Crimson Contract Sold to the Three Kings

My skirt felt like a heavy shroud, a solemn verdict dragging across the marble floor with a sound of despair. This was the Chen family's "celebration banquet," but every guest knew it was merely a dignified farewell ceremony. The champagne bubbles rose and popped, mirroring the collapse of the Chen family's crumbling empire. I stood in a corner of the ballroom, a forgotten statue. My father, Chen Wenzhe, the man who had once sworn to lead our family into the highest echelons of power, now looked like a squeezed-out lemon, hunched over and bowing before every cold-hearted financial tycoon. The despair in his eyes was sharper than the light from any crystal chandelier in the room. "Don't look, Aria." A hand rested gently on my shoulder, the fingertips offering a calculated warmth. It was Lina, my best friend, who always knew the most opportune moment to appear. "You should be dancing. At least look like a high-society princess, not the heiress of a soon-to-be-bankrupt enterprise." Lina's voice was soft yet piercing. She wore a daring, tailored burgundy dress, the only flickering flame in this otherwise gray banquet. "I can't bring myself to move," I whispered, my gaze fixed on my father. The banker we once revered had just coldly dismissed him. My father’s face was devoid of even a hint of resentment, only numb resignation remained. "You know we've run out of options. That money—the funds that could have saved the Chen family, even doubled its size—was frozen three days ago." I leaned against the cold Roman column. The metallic chill seemed to momentarily suppress the burning anxiety in my chest. Lina’s breathing quickened; she held me tight, but there was a stiffness in her embrace I couldn't decipher. "How can I help you? Anything, Aria. Don't forget, we grew up together." She asked softly, her voice full of sympathy. Then, she suddenly steered the conversation toward the financial titans involved in our family's bankruptcy. "Is Damon Vance from the Vance Group coming? The one rumored to live in a Gothic manor, the man they call 'The King of Finance'? I heard he collects every piece of evidence of his opponents' failures, even including... well, some of their private belongings." My heart sank. Lina’s sudden curiosity made me uncomfortable. It was as if she wasn't concerned about our fate, but was fishing for some kind of gossip, or... private information. "He won't come. We're small fish; we're not worth his personal attention." I shook off those strange thoughts. Lina’s peculiar habits were her secrets; I wouldn't dwell on them. Survival was my only focus now. Just then, the ballroom lights dimmed and focused on the doorway. A black-clad waiter walked toward me, his face expressionless. In his hand was a black envelope, bearing no address, only a silver wax seal stamped with a lion and intertwined vines. That crest—I had only seen it on the most exclusive financial magazines—the Vance Group. The waiter stopped before me, his voice deep and mechanical, as if delivering a verdict of fate. "Miss Aria Chen. Mr. Damon Vance invites you to meet him at Vance Manor tonight at ten o'clock. He says, regarding your father's debt and the future of the Chen family, he has only one word: 'Contract.'" The envelope was cold and heavy as a stone, crushing the last sliver of hope in my hand. Ten o'clock. Vance Manor. That wasn't a negotiation; it was a trial. Damon Vance, the ruthless King of Finance, wouldn't bestow charity; he would only demand a toll. I turned to Lina. The sympathy on her face froze for an instant, replaced by a nearly frantic, undisguised longing. She stared at the wax seal on the envelope, her eyes gleaming with an unhealthy brightness. "Aria, he asked for you. This might be your only lifeline." Lina's voice trembled. She gripped my arm tightly, her nails almost digging into my skin. "If... if things work out, could you, could you do me a favor? About his..." Her words caught in her throat, and she finally managed to utter, "Please be careful." I didn't answer. The envelope in my hand was shaking. I looked up at the ceiling, once the symbol of my family's glory. Now, I had to use my body and soul to fill the bottomless abyss that was devouring everything. Ten o'clock. I had no other choice.#vote#