Emma POV
I woke to a ceiling so white and smooth it shocked me. No cracks. No peeling paint. The bed held me soft and deep.
The room looked like it belonged to royalty. White walls. Golden light through wide windows. Curtains heavy and clean. Flowers in a glass vase. Even the air smelled like roses.
My chest tightened.
Where am I?
I touched the blanket. Warm. Too perfect. Fear spread in me. My bag was gone. My shoes too. I tried to stand. My legs shook.
"God," I whispered. "What is happening?"
Then a voice cut through the silence. Deep. Firm. Without warmth.
"You're awake."
I froze. Slowly, I turned.
He sat near the window, calm, powerful, like the room was his throne. Sunlight touched his face.
It was him.
The man who caught me when I collapsed.
His face was sharp. Strong jaw. Straight nose. Lips pressed tight. His eyes were dark and cold, fixed on me like he could see everything I wanted to hide. His suit fit his tall body perfectly.
Everything about him warned me.
I gripped the blanket. My heart raced.
"You," I whispered.
"Yes," he said. His lips curved, not in kindness but in mockery. "Me."
My throat burned. "Why am I here?"
He leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "Because you fainted in my office. Do you think I'd leave you on the floor? That would make me look bad."
Shame burned in me.
"I didn't lie," I said quickly. "My money was stolen."
He lifted a brow. "That's your story? A poor girl's excuse."
"It's not a story. It's the truth."
He tilted his head. "Truth or not, you couldn't pay. And now…" His eyes moved over me. "…I'm sure you can't pay the hospital bill either."
My heart stopped. My sister.
"I will pay," I whispered. "I promise. Tell me how much."
He laughed once, sharp. "You don't want to know. It's more than you'll ever earn serving coffee."
His words cut deep, but I saw Sophia's face in my mind. Weak. Fragile. "Don't leave me, Emma," she had whispered.
I wiped my tears. "I'll find a way. I'll do anything."
He rose and walked to me. Each step steady. Heavy. He stopped close, towering over me.
"Anything?" His voice was low.
I froze. "What do you mean?"
He leaned closer. His presence pressed on me. "I want to make you a deal."
My stomach turned. "A deal?"
"Yes." His lips curved again, cruel. "Marry me."
The air left me. My body went cold.
"What?"
"You heard me. Marry me. For ten months. Be my wife. In return, I clear your sister's bills. She gets full care."
Tears filled my eyes. "How do you even know about my sister?"
He laughed softly, mocking.
I shook my head, broken. "No. You can't mean this."
"I mean every word. Refuse, and I make sure the doctor pulls the plug this week."
The world spun. "No. Please. She's all I have."
"And now she depends on me," he said. "So do you."
I pressed the blanket to my chest. My voice cracked. "Why me? Women throw themselves at you. Why me?"
His face came close, his hand on the bed beside mine. His voice dropped, cold against my ear.
"Because you are not like them. They beg to be chosen. They are too easy. You fight me. You hate me. And I like watching you fight."
"You're a monster," I said, tears streaming.
"Maybe," he answered. Calm. Sure. "But I'm the monster who can save your sister."
I broke. Sobs shook me. Sophia's face haunted me. Her voice. Her weak grip on my hand.
Emma, promise you won't let me go.
I covered my face. There was no way out.
His voice cut through my sobs. "Two days. Say yes, and she lives. Say no, and she dies. Simple."
He walked to the door. His hand on the handle. "Think carefully," he said, then left.
Silence filled the room.
I fell into the pillow, tears soaking the sheet. My scream broke into the fabric. My chest felt like it was splitting open.
I had no choice.
No power.
No way out.
Ethan POV
Her weight was nothing. I carried her like she was air. She looked weak. Her head tilted, lips pale, chest rising too slow. Her eyes rolled back before we reached the door, but I still remembered how she looked at me.
Like I was both savior and devil.
And maybe I was.
The office crowd stared. Some whispered, some judged. I didn't care. My silence kept them quiet. Adrian followed behind me, his face hard, but he stayed silent too. He knew better.
In the car, I laid her beside me. Her hair covered her cheek. She looked broken, but not like the others I had tossed aside. Life had broken her, not me. Hunger, pain, too many battles.
It amused me.
But it also sparked a thought I could not shake.
She had nothing but pride. I had seen it when she refused to walk away. She fought, even when she was losing. Pride mixed with desperation was rare. I knew rare when I saw it.
At the hospital, I ordered the best ward. Money moved walls. Nurses rushed. She lay in a white bed that she would never afford. She didn't belong there, but I put her there. That was where the game would begin.
I waited. Hours passed. She slept. I thought about leaving, but her eyes haunted me. The way she begged at the desk. The way she clutched her bag. She was different.
Then I learned about her sister. Sophia. Sick. Fading. Bills like chains she could never break. One push from me and those chains would crush her.
Perfect.
She needed saving. I needed a wife. My father's condition stood in my way. She was the key.
When she woke, her eyes flew open. Fear filled them. Hope too. For a second she thought I had been kind.
I crushed it.
"You're in my ward," I said.
Her lips trembled. "Why am I here?"
"Because you fainted. Because you're weak. Because you couldn't stand in your own fight."
Her chin lifted, even with tears in her eyes. "I'm not weak."
I smirked. "You begged at a desk. You fell like a doll. You couldn't pay for a bus. If that's not weak, what is?"
Her voice broke. She whispered something about stolen money. I didn't care. Excuses meant nothing. Leverage meant everything.
I leaned closer. "I know about your sister."
Her whole body froze. Her lips trembled. I dragged her pain out slow. "Sophia. Lying in her hospital bed. Waiting to die. You can't pay. But I can."
Her tears spilled fast. "Don't talk about her."
"Why not? She's the only reason you breathe. She's the chain around your neck."
She shook her head, clutching the blanket. "You're heartless."
"Yes. And that's why I win."
I stood. My shadow fell across her. "Here's the deal. Marry me for ten months. Do as I say. In return, your sister lives. I'll cover every bill. Refuse, and I make one call. Her machine goes dark."
She sobbed. "No, please. Don't."
Her begging only confirmed it. I had found her weakness.
"You have two days," I said. "Choose your pride, and she dies. Choose me, and she breathes."
Her eyes burned into me with hate. That hate thrilled me. Hate keeps people close.
I left the room. Adrian waited outside, jaw tight. His silence judged me, but he would not stop me.
As the door shut, her face returned to my mind. Her eyes. That fire. That desperation.
I told myself this was business. A deal. A game I would win.
But a voice whispered that she might ruin more than my rules.
And I hated that thought.