Chapter 2The Contract Bride
990 Words
I tore the contract in half.
Then into four pieces.
Then I threw the shredded papers directly at Lucian Devereaux’s face.
“Go to hell.”
The pieces of paper fell onto his expensive black suit.
He didn’t flinch.
Didn’t blink.
Didn’t even look offended.
He simply stared at me from across his private office like a man who had already predicted my reaction.
Floor-to-ceiling windows stretched behind him, revealing the skyline of New York.
Everything about his office screamed power.
Black marble floors.
Gold accents.
Security guards outside the door.
And Lucian sitting behind his desk like the devil on a throne.
I hated how calm he looked while my life was falling apart.
“You’re insane if you think I’ll marry you,” I snapped.
His fingers tapped once against the desk.
A slow, deliberate sound.
“You’re emotional.”
My jaw tightened.
“My father is in prison.”
Tap.
“My mother is fighting for her life.”
Tap.
“I lost my home.”
Tap.
“And you think I’m being emotional?”
His dark eyes locked onto mine.
“No.”
His voice remained dangerously calm.
“I think you’re running out of time.”
I lunged toward his desk.
One of his guards moved instantly.
Lucian raised a finger.
The guard stopped.
I slammed both hands against his desk.
“You destroyed my family!”
His expression hardened.
“You keep repeating that accusation without asking why.”
“Because I don’t care why!”
“That,” he said coldly, “is why your family was easy to destroy.”
My breathing stopped.
“What?”
He leaned back in his chair.
“For generations, your family trusted the wrong people.”
His eyes darkened.
“Your father included.”
“You’re lying.”
“Am I?”
He pressed a button on his desk.
A large screen behind him lit up.
Hospital bills.
Overdue notices.
Frozen bank statements.
My mother’s medical expenses.
My father’s prison reports.
Then came the worst part.
A prison medical document.
My father had been assaulted in prison.
Repeatedly.
I stared at the screen in horror.
“No…”
Lucian’s voice softened—but only slightly.
“He won’t survive long in there.”
Tears filled my eyes.
“You’re doing this.”
“No.”
His jaw tightened.
“I’m trying to stop what’s coming next.”
I looked at him.
For the first time—
I noticed exhaustion behind his cold expression.
As if he hadn’t slept.
As if this situation wasn’t as simple as revenge.
But I refused to feel sympathy.
“You expect me to believe you care?”
He stood from his chair.
My body instinctively stepped back.
He was even more intimidating up close.
Tall.
Broad shoulders.
Dark eyes that looked like they had seen too much violence.
“You don’t need to believe me.”
He reached into his desk drawer and tossed another file toward me.
I opened it.
And my entire body went cold.
Photos.
Of me.
Leaving the hospital.
Walking alone.
Someone following me.
Watching me.
Waiting.
“What is this?”
His voice turned deadly.
“The people who destroyed your family are now trying to eliminate every surviving heir.”
I stared at him.
“You expect me to believe you’re protecting me?”
“I expect you to understand that you are vulnerable.”
He stepped closer.
Too close.
“You have no money.”
Another step.
“No protection.”
Another step.
“No allies.”
He leaned down slightly.
“And too many enemies.”
My breathing became uneven.
“What do you want from me?”
His expression darkened.
“Marry me.”
I laughed bitterly through tears.
“You destroyed my life and now want me as your wife?”
His jaw flexed.
“You’re safer beside me than anywhere else.”
“I’d rather die.”
His eyes flashed with something dangerous.
“Death is exactly what they want.”
Silence filled the room.
Then he quietly added—
“And despite everything…”
His gaze dropped briefly to my lips before returning to my eyes.
“I don’t want you dead.”
My heart betrayed me by skipping.
I hated that it did.
I stepped away from him.
“You’re manipulating me.”
“Yes.”
He didn’t deny it.
My eyes widened.
“At least you’re honest.”
His expression remained unreadable.
“I’m giving you a choice.”
I laughed bitterly.
“This isn’t a choice.”
“No.”
He said quietly.
“It’s survival.”
He handed me a pen.
I stared at it.
Then at him.
Then at the papers.
If I refused—
my father could die.
My mother could lose treatment.
And whoever was targeting my family could come after me next.
I slowly signed my name.
Arabella Laurent.
The moment the ink dried—
Lucian looked at me like he had won a war he never wanted.
But I had my own secret.
While signing—
I had secretly switched pens.
The real pen recorded audio.
Every word in this office was saved.
Every confession.
Every threat.
Every lie.
And one day—
I would use it to destroy him.
Lucian reached for my hand.
Pressed his lips against my knuckles.
And whispered:
“Welcome to hell, wife.”
Before I could respond—
his phone rang.
He answered.
Then his entire expression changed.
Cold fury.
“What do you mean she escaped?”
My blood ran cold.
Lucian slowly looked at me.
Then said words that changed everything.
“Your mother just disappeared from the hospital.”
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Arabella signs Lucian’s marriage contract to save her family—but secretly records him for future revenge. Before she can process her decision, her mother mysteriously vanishes from the hospital… proving Lucian may not be the only enemy hunting her family.
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