chapter 4
1096 Words
Aria paced the studio, wiping her palms on her jeans.
Jade watched her from the desk. “You look like you’re about to sit an exam you didn’t study for.”
“I feel like it,” Aria muttered.
A firm knock landed on the door.
Jade straightened. “That’s him.”
Aria inhaled sharply. “Okay… okay.”
The door opened. Lysander stepped in first, sharp and controlled as always. Behind him came a man in a dark suit holding a slim leather folder.
“Ms. Wynn,” the man said politely. “I’m Daniel Crest, legal counsel for Mr. Vale.”
Aria nodded. “Hi. Yes. Come in.”
Lysander’s gaze swept the room—over the clutter, the overdue invoices pinned to the board, the quiet desperation she hadn’t been able to hide. He didn’t comment. That somehow made it worse.
Daniel placed the folder on the table. “The agreement is prepared. If there are any concerns, we can discuss them now.”
Aria sat. Lysander pulled a chair beside her—not across from her. Close. Intentional.
Jade hovered behind Aria. “We’re reading everything.”
“No one said otherwise,” Lysander replied coolly.
Aria flipped through the pages. “Thirty days. Public engagement. Shared residence…” Her breath hitched. “The penthouse clause.”
“It’s necessary,” Lysander said.
“You could’ve asked,” she murmured.
“If we’re doing this,” he replied, “we do it properly. The board won’t believe anything less.”
Daniel gestured to the final page. “If the terms are acceptable, you may sign here.”
Aria stared at the blank line. Her chest tightened.
“Are you sure?” Jade whispered.
“No,” Aria whispered back. “But I don’t have another option.”
The room went still.
Lysander spoke, quieter now. “Once you sign, I keep my word. Your business will recover. You’ll be protected. After thirty days, you walk away.”
He wasn’t warm. He wasn’t kind.
But he was steady.
Aria picked up the pen. Her hand shook once.
She signed.
Daniel nodded. “Mr. Vale?”
Lysander signed without hesitation. No pause. No doubt.
When the folder closed, Daniel said, “Congratulations. You are now legally engaged. The family will be notified immediately.”
Aria froze.
Lysander stood. “We’re leaving for the mansion.”
“Now?” Her voice cracked.
“Yes. They want to meet you today.”
Jade squeezed her arm. “Breathe.”
Lysander offered his hand—not gentle, not romantic. A command.
Aria didn’t take it. She followed him out instead.
The contract was signed.
The lie was real.
And now she had to face the people who would judge her hardest.
The car ride felt like moving toward a cliff she’d already agreed to jump from.
Lysander stared ahead, silent.
“Your family thinks this is real,” Aria said finally.
“It is,” he replied. “Just not the way they assume.”
“That doesn’t help.”
“I’m not here to help,” he said. “I’m here to protect the company.”
Iron gates opened. White stone stretched endlessly ahead.
“This is bigger than I expected,” Aria whispered.
“It’s just a house.”
“No,” she said softly. “It’s not.”
The doors opened before they reached them.
Staff lined the entrance. And behind them—
Miranda Vale. Polished. Cold. Assessing.
Elias Vale, smiling like trouble.
Lucian Vale, seated with a cane, his presence heavier than the mansion itself.
Lysander stepped out first. Aria followed, every eye stripping her bare.
“This is her?” Miranda asked flatly.
“Yes,” Lysander said. “This is Aria Wynn. The woman I’m going to marry.”
Lucian tapped his cane. “Come closer, girl.”
Aria did.
“You look nervous,” he said.
“I am.”
He smiled faintly. “Good. Honesty is rare here.”
Elias stepped forward. “I expected someone more… refined.”
Lysander’s voice dropped. “Elias.”
“Just an observation.”
“I didn’t come polished,” Aria said quietly. “Just present.”
Lucian chuckled. “I like her.”
Miranda did not. “Why her?”
Lysander didn’t hesitate. “Because she doesn’t lie to me.”
The silence was sharp.
Lucian studied them. “Do you care for her, Lysander?”
Aria’s breath caught.
Lysander stepped closer to her. Not touching. Claiming.
“Yes,” he said.
He didn’t look at her.
Lucian nodded. “Then we have a wedding to prepare.”
Miranda stiffened. “We should vet her. Her background. Her finances.”
“You can ask me,” Aria said.
Miranda smiled thinly. “What do you do?”
“I run an event company. Small, but honest.”
“The one that collapsed?” Elias asked lightly.
“It wasn’t my fault.”
“Convenient.”
“Enough,” Lysander snapped.
Miranda continued. “And your family?”
Aria hesitated. “My parents died. A car accident.”
“Oh,” Miranda said coolly. “So no background to consider.”
Elias smirked. “That explains a lot.”
Miranda tilted her head. “You weren’t raised in our world.”
Then she turned to Lysander. “Why not Helena Moretti?”
The name landed like a slap.
“Powerful family,” Elias added. “Perfect match.”
“I’m not marrying Helena,” Lysander said.
“You don’t need love,” Miranda replied. “You need stability.”
He stepped slightly in front of Aria. “I chose her.”
Miranda scoffed. “A girl with no pedigree—”
“Enough.”
Lucian raised his hand. “She’s welcome here.”
Miranda fell silent.
Lucian nodded. “Dinner will be served.”
As they walked inside, Lysander leaned close. “You don’t have to defend yourself.”
“I wasn’t planning to.”
Lucian stopped beside her. “You’ll stay in the penthouse. Tradition.”
Aria swallowed. “I understand.”
He studied her. “Fear makes people honest. Lysander doesn’t choose lightly.”
That didn’t comfort her.
As the dining hall doors opened, Aria felt the weight of thirty days crash down on her.
This wasn’t just a contract.
This was stepping into a world that didn’t want her—
with a man who claimed her—
before she knew how to claim herself.
And somewhere behind those polished smiles,
she felt it clearly—
someone here already hated her.
- Writer
