– Milana –
There's something deeply wrong about leaving the house before ten on a Thursday.
But Isla insists that brunch "isn't brunch if we're seated after eleven."
I push open the glass doors of Café La Vie, her favorite overpriced breakfast spot that serves coffee with artfully spilled milk foam and spot her by the window, already halfway through a croissant like she hasn't eaten in days.
"You look like someone who just made a deal with the devil," she says
I drop into the seat across from her "That's because I did."
She slides an iced latte in my direction. "So? Spill, Did he have horns? Tail? A secret second family?"
I take a long sip of the drink, mostly for dramatic effect, then sigh,"Honestly? He was worse than I imagined."
She perks up "Oh, good, I was afraid you might've actually liked him."
I raise a brow "Liked him? Isla, the man is a stone wall in a designer suit, I've had warmer conversations with airport security."
"Hot, though?" she asks
I stare at her "Annoyingly."
She grins "I knew it."
I rolled my eyes and leaned back against the chair. "He sat down like it was a board meeting, and spoke like I was a quarterly report."
"Ouch."
"And get this, he got a call and then he just rushes out saying he'll have someone send me the details about the engagement plans, he didn't even say a proper goodbye."
Isla gasps "No,he did not reduce your future to a Google Calendar event."
"He's worse than I imagined," I mumbled, stirring my coffee.
Isla leans forward "Okay, but seriously,you're actually doing this?"
I groan "Urghhh."
"I'm just saying... one minute you arrive at Halston after 3 years of being away, and the next, you're engaged to the second son of the Sinclair dynasty. I feel like I missed five chapters."
" I literally just got here and suddenly I'm being sold off like company stock."
Isla's eyes narrow slightly, her teasing dropping for a second "I hate this."
"Well…It's already happening whether I cry or scream or—"
"Set the building on fire?"
I pause "Not off the table."
She cracks a smile but then goes quiet "I just don't want you to lose yourself in all this, you know?"
I glanced out the window, jaw tightening.
…
– Adrian –
My black Bentley slows in front of the Sinclair estate, all towering stone and sharp architecture,not a single light flickers without purpose, not a single shrub out of place, A house built like a fortress.
Inside, the air was cool and polished,marble underfoot,glass above,silence stretches across the halls like a living thing,the kind that knows it isn't welcome in the world, but comes anyway.
I take my time walking to the dining room.
The doors are already open.
Long table,gold rimmed plates,aged wine poured.
Everyone was seated.
Richard Sinclair, my father,head of the table, untouched glass of scotch in front of him.
My mother, Elaine, sits to her right pristine in black, not a single hair out of place.
Nicholas leans back in his chair like he owns the table,his watch glints beneath his cuff. His wife, Cierra sits beside him impeccable, sharp, and dressed like a threat.
And then there's Paxton.
Leaning forward with a drink in hand, wearing a smirk and yesterday's hangover.
"Well, well," Paxton drawls, lifting his glass "The prodigal ghost returns."
Nicholas glanced up "You're forty minutes late."
"I had an important meeting," I say simply, taking an empty seat at the table.
Mother finally speaks, voice smooth as glass. "We weren't aware the boardroom came with a leash."
Paxton snorts "Maybe he was out with his fiancée." Then he grins "What's her name again? "Monroe? From Alcrest Group, Isn't that the company that nearly drowned this quarter?"
"It's still drowning," Nicholas murmurs without blinking "Hence the merger."
Paxton whistles low "Nothing says romance like a corporate lifeline."
Cierra lifts her glass "It's not a merger, It's a sacrifice."
Richard finally speaks.
"It's a strategy."
He shifts his gaze towards me.
"How did it go?"
"We're on the same page." I replied
Mother's lips press into something that could be a smile if she were capable of warmth. "Monroe in the Sinclair house,let's hope she can keep her head above water."
Paxton leans over the table "And if she can't, at least it'll be entertaining."
"Spoken like someone who's never closed a deal," I murmured, cutting a slice of steak.
Paxton scoffs, leaning back "Right, remind me how many of yours didn't end with someone crawling?"
Nicholas chuckles dryly "That's because he only shows up when there's blood in the water."
Father's gaze sweeps across us "As you all know, the Sinclair Holdings annual event is this weekend, attendance is not optional."
A silence settles, cold and deliberate.
"This year," Father continues, voice smooth as steel, "we'll be making a formal announcement during the second half of the evening, A new partnership that will secure legacy expansion and investor confidence, The engagement between Adrian and Milana."
Father's eyes landing on me like a weight. "You'll be arriving with Milana."
"Understood," I said simply, meeting his gaze.
Mother finally speaks, her voice calm but cool, "Adrain, see to it that she looks the part, we don't need distractions, it's going to be a big night."
"She knows exactly what this is," I replied.
Paxton chuckles low "God, can't wait to see her try to play ice queen next to you, hope she brings a coat."
I lean forward slightly. "It's not a show, It's business, Try not to treat it like one of your parties."
"I won't," Paxton says, raising his glass "But don't expect me to clap when they make the announcement, I'm not the standing ovation type."
Richard sets his glass down.
"This is not a party, This is business, eyes will be watching, important people will be present."
His gaze drifts over each of us.
"I want no mistakes, no scandals, no unnecessary conversations."
"I've got the guest list and the press under control,the deal goes public," Cierra adds "Publicly confirming the union will eliminate speculation and tighten external alliances."
"Good," Nicholas says, without looking at anyone in particular "Because once it's announced, there's no undoing it."
…
– Milana –
Next Day —At noon
Serena and I walked into the mall's private couture lounge.
There's a chilled glass of pink champagne in my hand, a silk robe draped over my shoulders, and two stylists currently fussing over a pair of Louboutins.
"I'm about to be posted all over the damn internet tomorrow as Adrian Sinclair's fiancée,I have to look my best" I muttered under my breath
Serena smirks from the velvet sofa across from me, legs crossed, wearing oversized designer sunglasses "The world's going to zoom in on every last thread."
I sip my champagne. "Then maybe we should've booked a plastic surgeon."
She waves a dismissive hand "You're already genetically blessed, no need for edits," she tilts her head as the stylists roll out a new rack of dresses.
"Ladies," the boutique manager approaches with a nervous smile, "we've pulled the selections you requested, these are exclusive pieces from Paris Fashion Week, not yet released to the public, Miss Monroe, you're the first to see them."
I wave my glass lazily. "Show me what power looks like."
The gowns start coming out one by one on models my size who walk directly in front of us like we're judging a royal procession. There's something slightly unhinged about it, but I won't lie… it's fun.
One gown is black silk with structured shoulders and a plunging neckline.
Serena arches her brow "Too funeral."
Another is pale gold with a dramatic bow on the back "Too gift wrapped." I said
Then comes one that actually shuts us both up, deep sapphire, figure hugging, minimal embellishments, with a slit high enough to create gossip but not scandal.
Serena tilts her head "That. That's the one."
I narrow my eyes at the model "Yesss, let's fit it"
"Right this way, Miss Monroe," one of the stylists says, guiding me to a private fitting suite that honestly looks like a Parisian apartment.
As they zip me into the gown, I hear Serena excitedly talking loudly from outside.
"She has an engagement tomorrow, No, not a party—an announcement."
I stepped out slowly, letting the silky weight of the gown move with me.
Serena turns, sees me and gasped
She blinks. "You look like the perfect ruin."
I smirk. "Good, because that's exactly what this marriage is."