I MARRIED MY ENEMY'S SON

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

THIRD PERSON

The Romano estate office had been cleared of aides, secretaries, even the usual security detail. Only Eduardo Romano and Isabella Cortez sat across from one another at the long mahogany table, two titans of industry wearing masks of polite civility.

The silence between them was not awkward — it was calculated.

"You've seen the news, of course," Isabella said finally, voice smooth as silk. She placed her phone on the table, screen still glowing with a headline showing Aria and Damian leaving the same event. Romano Heiress Laughing with Cortez Rival.

"I've seen worse reporting," Eduardo replied coolly. His sharp gray eyes gave away nothing. "But this… this is reckless. On both sides."

Isabella tilted her head, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "Reckless, yes. But also… opportune."

Eduardo arched a brow. "Opportune? My daughter is being dragged through the mud, and you call it opportune?"

"Come now, Eduardo." Isabella leaned forward, manicured fingers steepled. "Your board will be questioning your judgment. My shareholders already are. The market despises uncertainty, and this scandal paints both our families as distracted children throwing parties while empires burn."

His jaw tightened. "We are not children."

"Then let's act like it." Isabella's smile hardened into something colder. "The press already thinks Aria and Damian have some… secret understanding. Why not turn that into something beneficial?"

Eduardo didn't answer immediately. He poured himself a drink, letting the clink of ice fill the room. "You're suggesting an alliance."

"I'm suggesting damage control," Isabella corrected smoothly. "A formal engagement between your daughter and my son. The public will see unity, not rivalry. Investors will see stability. And both our legacies remain untarnished."

Eduardo swirled his glass, thinking. "You want to bind our families because two reckless twenty-somethings were photographed laughing together?"

"I want to turn scandal into strategy," Isabella replied, voice like velvet laced with steel. "We both know Damian isn't exactly a saint, but he listens to me. If Aria agrees — or rather, if you make her agree — this story dies in the press. Overnight."

Eduardo's lips pressed into a thin line. "Aria isn't a pawn."

"All children are pawns at some point," Isabella said with an elegant shrug. "At least in our world."

Silence again.

Finally Eduardo spoke, voice low and measured. "If we do this, there will be terms. No leaks. No interference in Romano Enterprises. The appearance of unity — nothing more."

"Of course," Isabella said smoothly, though her eyes glittered with amusement. "We'll announce it as a natural union, not a business arrangement. Everyone wins."

Eduardo set his glass down with deliberate calm. "Everyone but our children."

"They'll learn," Isabella replied, standing. "They always do."

ARIA'S POV

When Dad called me into his office again that evening, I thought I was about to get another lecture. Another reminder about discretion, perception, all the usual lines.

What I didn't expect was to see him sitting behind the desk — calm, unreadable — with a legal folder neatly placed in front of him.

"Sit down, Aria," he said. His voice was softer this time, which somehow terrified me more than when he yelled.

I perched on the edge of the leather chair, heart hammering. "Dad, if this is about the news—"

"It's about more than the news." He pushed the folder toward me. "It's about protecting this family."

I glanced at the folder but didn't touch it. "What is this?"

"A contract," he said simply. "An agreement between us and the Cortez family."

My stomach flipped. "The Cortez family?"

"Yes." His eyes locked onto mine. "To end the scandal. To prevent investors from walking away. To keep our name intact."

I stared at him, my voice barely a whisper. "What kind of contract?"

"An engagement," he said, as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world. "Between you and Damian Cortez."

The words hit like a slap. For a moment I just sat there, stunned, sure I'd misheard. "I… what? No. No, absolutely not!"

"This isn't a request," Dad said firmly. "This is happening."

I shot to my feet. "You can't be serious! You're marrying me off to him?!"

"It's not a marriage — yet," Dad said, his calmness maddening. "Just an engagement. A show of unity. A way to calm the markets."

"Calm the markets?!" My voice cracked. "This is my life, Dad, not a press release!"

"You think I enjoy this?" His voice rose now, steel cutting through. "You think I want to do this to you? I don't. But you left me no choice. You embarrassed this family — you embarrassed me — and I will not let Romano Enterprises collapse because of carelessness."

I felt hot tears sting my eyes. "So you're punishing me by shackling me to him?!"

"This isn't punishment, Aria," he said coldly. "This is preservation. For all of us."

I shook my head, backing away. "No. No way. I'm not agreeing to this."

"You don't have to agree," Dad said, standing now, his towering frame suddenly intimidating. "The announcement goes out tomorrow."

I felt the air leave my lungs. "You can't… you can't do this to me…"

He didn't flinch. "I already have."

My knees wobbled. I gripped the edge of the chair to steady myself. "You're ruining my life," I whispered.

"I'm protecting it," he replied sharply. "You'll thank me one day."

"Thank you?" I laughed bitterly, though my voice shook. "For selling me off like a—"

"Enough." His voice boomed in the office, final and immovable. "Leave now. We'll discuss details in the morning."

I opened my mouth to scream, to argue, to beg — but nothing came out. Just the sound of my own heartbeat pounding in my ears as I turned and stormed out of the room, vision blurred with tears.

Behind me, his voice followed, steady and unyielding:

"Your engagement to Damian Cortez will be announced at noon."