Chapter5
2293 Words
ADELINE'S POV
My heart wouldn’t slow down.
I stared up at the glass tower like it had personally ruined my life.
Maybe it had.
Silvercrest Inc.
I exhaled shakily and stepped inside anyway.
A man in a dark suit approached almost immediately. “Name?”
“Adeline Levine.”
He gave a short nod, like he’d been expecting me, and gestured toward the elevator.
The elevator ride felt suffocatingly silent. My pulse thudded in my ears while the numbers climbed higher and higher until finally—
Top floor.
The doors slid open.
Mr. Nathaniel was already there. Beside him stood the woman from the police station holding a leather folder.
She handed it to me with a pen. “Your copy.”
I opened it and scanned the contract again. Blank spaces waiting to be filled.
Waiting for names.
Waiting for me.
The pen hovered over the paper.
I couldn’t bring it down.
A pause.
While they were discussing, I dialed Leah.
It rang longer this time.
My chest lifted… just a little—
Then—
Voicemail.
Again.
My throat burned.
“I need more time,” I said quickly. “Please. Maybe something happened to her. Maybe she’s hurt—”
“I highly doubt that,” Mr. Nathaniel replied flatly.
I looked at him in disbelief.
“You don’t know her.”
“No,” he agreed calmly. “But I know women like her.”
The anger hit instantly.
“You mean women who disappear after taking money?”
“If the shoe fits.”
I almost threw the pen at his head.
Instead, I turned sightly. “You know what? Maybe I should go to the police again.”
Nathaniel barely blinked. “And tell them what exactly?”
“That your psycho client is forcing people into marriage contracts?”
“You signed confidentiality agreements the moment you entered this building.”
My stomach dropped.
“I didn’t sign anything.”
“You signed at reception.”
I froze.
The clipboard downstairs.
Fuck.
Nathaniel clasped his hands behind his back. “Miss Levine, you are wasting time you no longer have.”
I hated him.
I hated this building.
I hated Leah.
****
A Day Earlier
The couch felt like it was pushing me off it, like my own body was rejecting the idea of waiting.
So I stood up again.
Phone already in my hand.
“Please… pick up,” I whispered, dialing Leah’s number for the millionth time.
Ringing.
Each sec
“Hey, this is Leah…”
I ended the call violently and tossed the phone beside me.
Something was wrong.
I knew Leah.
Yes, she was reckless.
Yes, she disappeared sometimes.
Yes, she made horrible decisions.
But not like this.
Not without calling me.
I needed help.
Real help.
***********
I went back to the same police station.
The precinct felt colder than I remembered.
Or maybe I just felt worse.
I walked straight to the desk. The officer there looked up closely at me with recognition.
“I want to report someone missing,” I said quickly. “My sister, Leah. She hasn’t been home, she’s not answering calls, no one’s seen her—”
“When was the last time you saw her?” the officer asked, already halfway into routine.
“Yesterday morning,” I said. “But she’s never gone this long without saying anything. Something is wrong, I know it.”
She gave me a disbelieving look I instantly hated.
“I’m sorry, ma’am, but we can’t file a missing person report until forty-eight hours after the last confirmed sighting.”
I blinked at her. “Forty-eight hours? You’re joking.”
“I’m not.”
“That’s two days,” I said, my voice tightening. “She’s missing now.”
“People wander off,” she replied, calm as ever. “They clear their heads, stay with friends, go to parties—”
“She doesn’t,” I cut in sharply. “That’s not her. She tells me everything. I’m her sister.”
Not everything.
“I understand,” she said.
She didn’t.
“But you’ll have to wait.”
I swallowed my anger and nodded tightly. “Fine.”
But it wasn’t fine. Nothing about my entire life was fine.
****
Outside, the air felt too warm.
Too normal.
Like my life wasn’t quietly falling apart.
I waved down a taxi.
“Allen & Reed,” I told the cab driver.
If the police wouldn’t move, I’d find someone who would.
*****
The law firm was exactly what you’d expect.
Tall. Expensive. Intimidating.
I walked in anyway.
I approached the receptionist.
“I need to speak to a lawyer urgently.”
Twenty minutes later, I sat across from a man in an office bigger than my apartment.
“I need help,” I said quickly. “Someone forged my signature on a marriage contract, and now they’re threatening legal action against my family.”
He tilted his head slightly. “I am sorry to hear that Miss…”
“Levine. Adeline Levine.”
“Alright, Miss Levine.” He studied me for a second. “Let me ask you something important. Is there a chance you signed the document and simply don’t remember…or forged?”
“It was forged,”
He leaned back slightly. “Good, If your signature was forged, we could potentially pursue claims of fraud, coercion, harassment… possibly extortion depending on the circumstances.”
For a second, something like relief flickered.
“How much?” I asked.
“Our retainer starts at five hundred thousand dollars.”
The relief died instantly.
“…five hundred thousand?” I repeated.
“Yes.”
“For something I didn’t even do?”
“For something you want us to fight,” he corrected.
I let out a short laugh. “That’s insane.”
“That’s litigation.”
I shook my head slowly. “And if I don’t have that kind of money?”
“Then I’d advise you to settle privately.”
The humiliation burned worse than the panic.
“Um.. ok I’ll think about it,” I whispered which sounded more like a choke, forcing a smile. “Thank you.”
****
Outside again. I flagged down another cab and gave my address.
By the time I got home, I was numb.
Boxes sat by the wall—packed, sealed, ready for a life that wasn’t happening anymore.
Charlie.
I didn’t even have the energy to think about that mess.
My phone rang.
Unknown number.
My heart jumped instantly.
Leah.
It had to be Leah.
I answered quickly. “Hello?”
“Miss Adeline.”
My stomach sank.
Mr. Nathaniel.
Of course.
“What do you want?” I snapped, gripping the phone tighter.
“I’m calling to inform you that the terms have changed.”
I laughed dryly. “Shocking.”
The client wishes to proceed immediately. Since Miss Mileyah remains unavailable, we require your answer by seven tomorrow morning.”
“That’s barely any time—”
“Failure to comply will result in swift legal proceedings.”
The line went dead.
I slowly lowered the phone.
I pressed my forehead against the wall, closing my eyes. I have never felt so alone, No friends.
No backup.
Charlie was gone. Leah was missing. My mum was in a hospital bed.
And I was standing in the middle of a mess I didn’t create.
I just lay there, eyes wide open in the dark.
If Leah doesn’t come back…
If she doesn’t fix this…
Then it’s me.
I’d end up walking down the aisle.
Not for love.
Not for anything real.
Just to stay out of prison.
Just to keep my mother safe.
“This can’t be real…” I whispered.
Right?
But the silence in the room didn’t answer.
And eventually, I closed my eyes, knowing morning would come far too soon.
***
The shrill buzz of my ringtone split through the silence like a blade, dragging me up from a sleep that wasn’t really sleep. I fumbled blindly across the bed, my fingers slapping pillows and sheets until I finally grabbed the phone.
It is Mr Nathaniel. I recognized his number as it glowed on the screen.
I cleared my throat, forcing my voice to work. “Hello?”
“Have you reached your sister?” His tone was blunt, clipped. Sleep was definitely not a luxury neither of us had.
I shut my eyes again, already exhausted. “No… not yet, sir, but I’m sure she’ll—”
“I’m sorry, Miss Levine. I really am.” he cut me off, There was a pause. Then, “You have three options,” he continued. “You take your sister’s place… you refund the full amount paid to her—every cent—or we proceed legally.”
I swallowed hard. The silence between us stretched.
“A location and account details have been sent to your phone,” he added. “Refund before noon… or be at Silvercrest Inc. by noon.” A slight pause. “And don’t attempt to disappear. You will be found.”
The line went dead..
*****
PRESENT
Nathan led me down a hallway and stopped outside massive double doors.
Without knocking, he pushed them open.
And there he was.
The man who had apparently purchased my future.
He sat at the head of a sleek black table, lazily flipping through documents.
Tall. Impossibly put together. Dark suit that probably cost more than my rent. His presence alone felt… expensive.
The kind of face people remembered whether they wanted to or not—sharp jaw, unreadable eyes, not a single thing out of place.
He didn’t smile.
Just looked at me.
And I looked back—caught off guard by how… annoyingly perfect he was.
“Is this the best your agency could find?” he said, his tone flat and unimpressed. “I know it’s short notice, Nathan, but you could’ve at least found me someone worth my money.”
I blinked.
Excuse me?
“I’m standing right here,” I snapped.
His eyes returned to mine finally.
“And yet,” he replied smoothly, “nothing improved.”
Oh, I hated him immediately.
Nathaniel cleared his throat. “The paperwork is prepared.”
“Good.” The man stood. “Let’s get this over with.”
I folded my arms. “Do you normally insult women before marrying them or am I getting special treatment?”
One of his brows lifted slightly.
“You’re getting honesty.”
“I’d rather get hit by a truck.”
“That can still be arranged.”
Nathaniel stepped between us before I could launch myself across the table.
“Please sit.”
I sat.
Barely.
*******
Apparently when you had enough money, you didn’t go to the courthouse.
The courthouse came to you.
A private officiant arrived… complete with a photographer, a pastor, a witness I didn’t know, the whole nine yards. My new husband, whose name I’d caught as Declan, barked orders and hadn’t once bothered to ask for my name.
An hour later, everyone finally left.
Now it was just me and Declan alone in his office.
The silence stretched painfully.
Declan loosened his cufflinks slightly before glancing at the contract.
“Miss…”
He paused, flipping open a page in the contract. He hadn’t even bothered to check my name before signing earlier.
What a complete jerk.
Fuck you, Leah, I thought bitterly. I hope you’re—
I couldn’t even finish that thought. Because despite everything, I was still worried about her.
He raised his head, meeting my eyes. “Levine—
“Adeline,” I corrected sharply.
His eyes lifted briefly.
“My name is Adeline.”
He studied me for one quiet second.
Then—
“Miss Levine.”
I almost lost my mind.
He continued calmly, “You’ll be moving into my residence immediately. As outlined in the agreement.”
I blinked.
“…I’m sorry?”
“You’ll live with me until the child is born.”
My brain completely stopped.
“The what?”
He looked up, mildly annoyed now. “The child? Should I be concerned about your comprehension skills?”
My heart skipped.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I let out a sharp laugh. “No one told me anything about a child.”
“Then perhaps you should’ve read the contract before accepting my money.”
Like I had a choice.
The scream rose to the back of my throat, but I swallowed it down hard. Mr. Nathaniel had made one thing painfully clear earlier… under no circumstance was I to tell Declan the truth about Leah, the money, or the swap. If Declan decided I was “unsuitable,” the deal would collapse.
And according to Nathaniel, so would my life.
So instead, I forced my expression blank and said tightly, “I have my own apartment.”
He looked genuinely amused for the first time.
“Not anymore.”
“You can’t just decide that.”
“I already did.”
God, I wanted to strangle him.
Before I could respond, the office doors suddenly opened.
A gorgeous woman stepped inside.—blonde hair styled in loose waves, red lipstick, wearing a crisp office suit that screamed effortless elegance.
“Perfect timing, babe,” Declan said, his entire face lighting up for the first time all day.
I stared.
He gestured toward me casually. “Miss Levine, meet my wife.”
My brain stalled.
“…your what?”
The word barely came out.
Because there was no way—
No actual way—
I had just married a man…
who already had a wife.
- Writer
