The Contract
I knew my life was over the moment Adrian Knight walked into the room.
He didn’t rush. He didn’t speak. He didn’t even look at me at first.
He simply adjusted his cufflinks like he owned the air we were breathing.
And maybe he did.
My father stood beside me, pale and shaking. I had never seen him like that before. The man who once ran Romano Holdings with pride now looked like a defendant waiting for sentencing.
Because that was exactly what this was.
A sentencing.
Adrian Knight finally lifted his gaze.
Cold. Calculating. Unreadable.
His dark eyes settled on me like I was a business proposal he hadn’t decided to approve.
“So,” he said smoothly, taking a seat at the head of the long conference table, “this is your daughter.”
Not hello.
Not nice to meet you.
Just evaluation.
I straightened my spine. “I’m not a product for inspection.”
One corner of his mouth tilted. Not a smile. Something sharper.
“No,” he replied. “You’re leverage.”
The word hit harder than I expected.
Leverage.
My father inhaled shakily. “Mr. Knight, please. We’re grateful you’re even considering this arrangement.”
Arrangement.
Such a polite word for humiliation.
Romano Holdings was drowning in debt. Mysterious debt. Contracts that had collapsed overnight. Investors who vanished. Accounts frozen.
And the only company powerful enough to either save us… or bury us… was Knight Corporation.
Owned by the man currently studying me like I was a chess piece.
“I don’t do charity,” Adrian said calmly. “If I invest in your company, I expect something of equal value in return.”
My fingers curled into my palm. “And what exactly do you consider equal value?”
His gaze locked fully onto mine now.
Slow. Intentional.
Dangerous.
“You,” he said.
The room went silent.
My father’s chair scraped slightly against the marble floor. “Mr. Knight—”
“One year,” Adrian continued, ignoring him. “A legal marriage. Publicly beneficial for both parties. I clear your debts. Romano Holdings remains operational under my supervision.”
Marriage.
The word echoed in my head like a gunshot.
“You’re insane,” I breathed.
He didn’t react. Didn’t flinch. Didn’t blink.
“It’s a contract,” he corrected. “Not a romance.”
My heart pounded violently against my ribs. “And if I refuse?”
Adrian leaned back in his chair.
“That,” he said quietly, “would be unfortunate for your father.”
I looked at my dad.
He couldn’t even meet my eyes.
And in that moment, I understood something terrifying.
This wasn’t an offer.
It was a trap.
Adrian Knight wasn’t saving us.
He was claiming us.
And I was the price.
