CHAPTER 1
1108 Words
Chapter 1
Seah’s POV
My eyes widened at his words. Did I hear him right?
“R-Rade…” I whispered his name, but with just a snap of his fingers, several men entered the room.
“Give her the papers,” he ordered, and one of them set a folder down in front of me.
“I won’t repeat myself. As I said earlier, my time is expensive.” He turned his back on me, leaving me frozen in place, my chest tightening with every beat.
His words echoed endlessly in my mind.
I had to marry him… just so he would help me find my sister?
Was that really the only way?
I stared blankly at the folder. My trembling hands reached out to touch it before I slowly opened it. The stack wasn’t thick, but I knew the weight of its contents would crush me.
“You’re done already? What’s that?” Jenna’s voice startled me. I snapped the folder shut as she peered over my shoulder.
“You’re hiding it? What is that? Oh no, Seah! Don’t tell me you sold your soul just to find your sister?!” Her brows furrowed in suspicion.
“N-no! Of course not! I’d never sell my soul,” I defended myself.
“Then who was that guy? I saw his tattoos. Sure, he’s hot, but he looks dangerous. I don’t trust him.”
I pouted, unwilling to admit the truth. I knew Rade was handsome. He always had been—even when we were kids, I secretly had a crush on him. But seeing him like this, so cold and unrecognizable, shook me to the core.
“He’s… my childhood friend, Jenna. You don’t need to worry. He’s not a bad person,” I insisted, but she gave me a doubtful look.
“Childhood friend? Really? He left you just like that and now he’s renting out this place? That doesn’t sound like a friend—” Jenna was cut off when our manager intervened.
“Quiet, Jenna. Let Seah deal with her own problems. Don’t make it worse,” she said firmly before giving me a reassuring pat and walking back to her office.
“Looks like we’re on break since the shop’s been rented,” she added.
I was grateful for the change of subject. Otherwise, Jenna would never let it go.
“Fine,” Jenna huffed. “I’ll stop asking. I trust you. You’re not dumb enough to make reckless decisions.” She sighed, grabbed a mop, and walked away.
I exhaled heavily, clutching the folder tighter. My lips trembled as I bit them.
Later that evening, I returned home. This house was all I had left after my parents died—it was just me and my sister now.
I collapsed onto the sofa, staring blankly at the window as tears streamed down my cheeks. She had been missing for days. My heart ached just thinking about her.
I lifted the folder again, debating whether to read it or simply throw it away. But before I could decide, the front door swung open.
My heart leapt—I thought it was my sister.
But I was wrong.
“What are you doing here?!” I cried in panic as Rade stepped inside, his sharp eyes scanning the messy living room.
“Nothing’s changed, huh? Still a mess.”
I bit my lip, embarrassed. Between work and worry, I hadn’t had the time or strength to clean.
“Why are you here, Rade?” I reached out to grab his arm, but he pushed my hand away before I could touch him.
He flinched as though human contact itself burned him.
“Rade?” I called again, my voice small.
“You should read the contract, Ms. Suarnaba,” he said flatly. “Finding your sister won’t be easy. We don’t even know if she’s still alive.”
My chest constricted.
“B-but… why do I have to marry you? Can’t I just pay you?”
He scoffed, his lips curling. “If that’s what you want… fine. Are you prepared to pay me millions?”
Millions. My eyes widened in shock.
“As I said, my time isn’t free. I’m here to see you—and to see if you’ll sign the contract.” His eyes were devoid of emotion, as cold and mechanical as a machine.
“Are you even okay? Why are you acting like this? Are you sick?” I reached out, intending to touch his forehead, but he pulled away sharply.
“Don’t waste my time, Ms. Suarnaba. Will you sign it or not? I don’t like repeating myself.”
Before I could answer, a man close to our age approached and whispered something in Rade’s ear. His expression shifted slightly before he looked at me again.
“Saraya Suarnaba. Seventeen years old.”
My heart stopped.
“That’s… that’s my sister! Did you find her?!” I stepped forward eagerly, but the authority in his presence forced me to freeze.
“Even if I did, I won’t tell you unless you sign the contract.”
Panic surged inside me. That couldn’t be!
“Then I’ll sign it! Just promise me you’ll help me find her!” My tears fell freely now.
“Then sign,” he said coldly. “But if all you’re going to do is cry without signing, you’re just wasting my time.”
With trembling hands, I grabbed the papers and scrawled my signature without even reading the terms.
“You didn’t read it, did you?” He smirked when I handed the signed contract back. “Tch. Don’t back out of what you agreed to, Ms. Suarnaba.”
His smile was chilling—one of the scariest I had ever seen on him.
“Take her belongings,” Rade ordered his men.
“W-wait! You don’t even know which things are mine! Why are you taking them?!” I tried to stop them, but his men blocked my way.
“I can’t leave! What if my sister comes home?!”
“She won’t. From now on, you’re under the terms of the contract,” Rade replied. His words echoed in my head like a broken record.
“Can’t we change that part? Can’t I just stay here? We only agreed on marriage, didn’t we? That’s what the contract says—”
“Pleasure and obey me, Ms. Suarnaba,” he cut me off coldly. “That’s what the contract states. You’re not just giving me marriage… you’re giving me yourself.”
My lips parted in shock. My eyes widened in horror.
What had I done?
- Writer
