Bound To The Devil's Vow

Chapter2

You’re going to marry me under a one-year contract.”

“The world stopped.

For a second, I forgot how to breathe.

Surely I had heard wrong.

Of all the things I expected him to say, that wasn't one of them.

I was so shocked that I couldn't utter a single word for several seconds.

I just sat there staring at him, my eyes wide with disbelief.

Was this some kind of joke?

My mouth opened and closed, but no words came out.

Meanwhile, he simply sat there, completely relaxed, as though he hadn't just dropped the most unbelievable bombshell of my life.

One leg was crossed over the other, his expression calm and unreadable.

The contrast between us was almost laughable.

My entire world had just been turned upside down, yet he looked as though we were discussing the weather.

The more I looked at him, the more real it became.

He wasn't joking.

And he certainly wasn't taking back what he had said.

My heart pounded violently against my chest.

"W-what?" I finally managed to choke out.

His expression didn't change.

"You heard me."

I shook my head immediately.

"No... no, I must have heard wrong."

But even as the words left my mouth, I knew I hadn't.

Every syllable had been painfully clear.

Marry him.

A complete stranger.

For a moment, all I could do was stare at him, wondering whether I had just walked into a nightmare.

"But sir, we don't even know each other,"

I finally managed to say, still trying to process the ridiculous proposal he had just thrown at me.

"That makes it better," he replied calmly, as if he had already made the final decision and my opinion didn't matter in the slightest.

I stared at him.

Who says something like that?

Was he crazy?

Or was I the one losing my mind?

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

And that was when I truly looked at him.

Not the intimidating stranger who had proposed marriage to me.

Just him.

The man sitting beside me.

My breath caught slightly.

This weirdo stranger was ridiculously handsome.

His face looked like it had been carefully sculpted by the gods themselves. Every feature was perfectly placed. His sharp jawline, straight nose, and high cheekbones somehow worked together flawlessly.

Then there were his eyes.

Good Lord.

They were the real definition of ocean eyes.

Dangerously captivating!!!

Before I knew it, I found myself staring into them, completely lost.

His black hair was neatly cut and slightly tousled, giving him an effortless look that should have been illegal. It looked soft enough to run my fingers through and had the kind of shine that would probably glow under sunlight.

And then there was his height.

The man was a giant.

At least six foot seven. Maybe even taller.

Everything about him screamed power, confidence, and authority.

He was so handsome that it was genuinely annoying.

"He is so beautiful..."

The words slipped out before I could stop them.

My eyes widened instantly.

Wait. What?

Did I just say that out loud?

My face burned with embarrassment.

I quickly slapped a hand over my mouth and looked away.

What was wrong with me?

My brother was literally fighting for his life, and here I was admiring the face of a stranger who had just asked me to marry him.

A stranger I wasn't entirely convinced was sane.

I mentally smacked myself.

Get it together, Sophia.

The man might be handsome, but he was still crazy.

No normal person walks up to a stranger in a hospital and proposes marriage as if they were offering someone a cup of coffee.

Unfortunately, when I dared to glance back at him, the amused look on his face told me he had definitely heard every single word.

To cover up my embarrassment, I shamelessly cleared my throat and looked away as if I hadn't just called a complete stranger beautiful.

"You heard nothing," I muttered.

He gave me a bored look, the kind of look a child gives a toy they're already tired of.

Clearly, he wasn't interested in my moment of humiliation.

"I'm still waiting for your answer," he said impatiently.

His fingers tapped lightly against the armrest.

"Are you in or not?"

I blinked. Was he serious?

"Wh-what if I don't want to?" I asked.

Because there was absolutely no way I could see myself marrying a complete stranger.

Not in this lifetime.

Not in my wildest dreams.

For a second, he simply stared at me.

Then he shrugged.

"Then your brother dies."

The words landed like a slap across my face.

My entire body stiffened.

I stared at him in disbelief. There was no hesitation.

No guilt. No sympathy.

He said it so casually, as though he were discussing the weather instead of my brother's life.

Anger instantly surged through me.

"How dare you?" I snapped, rising to my feet.

My hands trembled at my sides.

"Do you even hear yourself?"

But his expression remained unchanged.

Cold. Calm. Unbothered.

"I'm giving you a choice," he said evenly.

"A choice?" I laughed bitterly.

"That's not a choice."

My voice cracked.

"That's blackmail."

For the first time, something flickered in his eyes.

But it disappeared so quickly I wasn't sure I had imagined it.

"Call it whatever you want," he said.

"At the end of the day, your brother gets the surgery he needs, and I get a wife."

The words made my stomach turn.

I wanted to yell.

To throw something at him.

To tell him exactly where he could shove his ridiculous

proposal.

But I couldn't.

Because as much as I hated him at that moment…

As much as I wanted to walk away…

A painful truth sat heavily in my chest.

Leo was running out of time.

And this stranger knew it.