The Heir's Unwanted Bride

Chapter 5 : The Condition

Celeste stayed awake through the night without really sleeping and when morning finally came she was already dressed and sitting quietly in her room while the house moved around her like nothing had changed even though everything already had.

A knock came at her door and she stood up immediately before it came again.

“It is time,” the driver said from outside.

She opened the door and stepped out without asking anything else because there was nothing left to ask at that point and the hallway felt longer than usual as she walked through it.

No one was waiting for her at the stairs except silence and the feeling that nobody in that house was going to stop her from leaving.

At the bottom of the stairs she paused for a second when she saw Vivienne standing there with her arms crossed and a small smile that did not reach her eyes.

“Do not make a mess of this,” Vivienne said.

Celeste looked at her but did not respond and then continued walking past her without slowing down because anything she could say would not matter in that moment.

The front door opened and closed behind her and the sound felt heavier than it should have.

The car was already waiting outside and the driver stepped forward immediately to open the door for her.

She got in without speaking.

The door closed.

The car pulled away.

Inside the mansion Vivienne stayed at the window watching until the car disappeared from sight and only then did she turn away.

The road to the private terminal was long but quiet and Celeste kept her eyes on the window without really seeing anything because her thoughts were not staying in one place long enough to settle.

Every few minutes the same words returned to her mind without warning.

You will leave tomorrow.

You will marry him.

She pressed her fingers together in her lap and forced herself to breathe slowly even though nothing about the situation felt like something she could breathe through.

The car slowed down eventually and turned into a private road that led to the terminal where everything looked too clean and too controlled to feel normal.

People were already waiting.

Security stood at both sides.

A woman in a black suit stepped forward as soon as Celeste stepped out.

This way, she said.

Celeste followed her without question because there was no point asking where she was going anymore.

Inside the terminal everything was quiet in a way that felt unnatural and every step she took echoed slightly on the polished floor as if the place itself was aware of her presence.

The jet was already waiting.

Dark. Still. Ready.

She stopped for a brief second before the stairs.

The woman noticed.

You are expected, she said again.

Celeste nodded once and started walking up.

Each step felt heavier than the last but she did not stop.

At the top of the stairs the door was already open.

She stepped inside.

The door closed behind her.

The sound was final.

The inside of the jet was calm and dim with soft lighting that made everything feel even more distant than it already was and at the far end of the cabin a man stood near the window without moving as she entered.

He did not turn immediately.

Celeste stopped near the entrance and waited.

After a moment he turned.

And looked at her.

Not surprised.

Not curious.

Just steady.

Sit, he said.

One word.

No tone.

No softness.

Celeste did not move right away.

You are Damien Chen, she said.

“Yes,” he replied.

Silence followed again but it did not feel empty because it felt like he was already measuring her without needing to ask anything.

He walked a few steps forward and stopped at a distance that kept control between them without making it obvious.

You are the Harrington daughter, he said.

That is what they call me, Celeste replied.

That is what you are,he said simply.

She did not respond to that.

He turned slightly and gestured toward the seat again.

Sit.

This time she did.

Not because she was agreeing.

Because she had already realized this was not a space where agreement mattered.

Damien sat opposite her and placed a single file on the table between them without opening it yet.

Celeste looked at it.

What is that, she asked.

The agreement, he said.

You signed without me,she said.

Yes,he replied without hesitation.

She looked at him.

So I am only here to confirm what you already decided.

No.

That answer made her pause slightly.

He leaned back in his seat and studied her properly now.

You are here because I chose you.

Celeste frowned slightly.

I do not know you.

You do not need to.

Silence returned again but this time it felt tighter.

The plane shifted slightly as it prepared for takeoff and the movement made everything outside the window begin to blur slowly.

Celeste turned her head toward it for a second then looked back at him.

Why me, she asked.

Damien did not answer immediately.

Then he spoke.

Because you did not break in that house even when you were treated like you did not exist.

She did not react.

And because you are not as lost as they think you are.

Celeste held his gaze.

That is not an answer.

It is the only one you need for now.

A flight attendant’s voice came through the intercom announcing takeoff preparation and the cabin grew quieter as everything outside prepared to move.

Damien looked at her again.

You will follow three rules.

Celeste did not respond.

You will act as my wife in public, he said.

Second, you will not interfere with my business.

He paused slightly.

Third, you will not lie to me.

Celeste finally spoke.

That is not a partnership.

Damien looked at her.

It is not meant to be.

Silence settled again as the plane started to move and the city outside the window slowly began to fall away.

Celeste looked out for a moment before speaking again.

And what do I get.

Damien did not hesitate.

Freedom.

She looked at him again.

You cannot offer both power and freedom.

I can, he said calmly.

She did not respond.

The plane lifted off and Celeste felt the shift in her body as the ground disappeared beneath them.

She stayed still for a long moment before finally realizing that whatever she had just stepped into was not a decision anymore because it was already in motion and there was no part of her old life left waiting to pull her back.

She thought to herself, will i survive this?

The question lingered in her mind long after it formed.

She kept her eyes on the clouds outside the window, watching them drift beneath the aircraft like an endless sea of white. Somewhere below, the life she had always known was growing smaller with every passing minute.

I have one condition,she said quietly, still staring at the clouds.

Damien looked up from the file resting on the table.

If this marriage is going to happen, I want one promise.

He didn’t interrupt her.

You'll let me have my revenge on the Harrington's.

For the first time since they met, something unreadable crossed Damien’s face.

After a brief silence, he gave a single nod.

Agreed.

Celeste released a breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding, but somehow, the knot in her chest refused to loosen. One promise had been secured.

Everything else remained uncertain.