leave.
"One more thing." His voice stopped her in her tracks.
Aria closed her eyes briefly. Of course. Slowly, she turned back to face him.
"What now?"
Lucien stepped closer. "There's an additional condition," he said.
Her stomach twisted. "You didn't mention that."
"Well, I'm mentioning it now."
Her jaw clenched. "This is not how contracts work."
"No," he agreed. "But this isn't negotiable."
Something in his tone made her still. "What is it?" she asked.
Lucien held her gaze, his expression as cold as ever. Then, quietly-
"You will live with me."
Her breath caught. Words started to rush up her throat, but before she could say anything, he gave one cold, final instruction.
"Starting tonight."
- Writer
