BETRAYED BY LOVE RUINED BY CHOICE

The boardroom smelled like betrayal and expensive cologne. I stood in the middle of 12 men in suits, holding the only thing I had left: my father’s bankruptcy papers. "Miss Vale," the lawyer said. "Your father owes 50 million. The bank is foreclosing in 7 days." My hands shook. Dad’s gambling. Again. The doors opened. And he walked in. Caelen Drayce. 6’2. Black Tom Ford suit. Hair perfectly messy. The man who proposed to me 5 years ago. The man I caught f*****g my maid of honor 6 months later. He didn’t look at me. "Gentlemen," he said, voice smooth as sin. "I’m buying the debt." The room went quiet. "Why?" someone asked. Caelen finally turned to me. Gray eyes. Cold. "Because I want something in return." My stomach dropped. "And what’s that, Mr. Drayce?" He walked to me. Close enough that I could smell him. Cedar. Him. "Marriage," he said. "To me. 6 months." A gasp went through the room. "You can’t be serious." My voice cracked. "I’m dead serious, Seren." He used my first name like a weapon. "Sign the contract. I clear the debt. You play my wife at 3 events per week. After 6 months, we divorce. Clean." "And if I say no?" He leaned in. Only I could hear. "Then your father goes to jail. And it’ll be on you." My chest hurt. This was the man who whispered 'I love you' while ruining me. "I hate you," I whispered. His jaw ticked. "Good. Hate is easier than love. And this is just business." Business. Right. I grabbed the pen. My signature looked ugly next to his. "Congratulations, Mrs. Drayce," he said, taking the contract. "Our first event is tonight. Wear red. The color of lies." He walked out. Leaving me with a wedding ring I never wanted, a debt that was gone, and a heart that was about to be ruined all over again. Because the worst part? Part of me still wanted him to touch me.