10- The Pact Returns
1495 Words
The name hit the room like a gunshot.
Richard and Evelyn Sutton.
For one horrifying second, the world stopped.
No sound.
No movement.
Just the crushing weight of realization.
Then Maxton ripped the papers from Parker’s trembling hands.
His eyes scanned the front page once.
Twice.
And suddenly—
the temperature in the room dropped.
“Son of a—”
He cut himself off violently, jaw locking so tight she thought he might c***k a tooth.
Parker stared at him carefully.
“You didn’t know.”
It wasn’t a question.
Maxton looked up slowly.
And for the first time since she’d seen him again—
he looked blindsided.
“No.”
One word.
Cold.
Absolute.
And she believed him instantly.
Because whatever else Maxton Sutton was—
ruthless, calculating, dangerous—
he was never careless with the truth when it mattered.
Which somehow made this worse.
Parker looked back down at the filing in her hands, nausea twisting hard in her stomach.
Emergency Guardianship Petition.
Filed on behalf of the Sutton family.
Claiming concern regarding the “future welfare, stability, and security” of Luca Taylor.
Her pulse thundered louder with every line.
Because the language was polished.
Strategic.
Terrifying.
If Maxton was legally confirmed as Luca’s biological father, then the Sutton family intended to establish influence over the child immediately.
Control disguised as protection.
Power disguised as concern.
Exactly what Parker had feared for six years.
Her laugh came out hollow.
“They’re trying to take him.”
Maxton’s head snapped toward her.
“No.”
“Yes.” She held up the filing with shaking fingers. “This is how rich families wage war, Maxton. Quietly. Legally. Permanently.”
A dangerous darkness entered his expression.
“They won’t touch him.”
“You can’t guarantee that.”
“Yes, I can.”
“No, you can’t!”
The force of her voice echoed through the kitchen.
Parker shoved the papers against the marble counter, panic finally cracking through her composure.
“Your mother already made the first move.”
A muscle ticked sharply in Maxton’s jaw.
“My mother does not make decisions for me.”
“Apparently she thinks she does.”
Silence.
Deadly silence.
Because that hit somewhere real.
Parker dragged a hand through her hair and laughed again, softer this time.
More broken.
“Congratulations,” she whispered. “This is exactly what I spent six years trying to avoid.”
That landed harder than anything else.
Maxton felt it.
She saw him feel it.
Because suddenly this wasn’t about hurt feelings.
Or betrayal.
Or unfinished love.
This was her nightmare unfolding in real time.
The Sutton empire had turned its attention toward Luca.
Toward their son.
And now there were legal documents to prove it.
Parker braced both hands against the kitchen island, trying to steady herself.
“What do we do?”
The question slipped out before she could stop it.
And the second it did—
everything changed.
Because whether she liked it or not—
she had just asked him to stand beside her.
Maxton watched her carefully.
Then answered with terrifying calm.
“We fight.”
The certainty in his voice sent a chill down her spine.
“How?”
“First, I shut my parents down.”
“And legally?”
His eyes sharpened instantly.
“That’s where you come in.”
Parker let out a disbelieving laugh.
“You want me to defend myself against your family while representing your company?”
“You’re capable of both.”
“That is not the issue.”
“No,” he said quietly. “The issue is optics.”
Her stomach dropped.
Because she already knew where this was heading.
And she hated herself for understanding before he even spoke.
Maxton moved closer slowly.
Predatory.
Precise.
“My mother’s filing depends on instability,” he said. “Unresolved paternity. Separate households. Legal uncertainty surrounding Luca’s future.”
Parker folded her arms tightly.
“So?”
“So we eliminate the uncertainty.”
She stared at him.
Then immediately shook her head.
“No.”
His brow lifted slightly.
“I haven’t said anything yet.”
“You didn’t have to.”
A faint smirk ghosted his mouth.
“You still know me that well?”
“I know when you’re about to say something insane.”
Maxton’s gaze held hers.
Then—
“Do you remember the pact?”
The air vanished from her lungs.
Instantly.
A rooftop.
Summer heat.
Seventeen years old.
Cheap beer and reckless hearts.
If neither of them were married by twenty-four—
they’d marry each other.
It had started as a joke.
Until it stopped feeling like one.
Parker forced herself not to react.
“That was years ago.”
“It still happened.”
“It was not legally binding.”
His eyes darkened.
“Emotionally?”
Her pulse stumbled.
“Don’t.”
He ignored the warning completely.
“You’re twenty-four.”
“So are you.”
“And neither of us is married.”
Her laugh came out sharp.
“Congratulations on your observational skills.”
But Maxton never looked away.
Never blinked.
Never hesitated.
Then he dropped the bomb that shattered the room.
“Marry me.”
Silence.
Absolute.
Violent.
Parker just stared at him.
Waiting.
Waiting for the smirk.
The sarcasm.
The punchline.
But it never came.
Because he meant it.
Every terrifying word.
“You’ve lost your mind.”
“Probably.”
“This is insane.”
“It’s strategic.”
“It’s manipulative.”
“It’s protection.”
She pushed away from the counter so fast the stool beside it scraped loudly across the floor.
“No.”
Maxton didn’t move.
Didn’t retreat.
“A legal marriage destroys my mother’s petition before it gains traction.”
“We are not getting married to win a custody battle!”
“Why not?”
“Because this is real life!”
“So is Luca.”
That hit like a slap.
Parker opened her mouth.
Closed it again.
Maxton stepped closer.
Relentless.
“A united household weakens every argument they’re trying to build.”
“We are not a united household.”
His expression shifted then.
Something sharper.
Something painfully honest.
“Luca deserves one.”
The words sliced straight through her defenses.
Because that was the cruelest part.
Some twisted piece of her wanted that too.
Wanted the impossible version of this where none of it had gone wrong.
Where she hadn’t run.
Where he’d known.
Where Luca had never whispered I wish I had a dad across a lunch table.
Parker shook her head hard.
“This would be a business arrangement at best.”
“Then treat it like one.”
Her breath caught.
Because somehow that answer hurt more.
“You cannot propose marriage like it’s a corporate merger.”
“Most powerful alliances are.”
“I am not one of your acquisitions.”
“No.” His voice dropped lower. Rougher. “You’re the woman I was supposed to marry years ago.”
The room tilted.
For one fractured second—
everything came rushing back.
The rooftop.
The pact.
The night she left before sunrise.
The years they lost.
The family they almost had without realizing it.
Parker stepped back instinctively, shaken by the emotion crashing through her.
“No.”
But this time—
it sounded weak.
Dangerously weak.
And Maxton noticed immediately.
Of course he did.
“Think about it,” he said quietly.
“I already did.”
“Think harder.”
She glared at him.
“You are impossible.”
“And you’re running out of time.”
There it was.
The truth neither of them could escape.
The Sutton family had declared war.
And they needed leverage.
Fast.
Parker looked down at the legal papers in her hands.
At the future unraveling beneath her feet.
At the impossible man standing in front of her offering marriage like a shield and a loaded weapon all at once.
Then she looked back up.
Maxton was watching her with terrifying certainty.
Like he already knew how this ended.
And maybe that was what scared her most.
Because somewhere deep down—
beneath the anger, fear, and chaos—
a part of her knew he was right.
His voice lowered.
Quiet now.
Final.
“We can fight separately and lose control…”
He stepped into her space.
Close enough that she could feel the heat of him.
Close enough that her heart betrayed her completely.
“…or we honor the pact.”
Parker’s pulse thundered.
Because the pact had never really been a joke.
Not to him.
Not to her.
Not ever.
And now it stood between them like fate demanding payment.
She swallowed hard.
Then asked the question that changed everything.
“What exactly are you proposing?”
Maxton held her gaze without hesitation.
“A marriage contract.”
And this time—
Parker didn’t say no.
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