CONTRACTED DESTINY

The Discovery

CHAPTER TWO

MOVING IN

Harden's mansion looked loke something out of a dream-talk grass window,marble floor, black and white interior like a chess board. But one room caught my attention. A locked room "dint go near that door", he said sharply "why?" he paused "because some rooms are better left closed" that was my first warning.

The Cold Marriage

The first weeks were unbearable. we ate at the same table but spoke little. He worked late ,i slept alone. But I began to notice something strange. Every night, he stood outside my door not entering but just standing there. As if protecting something or someone.

The Attack

One evening, while returning from a charity event, our car was ambushed. Gunshots screams the driver lost control. Harden pulled me down just before the window shattered. He shielded me with his body when everything went silent, he checked me first." Are you hurt? ", his voice was urgent; I shook my head. That was the first c***k in his cold mask.

Enemies In The Dark

At home, I overheard a phone call"they're targeting her to get to you". Silenced "no she doesn't know anything"."know what"? what exactly had I married into.

The Truth About My Father

I decided to visit my father secretly he looked older, weaker."why did you do this?" I asked him l. His hands trembled."they threatened the company. if I refuse...... we would lose everything","who?" He didn't reply, but I had a feeling.This marriage wasn't random, it was arranged long before I knew.

The Locked Room

Curiosity consumed me one night, when Harden was away, I tried the locker door again this time........it was unlocked. inside were files,photos, and one picture froze my blood "my mother standing beside Mr Daniel Harden's father.

The Hidden Connection

Harden walked in, while I was holding the picture.His expression changed instantly."where did you get that?" the slowly he said "our families were connected long before you were born" "connected how?" I asked "your mother didn't die naturally." he said and that was where my world shattered again.

A Death That Wasn't An Accident

"my mother didn't die naturally?, I whispered hardens jaw tightened

"she was investigating something," he said quietly."something involving both our families". The room felt similar."investigating what?" he hesitated l."financial fraud,illegal transfer offshore account. my father and your father were business partners once". My heart pounded." my dad never.......","you don't know what men are capable of when power is at stake". The picture slipped from my hand. If my mother had been silenced..... then this marriage wasn't coincidental it was control.

The Real Reason

"why marry me?" I demanded. Harden's lowered, "Because someone is trying to reopen the case and if they succeed, both our families will fail". "and I'm insurance?" "yes" . The honesty hur more than a lie. "but" he added, steeping cold "I didn't expect to care". I looked at him , and for the time, he wasn't cold. He was conflicted.

The Woman In Red

At another cooperate event, I saw her a woman walked in a red dress. Watching me. smiling. Later that night, I found a note in my purse"Ask about the warehouse fire". My mother had died in a car accident so what fire

The Warehouse

I confronted Harden"there was no warehouse" he said too quickly. that has answered enough. we drove in secret. An abandoned building on the out shirts of the city inside the walls were blackened. Burned, destroyed. "this is where the document were kept" Harden admitted "and my mother?" i asked "she was there the night it burned". The Truth hit like lightning she didn't die in a car crash she died in that fire.