Contract of Hate

The room was too quiet. Lila stood near the glass table, her eyes fixed on the paper in front of her. She had read it three times already, but it still didn’t make sense. A marriage contract. Her name… and his. She let out a short, bitter laugh. “This has to be a joke.” Across the table, Damian Cole didn’t react. He just sat there calmly, like nothing in the world could shake him. His sleeves were rolled slightly, his expression cold and unreadable. “It’s not a joke,” he said simply. Lila looked at him sharply. “So you expect me to sign this like it’s normal? Like I’m agreeing to buy land or something?” His eyes finally lifted to hers. “You’re overreacting.” That word annoyed her more than anything else. “Overreacting?” she repeated. “You’re talking about marriage. Not a business meeting.” Damian leaned back in his chair, completely unbothered. “For us, it is a business meeting.” Silence followed. Lila felt something tighten in her chest, but she refused to show it. “So what am I in this? A deal? A condition?” “You’re necessary,” he replied flatly. That answer didn’t comfort her. It made her feel worse. She swallowed hard. “And what if I say no?” For the first time, something shifted in his expression—but only slightly. “You won’t,” he said. Lila frowned. “Why are you so sure?” Because your family already agreed.” That sentence landed harder than anything else. For a moment, she didn’t speak. Her grip tightened at her sides as she processed it. “So I don’t even get a choice,” she said quietly. Damian’s voice stayed calm. “There was never going to be one.” Lila looked down at the contract again. Her name looked too real on it. Too permanent. She felt anger rise slowly in her chest. Then she lifted her head. “I will never love you,” she said firmly. A small pause. Damian’s lips curved slightly not a smile, not warmth… something colder. “Good,” he replied. “Because I don’t need your love.” That should have ended everything. But instead, it felt like something had just started. Something neither of them understood yet. And neither of them would be able to control.