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Chapter 2 – The Contract
The sound of rain hitting the glass walls of the conference room filled the silence.
The air smelled of coffee and tension — the kind that clings to your skin and makes it hard to breathe.
Vierrah sat across a man she had only seen once before — Lucas Alvarez.
The name alone carried power, the kind that could make anyone kneel.
And right now, her father was doing exactly that.
"Mr. Alvarez," her father said, voice shaking slightly, "we're willing to cooperate with whatever terms you think are fair. Just... please, don't let Thompson Holdings go bankrupt. We'll lose everything."
Lucas didn't answer immediately.
He leaned back, fingers tapping against the armrest of his chair. His eyes weren't on her father — they were on her.
Vierrah.
She could feel it.
That piercing gaze that stripped away every layer of composure she tried to maintain.
For a moment, she looked away.
But even then, she could feel his stare burn through her.
Lucas finally spoke, his voice smooth and low — a tone that demanded attention.
"I've reviewed your company's case," he said calmly. "And yes, I can save it. I can settle the debts, restore your stocks, and even reopen the branches you had to close."
Her father's eyes lit up with hope. "Thank you—"
"But," Lucas interrupted, his tone sharp as glass.
"There's one condition."
The room fell silent again.
The ticking of the wall clock sounded louder, crueler.
Vierrah looked up, brows furrowing. "What... kind of condition?"
Lucas's eyes softened as he shifted his gaze back to her.
The faintest smile played on his lips — too calm, too knowing.
He stood, slowly walking toward her.
Every step he took echoed against the marble floor until he stopped right in front of her seat.
When he spoke, his words cut through the air like a blade.
"You'll marry me."
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"W-what?" Vierrah's voice trembled.
She blinked, half-expecting it to be a cruel joke.
Her father froze. "Mr. Alvarez... surely you're not serious—"
Lucas's gaze didn't move away from her. "I'm very serious."
He crouched slightly so that their eyes were level. "Marry me, and I'll save your company. Simple as that."
Vierrah's breath hitched. "You can't just— You barely know me!"
His lips curved into a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"Oh, I know you, Vierrah."
His voice dropped lower, intimate — almost a whisper.
"I know more about you than you think."
Her heart skipped. "What are you saying?"
He straightened again, adjusting his cufflinks as if nothing had happened.
"I'm saying, this is the best offer you'll ever get. No other investor will help your father. Not after what I did."
Her father turned pale. "What... what do you mean by that?"
Lucas finally looked at him. "Let's just say I made sure no one else could reach you first."
Then, back to Vierrah, calm as ever:
"You see, I don't like competition."
---
Vierrah stood abruptly, her chair scraping against the floor.
"So this was all planned? You—You trapped us?"
Lucas's eyes darkened, but his voice stayed steady.
"I'm giving you a choice, not a trap. You say yes, and everything you care about survives. You say no…"
He shrugged, turning away. "Then watch it all burn."
"Lucas, please—" her father started, but Lucas raised a hand, stopping him.
"No need to beg, Mr. Thompson. This is between me and your daughter."
He turned back to her, expression unreadable.
"I don't expect love, Vierrah. Just marriage. The rest… you'll learn in time."
Vierrah's hands shook as she clenched her fists.
Tears welled in her eyes, anger and fear twisting in her chest.
"You're a monster," she whispered.
He smiled faintly, stepping closer.
"Maybe. But even monsters can love, Vierrah."
---
He leaned closer, voice barely above a whisper.
"You'll live in comfort. You'll have everything you want. I'll treat you like a queen."
His hand hovered near her cheek but didn't touch.
"All I ask… is that you become mine."
Her throat tightened. "You can't own people."
"I already do," he said simply.
And the way he said it made her shiver — not from fear, but from the strange, twisted calm that came with his words.
---
She wanted to scream.
She wanted to walk out of that room, drag her father away, and never see Lucas Alvarez again.
But one look at her father — pale, trembling, on the verge of breaking — stopped her.
"Vierrah…" her father whispered, voice heavy with guilt. "If this is the only way... maybe it's for the best."
Her heart broke right there.
She couldn't believe her own father was agreeing.
But deep inside, she knew he was right.
They were drowning. And Lucas was their only lifeline — one that came with chains.
---
Lucas sat back down, calm as ever.
A folder was slid across the table toward her.
"The contract," he said. "You can read it if you want. But I assure you, it's perfectly legal."
She stared at the golden letters embossed on the folder. Marriage Agreement.
Her vision blurred with tears. "Why me?" she asked quietly.
"There are hundreds of women who would kill to have what you're offering. Why choose me?"
Lucas's expression softened, though his eyes held that same unreadable depth.
"Because you're the only one who ever made me feel human."
She looked at him, confused and angry. "You don't even know me."
He smiled, slow and dangerous.
"Then let me."
---
The rain outside grew heavier, thundering against the windows as if the sky itself was protesting.
Vierrah's hands trembled as she reached for the pen.
Lucas watched silently, his gaze never leaving her face — the moment he'd been waiting for finally within reach.
She closed her eyes for a moment, a single tear slipping down her cheek.
Then she signed.
Lucas's lips curved upward — satisfaction, hunger, victory all in one look.
He stood, taking the folder gently from her hands.
"Good girl," he murmured.
Vierrah flinched at the words, but Lucas only smiled, softer this time.
"You won't regret it," he said. "I promise you that."
But deep inside, she already did.
And as Lucas walked out of the room, his eyes gleamed with a dangerous kind of joy.
Because finally, after five years of watching her from the shadows,
Vierrah Thompson was his.
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End of Chapter 2 – The Contract
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