I was having a very hard week.
After I sent that secret warning that saved Kaelen's big deal, I couldn't relax for a second. I knew he was watching me, always watching. He didn't know I was the secret writer who was causing trouble, but he knew I was smart, and he knew I understood things about his business that I shouldn't. That made him look at me like I was a weird picture on the wall that he couldn't take his eyes off of. I felt like I was living in a fancy glass box, and he was the judge. I spent hours just sitting by myself, hoping my feelings didn't show on my face. Every time I went near my computer, I deleted old messages and pictures, praying I hadn't left any clues about my secret writing. The whole apartment was so quiet, that makes your ears hurt.
The silence was loudly broken when Kaelen's mother, Evelyn Sterling, just showed up. I didn't hear a doorbell or a phone call first. She just appeared, coming through the front door like she owned the whole floor, which, I guess, she sort of did. She was very tall and skinny, and she wore a dark, heavy suit that looked like it cost more than my whole first business ever made. Two people followed her, holding her coat and a small, fancy bag. She didn't look happy to see Kaelen at all. She just gave him a tiny, quick little movement with her head and didn't even smile.
"Kaelen," she said, and her voice was so cold it made me shiver, even though the apartment was warm. "I know you've been busy making things messy for me with this very fast, very confusing marriage contract. I have to come here and see how bad the damage is so I can try to fix it."
Then she turned her eyes on me. I felt like I stopped breathing, she looked me up and down very slowly. Her eyes went over my simple dress, the one I had designed and sewed myself to feel strong and then they rested on the huge, heavy, ugly diamond ring Kaelen had forced me to wear. She looked at me for a very long time. I felt like she was looking right through my clothes and my skin, all the way to my fear. It felt heavy, like someone had put a huge, heavy blanket on me.
"Amara," she finally said. The way she spoke my name made it sound like I was just an object she had to deal with. "We will have tea in the big, formal living room. You will tell me every single thing you plan to do with my son's money and his important future."
Kaelen tried to step in, getting mad right away. He looked like a little boy getting scolded. "Mother, she is my wife now. This is a private thing. You do not have the right to ask her questions."
"I am the person who takes care of the family's money and the family's name, Kaelen," Evelyn corrected him, and she did it so easily, without even raising her voice, that it was terrifying. "And this contract says you must stay married and stable for six months. I have to know that this woman is not going to be a giant disaster that ruins everything. You can sit there and watch, but you must be quiet. I will fix this mess myself."
I decided to just hold my breath and be polite. I gave her a small smile.
"It's fine, Kaelen," I said quickly. "I would be happy to meet your mother and answer her questions." I knew I couldn't show weakness. I had to look perfectly calm, even though I wanted to run and hide in my room.
We went to the salon. It was a room that felt like a museum, full of dark wood and things that were too expensive to touch. The tea set was old silver, and it was so shiny I could almost see my reflection in it. Evelyn sat up perfectly straight. I noticed she never slumped. The whole conversation felt less like a meeting and more like a police interview.
"I know you run a small clothing company, Amara," Evelyn began, setting her cup down with a little clatter. "A very small one, tell me, do you plan to just give up this little hobby now that you have married Kaelen and are safe? Kaelen needs a wife who can handle the big, important parties and social calendar, not someone who is too busy sewing clothes."
I took a slow sip of my tea. I needed to pick my words very carefully. I knew she was testing me to see if I was just lazy and only wanted the money.
"My company is not a hobby, Mrs. Sterling," I told her. "It is a real business built on smart ways to make clothes and on being good to the environment and I am not quitting it. I am planning to make it much bigger. I believe a woman who actively runs a successful business looks much better for her husband's reputation than a woman who only goes to lunch and charity events."
Evelyn just lifted one perfect eyebrow. It was a small but it felt like a huge insult. "Being successful is only an idea, Amara. The important people we know demand famous, old names, not small, nice ethical ideas. They want brands that have a long history. They want legacy."
"And I think those very important people are getting tired," I replied smoothly, trying to keep my voice light. "The rich people are ready for something new. My designs are different and are honest. People are starting to notice them a lot and I plan to use my new title as Mrs. Sterling to make my brand famous, which will make Kaelen look smart and modern for choosing me. I will help his public image not hurt it."
I saw Kaelen's eyes flickered and looked a little surprised I had talked to his mom in the only way she understood using the language of profit and reputation.
Evelyn, realizing she couldn't just call me a silly girl who played with fabric, changed her attack. "You know, I am sure, that your sudden arrival has made a huge social problem? Seraphina Thorne is talking everywhere about you, saying bad things about your background. She even told everyone that Kaelen married you out of total desperation, not because he actually likes you."
I let myself smile and it wasn't a nice smile this time. "Seraphina is free to say mean things but since Kaelen and I got married, he fixed that huge business deal that Seraphina's messy social group almost ruined. My being here has made things calm, not chaotic. If Seraphina keeps saying mean and false things, I will treat it as a planned attack on the Sterling family's money and I will use my new lawyer, Marcus King, to protect my husband's interests and shut her up."
That sentence worked perfectly, Marcus King was Kaelen's best friend and a very famous, scary lawyer. Evelyn Sterling had to stop, she was a master of being mean in society, but I had just used a business lawyer against her, she saw that I was ready to fight.
"You know more than I thought," Evelyn admitted, finally putting her hand flat on the silver table. This meant the police interview was over. "I need two big things from you, Amara. First, you will come to the Sterling Family Charity Ball next month. You must wear a dress that you made yourself. If you don't look totally amazing and impress all the people who give us money, I will think you are a complete failure, and I will remove you."
This was the biggest challenge yet. A chance to show everyone what I could do. My heart jumped up and down, but I kept my face calm. "I agree. I promise my dress will be the one dress everyone is talking about all night long. It will be a masterpiece."
"Second," Evelyn said, her voice turning very cold and serious again. "Kaelen has many people who want to hurt him. There is a terrible, secret person called The Thread Dissenter who has been causing huge problems for everyone in high society and finance. If you hear even the smallest whisper of this person, you will tell Kaelen right away. That vandal is a direct threat to the Sterling name and family."
I felt total panic inside, but I kept the smile on my face. My own mother-in-law was ordering me to tell on myself. I had to keep the lie going. "I understand," I said, my voice steady. "I have heard of The Dissenter. If I find any information that threatens this family's stability, I will report it immediately to Kaelen. We are partners in this marriage, after all."
Evelyn finally stood up. "See that you do this, do not disappoint me, Amara. The family's money and reputation depends on this contract working."
She left quickly and Kaelen walked over to me, looking at me with a mix of wonder and worry.
"You were perfect with her," Kaelen admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "She only respects strength and people who fight back. You just bought yourself a few more months of safety in this family."
I finally let my shoulders relax, feeling completely drained. "She is the scariest woman I have ever met but Kaelen, I need one thing from you right now. I have to start working on that dress immediately. I need a small team and a secure, private place to work. I have to prove that my business is real, not just a little hobby. I have to keep the promise I just made to your mother."
Kaelen hesitated. He hated giving me freedom, it meant I had more power, and he was losing control but he knew that if I failed the Ball, his mother would take over, and he would lose everything he was fighting for.
"Fine," Kaelen finally gave in. He took out his special, expensive phone. "I will get you the space and the security for your team. But you must tell me every single thing you are working on. We are partners in this whole deception, Amara. Do not keep any secrets that could damage the stability of this contract."
I just nodded, gripping the cold teacup hard in my hands. He was asking me for something impossible. I was about to start my biggest project ever, and my entire life was a huge secret that was ready to destroy both of us. It was a heavy, scary feeling. I wanted to tell him everything, just to stop the hiding, but I knew I couldn't. I needed to call my best friend, Chloe, who lived in the city but didn't know I was Mrs. Sterling. I missed talking to a real person who wasn't a businessman. I knew I would have to sneak out soon, just to breathe and talk to her. The dress had to be perfect, had to be my shield. The dress had to be the thing that saved me from being caught and I was scared, but I was also excited. This was my chance, I just hoped Kaelen never looked too closely at my work, because my art and my secrets were two sides of the same coin. I knew the next month was going to be the longest month of my life.