Bound by his name

Chapter 4: An Offer Too Cold to Refuse

I didn’t expect him to look like that.

That was the first thought that came to me when I saw him.

Not fear. Not awe.

Just that quiet shock of realizing a person can look exactly like trouble and still feel calm at the same time.

He was standing near the far end of the room, hands in his pocket, watching me like I had already been part of this space long before I arrived.

No rush in his posture. No unnecessary movement. Just stillness that somehow felt heavier than noise.

The legal advisor stepped aside and said, “Mr Laurent.”

So that was him.

Sebastian Laurent.

I forced myself to sit up properly in the chair even though every instinct in me wanted to stand.

I didn’t like feeling smaller in a room I didn’t understand.

“You could’ve introduced yourself on the phone,” I said. It came out sharper than I intended, but I didn’t care.

He didn’t react.

He just looked at me for a moment like he was observing a problem he already knew the solution to.

“I don’t introduce myself for conversations that don’t require it,” he said calmly.

I gave a short laugh, more out of disbelief than humor.

“So I’m a ‘doesn’t require introduction’ conversation now?”

That made the advisor shift, like he wasn’t sure if I was supposed to speak like that.

Sebastian didn’t look offended.

If anything, there was something faint in his expression I couldn’t read.

Not amusement exactly. More like curiosity.

“You’re more direct than I expected,” he said.

I leaned back.

“And what exactly did you expect? Tears? Silence? Thank you for dragging me into a mansion like this?”

He didn’t answer that directly.

Instead, he took a slow step closer and placed both hands on the table in front of me.

That small movement made the room feel even quieter.

“You’ve read the agreement,” he said.

“Yes,” I replied.

“And?”

I exhaled slowly.

“And it’s insane.”

That was the most honest thing I could say.

There was a pause after that.

Not awkward. Just heavy in a way I didn’t understand yet.

“I’m not asking you to like it,” he said. “I’m offering you a solution.”

I frowned.

“A solution to what exactly? My life? Because I didn’t remember asking for one.”

His eyes stayed on mine.

“Your family’s debt,” he said simply. “And everything that will follow if it’s not cleared.”

That sentence pulled something tight in my chest, but I didn’t show it.

“So your solution is marriage?” I asked.

“Yes.”

Just like that. No hesitation.

I shook my head.

“That’s not a solution. That’s a transaction.”

“It is a transaction,” he agreed.

That honesty surprised me more than it should have.

For a second, I didn’t speak.

I just looked at him, trying to understand how someone could say something like that so calmly.

“You don’t even know me,” I said.

“I know enough,” he replied.

“That’s not possible,” I said quickly.

He tilted his head, like he was considering my reaction rather than my words.

“You think knowledge only comes from conversation,” he said. “That’s not true.”

I stared at him.

“Okay, that sounds creepy when you say it like that.”

The advisor cleared his throat, like he was reminding me where I was.

Sebastian didn’t react to that either.

He straightened and continued.

“Your father’s debt is not just financial,” he said. “It’s tied to people who don’t care about repayment schedules or legal terms. If I step away from this, your family doesn’t just lose money. They lose protection.”

I frowned.

“What protection?”

He didn’t answer.

That silence told me more than his words did.

I felt my grip tighten on the arm of the chair.

“So this is protection,” I said slowly. “Marriage as protection.”

“Yes.”

I let out a short breath, shaking my head again.

“This is unbelievable.”

“You don’t have to believe it,” he said. “You just have to decide.”

That part made my stomach twist. Because he wasn’t convincing me. He was waiting.

Like my decision was already accounted for in his plan.

I looked down at the papers in front of me again.

My name wasn’t on them yet. Just his. Waiting for mine like it already assumed I would reach that point.

I pushed the paper away.

“I need time,” I said.

“You’ve had time,” he replied.

I looked up.

“I had a phone call,” I corrected him. “That’s not time.”

He studied me again, this time longer.

“You’re not refusing because you don’t understand the offer,” he said.

I frowned.

“Then why am I refusing?”

“Because you don’t trust me.”

I let out a short laugh.

“Of course I don’t trust you. You showed up in my life, offered marriage like it’s a business deal, and then brought me into a room full of lawyers. What part of that is supposed to build trust?”

He didn’t argue.

That silence again.

It was starting to annoy me how calm he stayed.

“I’m not asking for trust,” he said. “I’m asking for agreement.”

I looked at him, then shook my head slowly.

“This is not normal,” I said.

“I never said it was.”

That answer made me pause. Because there was no defense in his tone.

No attempt to make it sound better.

Just acceptance.

I leaned forward, frustration building.

“Why me? Out of everyone in the world, why me?”

For the first time, something shifted in his expression.

Not much. Just enough for me to notice.

But instead of answering, he said something else.

“You’re already involved whether you agree or not.”

That made my chest tighten.

“What does that mean?” I asked.

He didn’t answer directly. Instead, he looked toward the advisor and said, “Give us a moment.”

The advisor hesitated, then left. Now it was just the two of us. That silence felt different.

More focused.

I didn’t like it.

“You keep doing that,” I said.

“Doing what?”

“Talking in half-answers.”

He stepped closer, not enough to invade space, but enough that I became more aware of him than I wanted to be.

“I’m trying not to overwhelm you with information you don’t need yet,” he said.

“That sounds like you’ve already decided everything for me,” I replied.

“I haven’t,” he said. “I’m waiting for your decision.”

I stared at him.

And for the first time since I met him, I wasn’t sure if I believed that or not.

My phone buzzed in my pocket.

I ignored it at first. It buzzed again.

And again.

I frowned and pulled it out.

Unknown number.

But this time, the message preview was enough to make my stomach drop.

“We’re outside your house again.” I looked up.

Sebastian was still watching me.

Not asking.

Not reacting.

Just waiting.

And suddenly, the room didn’t feel like a negotiation anymore.

It felt like a countdown.