CHAPTER FIVE
"No, Dad. No, no!" My voice broke before I could stop it. "I'm not doing this."
I was standing in his office, the smell of cigar smoke and brandy thick in the air, staring at the man who had built empires with his hands and now wanted to destroy my life with them.
It wasn't part of the plan. It never was.
Marry Adrian Smith? Of all people?
Hell no.
"Dahlia," my father said calmly, like he wasn't asking me to sell my soul. "It's for our interest. You have to think of the bigger picture. Imagine twenty percent of the Smith empire, ours for the taking. You marry him, keep him close, and when the time's right… we strike. You divorce him and take what's left."
I stared at him, stunned. "For something as sacred as marriage?" My throat felt dry. "You want me to turn it into a weapon?"
His eyes hardened. "It's not forever. You're doing it for the family. For revenge."
"I can't," I whispered. "I love someone else."
His face twitched, just slightly, like the word love disgusted him. "It's just for a while, Dahlia. Don't lose focus. You know what the Smiths did to us. Don't forget our revenge plan."
My voice trembled. "Revenge? At the cost of my happiness?" I shook my head, backing away. "No, Dad. Not this."
Before he could answer, another voice cut through the tension.
"Dad," Daisy said quietly from the balcony where she'd been standing, eavesdropping.
My father turned sharply. "What is it, Daisy?"
Her tone rose, fierce and trembling. "You know I've always loved Adrian. Why can't I be the one to marry him? Why must it always be Dahlia?"
I froze.
She moved closer, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "It's always her, Dad. Always Dahlia. She gets the spotlight, the praise, the company, everything. And now even Adrian?"
I swallowed hard. "Daisy, no. I don't want him."
"Then say no!" she yelled, her voice cracking. "Say no and let me have something for once."
I turned to my father, desperate. "She's right, Dad. If this is really about peace or alliance, let Daisy do it. She's already in love with him."
My father's jaw tightened. "The Smiths specifically asked for you."
"What?" Daisy whispered, her voice breaking. "Why?"
"Because she's the business head," my father said simply. "They want power, not love. They know marrying Dahlia means a merger of strength. You," he paused, glancing at her with an impatient sigh, "are a model. You're emotional. This is business."
The look on Daisy's face shattered me.
"Then I won't do it!" she cried. "I won't let you force her into it. I won't let you ruin her life."
"You have no say in this," he thundered. "Dahlia will do as I say. It's an order."
I felt the room tilt. The ground under me was gone.
"You have six months," he continued coldly. "After the wedding, play the part, do what needs to be done. Then divorce if you want. But until then, you will obey."
"Dad," Daisy whispered, tears streaming down her face. "You're destroying us."
He didn't even look at her.
She turned to me, her eyes wild and red. "I'm sorry, Dahlia, but I'll never let you marry Adrian. I mean it. I've been quiet for too long, but not this time. I'll fight this."
"Daisy, please…"
"No!" she shouted, her voice echoing off the marble walls. "No one cares about me here. Not you, not him. I wish Mum was still here"
Then she stormed out.
The silence that followed was unbearable.
My father's tone softened slightly, but not enough to sound human. "You'll lose your inheritance if you refuse. The company will pass to someone else. We need a strong heiress, Dahlia, someone who can take risks."
"Risks?" I whispered, my lips trembling. "You mean sacrifices."
He didn't deny it.
I sank into the leather chair, my legs too weak to hold me. The weight of everything crushed down at once,my mother's absence, my sister's resentment, my father's cold ambition. I'd spent my whole life being the responsible one, the obedient one, the one who did what was expected. And now, I was expected to give up my heart too.
Tears blurred my vision as I looked up at him. "When does it end, Dad? When do I get to live for me?"
He said nothing. His silence was my answer.
When I finally left the office, I didn't go to my room. I went outside, barefoot, the night air cool against my skin. The moonlight danced on the sea beyond the mansion, the same sea I had run to as a child when my parents fought.
I wrapped my arms around myself, shaking.
"A.D.," I whispered into the darkness.
The name escaped me before I could stop it. The boy from the beach. The one who'd made me smile when I thought I never could again.
"What would happen to us?" I whispered, pressing my palm to my chest.
The wind carried no answer, just the sound of waves breaking softly against the shore.
For a moment, I let myself imagine him, his voice, his eyes, the way he'd handed me his handkerchief and said it was a crime to make a pretty girl cry.
Now here I was again, crying.
And he wasn't here to stop it.
Somewhere in the distance, I could almost hear his voice, calm and teasing. You'll be okay, Dahlia.
But I wasn't sure I would.
Because this time, it wasn't just my heart on the line. It was my freedom, my family, my entire life.
And all for a war I never asked to fight.