Chapter 2
759 Words
The study felt different the moment Selene stepped inside.
Heavier.
Like the air itself knew something she didn't.
Mr Blackwood stood near the desk.
Mrs. Blackwood sat quietly beside him.
Neither of them looked comfortable.
That alone was enough to make Selene uneasy.
The door closed behind her.
Silence followed.
Not peace.
Pressure.
Selene looked from one parent to the other.
"What happened?"
Nobody answered immediately.
A bad sign.
Her stomach tightened.
"Father?"
Richard finally moved.
“Sit down.”
Selene didn’t move.
“No.” Her voice stayed calm. “Tell me what happened first.”
Her father exhaled quietly.
He picked up the document resting on the desk and pushed it toward her.
"Read it."
Selene frowned.
But she obeyed.
At first, the words meant very little.
Legal language.
Formal language.
Business language.
Then she saw it.
Vale.
Her eyes stopped.
"What is this?"
Nobody answered immediately.
Which made everything worse.
Selene looked up.
"What is this?"
Her mom lowered her eyes.
Her dad exhaled slowly.
"A debt agreement."
Confusion crossed Selene's face.
"What does that have to do with me?"
Silence again.
Dangerous silence.
Then he spoke.
"Years ago, the Blackwood family suffered financial losses."
Selene frowned.
"I know that."
"The Vale family helped us survive."
She waited.
Because it still wasn't making sense.
Richard's jaw tightened.
"There was a condition."
Something cold slid down her spine.
"What condition?"
Nobody answered.
Not immediately.
And suddenly Selene didn't want the answer anymore.
Because she was beginning to understand it.
Mrs. Blackwood spoke first.
Her voice barely above a whisper.
"A marriage agreement."
The room froze.
Selene stared at her.
Then laughed.
Once.
A short sound.
Disbelieving.
"No."
Nobody moved.
"No."
She shook her head.
"No, you're joking."
They didn't smile.
Mrs. Blackwood looked close to tears.
And suddenly the truth became real.
Selene stepped backward.
"You can't be serious."
The silence answered her.
"No."
She laughed again.
But this time it sounded broken.
"No.
Her father finally spoke.
"The agreement has reached its deadline."
Selene stared at him.
"You arranged a marriage for me?"
"It was necessary."
"Necessary?"
Her voice rose.
"You arranged my life."
Mrs. Blackwood stood immediately.
"Selene—"
"No."
Selene backed away again.
"No."
The room suddenly felt too small.
Too hot.
Too suffocating.
"Who?"
Richard looked directly at her.
"Ethan Vale."
The name landed heavily.
Selene knew it.
Everyone knew it.
And that made everything worse.
Her face lost color.
"No."
Mrs. Blackwood's eyes widened.
"Selene—"
"No."
Because Ethan Vale wasn't simply rich.
He was infamous.
Cold.
Untouchable.
The kind of man people discussed quietly.
The kind of man nobody truly knew.
Stories followed him everywhere.
That he never smiled.
That he trusted nobody.
That he destroyed anyone who crossed him.
Nobody knew how much of it was true.
But nobody wanted to find out either.
Selene swallowed hard.
"You expect me to marry him?"
Mr Blackwood's voice remained calm.
"You will marry him."
The certainty in his tone shocked her more than the words.
There was no discussion.
No choice.
No negotiation.
Just a decision already made.
Her decision.
Without her.
Something cracked inside her chest.
"You already decided."
Mrs. Blackwood moved closer.
"We are trying to save this family."
Selene laughed bitterly.
"By sacrificing me?"
"No."
But the answer came too quickly.
Too automatically.
Even Mrs. Blackwood didn't sound convinced.
Selene looked between them.
One parent refusing to meet her eyes.
The other refusing to change his mind.
And for the first time in her life—
she felt completely alone.
Thunder rolled outside.
The sound echoed through the estate.
Nobody spoke.
Eventually Selene placed the document back onto the desk.
Carefully.
Deliberately.
Then she looked directly at her father.
"I won't do it."
Richard's expression didn't change.
"You don't understand the situation."
"I understand it perfectly."
Her voice shook.
Not from fear.
From anger.
"You want me to pay a debt I never created."
Mrs. Blackwood's eyes filled immediately.
"Selene, please—"
"No."
Her gaze remained fixed on her dad.
"I won't marry Ethan Vale."
The room fell silent again.
But this silence felt different.
Because now both sides had chosen their position.
And neither intended to move.
Selene turned.
Walked toward the door.
Nobody stopped her.
Not physically.
The emotional pressure was already doing enough.
She opened the door.
Then paused.
Only briefly.
Because a thought had entered her mind.
Small.
Dangerous.
Terrifying.
What if refusing wasn't enough?
What if they never intended to accept her answer?
The idea followed her out of the study.
- Writer
