Heart Bound By Contract

Chapter 1 The Wedding That Wasn’t The courthouse lobby was empty save for the hum of waiting reporters outside the doors. Alexander Magnus was the only one who sat in the lobby on an uncomfortable plastic chair with his back to the door, dressed in a neat black suit and his face as expressionless and his bearing as calm as a Buddha. His eyes rarely wandered from the door. Beside him, his lawyer Carl fidgeted with his watch. An undercurrent of tension was present. "It's more than an hour, sir," Carl muttered. "She hasn't appeared yet." Alexander looked towards the massive glass doors. "She'll be here soon," he muttered. Carl let out a sigh. "Mr. Magnus, you can call this off. The press are murmuring. Your investors are growing anxious. This does not look good for you." Alexander's head moved. "No, Carl. The wedding has to be saved. I'm not going to lose my bride." "But what if Melissa doesn't turn up?" Carl warned cautiously. "Then I'll do it myself. "I've waited long enough," Alexander muttered, his voice low and even. For a moment, his eyes blazed with something under the controlled surface—a storm of feelings he never let anyone see. Minutes ticked by. The courthouse clock gently rolled in the distance. Alexander did not speak, as if still gazing in the direction of the doors. The cameras of reporters shone like stars in the distance. Then the large glass doors swung open. A young woman walked in. She had on a white dress that appeared to have been borrowed and thrown together quickly. Her eyes frantically scanned the room. Carl scowled. "Who is she?" he whispered. The woman stopped dead in the middle of the lobby. She took a breath. "I'm here," she stuttered, trembling. Alexander's brow rose as he looked her up and down. "You're not Melissa McCarthy," he leaned over and said. The woman staggered. "No, I'm not. My name's Lauren Greene. Melissa. She sent it to me. She couldn't make it," Carl's eyes narrowed. "Wait—she sent you? Are you like her? "This isn't the deal we made!" Lauren moved into closer, shifting positions. " I know, but I have to do this. " My mother's procedure isn't covered, and Melissa swore to me if I did this for her, the deal would be off. Alexander stood up slowly. He stood erect and towering. "You have no idea of what you're speaking," he said resolutely in a low tone. Lauren's eyes became teary. "Please, sir. I have no choice. I am doing it for my family." The court was hushed suddenly, and everyone could sense the tension. Alexander's voice was icy cold when he spoke to her again. "If you are here to sign as my bride, then do it." Lauren sat down at the table before which a pile of papers lay in front of her. They all watched her as she sat down. She fought to keep the pen in her hand for a moment. She was gazing into the coldness of Alexander's eyes. "Are you sure?" she whispered. "I mean, are you sure this is what you want?" Alexander's face was inscrutable. "I desire what I must desire. The conditions are clear." Lauren breathed and signed the certificate. The scratching of pen on paper was the only noise for the small group of individuals who stood about them. Carl fidgeted nervously with the papers. A few seconds and the officiant was present. He cleared his throat and went on to read the traditional wedding vows. Alexander and Lauren did not glance at each other as they read the words. They read the words mechanically, each word a step closer in a ceremony that neither felt in their hearts. When the minister pronounced them husband and wife, the room fell silent. A hush circulated through the small crowd of people present in the room. Alexander was at Lauren's side before anyone could catch their breath. He was speaking close enough for her to hear him and not another soul. His voice was quiet, yet there was a passion in it that sent shivers down her spine. "You just sold your soul to the devil, Lauren Greene." Lauren's eyes went wide and she gasped. The mouths of the individuals in the room snapped shut and all the heads turned their way. Carl covered his mouth with his hand and mouthed, "Oh my." Lauren had turned back to him, water burning the edges of her eyes, but determination and horror on her face. She could not speak. Her heart was racing against the rib cage as the shock of the moment hit her. Its lenses boomed against the windows, snapping a photo of each face. There, amidst the packed courthouse, there was a new alliance being hammered out under a storm of desperation and poorly-fitting deals. Alexander loomed over him in steadfast, immovable calm, and Lauren's eyes flashed for an instant with doubt and defeat. In this second since they had spoken their vows, when the truth of their circumstances bore down upon her, Lauren inwardly wondered if she had been completely a fool. But she also knew she had no choice. The documents had been signed, and fate had bound them in words and signatures. The courthouse, which to some is justice, had become a location where one's soul was the payment made. "Carl finally spoke, his voice trembling. " So what now, Mr? "Magnus?" he asked, attempting to find some type of guidance about what was next. Alexander sneered. Dark, unyielding eyes. "Now," he whispered, "we will start." Lauren didn't move. She simply sat, a prisoner of her own flesh, her mind reliving what had occurred. The door at her back was raging like closing the deal that had been struck. Even as the rumor began circulating among the crowd and the media personnel were preparing to leave, every person in the room was aware that something momentous had occurred. They knew that the fate of Alexander Magnus and Lauren Greene was now entwined in a way that no one could ever have envisaged. As they stepped out of the house, Alexander's gentle voice drifted back to Lauren. "Remember, you just sold your soul to the devil, Lauren Greene." His voice stayed behind, a quivering reminder of the cost this marriage had exacted.