Seraphina POV
When Ranon Vescari called someone to "get rid of" the bodies in my office, calling it a clean up.
I realized things were going to get much worse than I thought. But nothing, not the blood, not the gunshots, not even how he said my name made me ready for what was about to happen.
Ranon stood in front of me, his height changed the way the things in my office felt all around him. He looked closely at my face in a way that made me uneasy, as if he could read all the thoughts I was trying to hide.
"You are just as I was told you would be," he whispered. "Smart. Ethical. Annoyingly full of principles."
My chest felt tight. "How do you know anything at all about me?"
He got closer. Too close. Close enough for me to see the faint bruise on his jaw from the fight that had happened earlier. "I make sure I know everything about the woman I plan to marry."
I was shocked. "Marry? You can't be serious "
"You're thirty two. You are well respected in your line of work. You were at the top of your class when you graduated. Your parents passed away when you were twenty one, so you had to raise your brother and pay for his schooling. You've never taken a bribe. You've never lied on a report. And your boss Adam Jones hates you because of it."
My stomach sank.
His words were sharp and accurate, like a fortune teller laying out your life for you.
"I know what you're good at," he said quietly. "Your morals. What you do every day. What scares you."
"That's stalking," I said softly.
He chuckled without any joy. "No. That's getting ready."
"Getting ready for what? For taking me?"
"For making you an offer that no woman could turn down."
I crossed my arms. "Try to do it."
His eyes lit up. "Marry me, Seraphina. Or put your life at risk, as well as your career, and your brother's future."
The world felt unsteady.
My heart beat hard as I forced myself to say, "You're crazy if you think "
But he stopped me with just one look a look that felt like a sharp, invisible knife against my throat.
"You treated a gunshot wound without having a license," he stated calmly. "You helped a Vescari but didn't report it. Those are two serious crimes. Three, if we include hiding proof."
My throat felt dry.
He was right.
"And Adam Jones?" Ranon said in a relaxed way. "He would love to get the chance to ruin you."
I felt like I was freezing.
"You don't know him "
"Oh, but I do." His voice got quieter and more chilling. "And I know that he's already getting information for a case that will destroy you."
I gasped.
Because that… that was the thing I feared most of all.
Ruining my career would mean ruining everything I had worked so hard for after my parents died.
"I can keep you safe," Ranon stated. "But only if you become mine."
"No." I made my voice sound strong. "I'd rather take my chances."
I reached for my phone my hands were shaking, but I was determined. I called emergency services.
There was no signal.
"What ?"
He held up a small device between his fingers. It blocked network signals. It was sleek, black, and dangerous.
My heart jumped.
"You tried," he said softly, stepping forward and trapping me against my own desk. "I admire that."
His hand was near my face, not touching, but close enough that I gasped slightly.
"But listen carefully, Seraphina." His voice sounded rough and harsh. "I don't ever ask more than once. And I always get what I desire."
A shiver went through my body. Was it fear? Yes. But there was something else too—a disturbing feeling of how closely he watched me, like I was the only thing in the room he cared about.
My brain started working quickly.
If I said no, I would be destroyed.
If I fought back, he would try harder.
If I said yes… maybe I could find a flaw.
A way to get free.
I lifted my head. "Okay," I said softly. "I will marry you."
He looked victorious for a moment. Not happy. Not kind.
Successful. Confident.
"Good," he said quietly, moving away like he hadn't just forced me to change my whole life. "We will start tomorrow."
---
The next day, I woke up feeling bad about what I had done. I had said yes. The word still felt like acid.
My phone made a noise.
Ranon: Dinner. 7pm. Dress nicely.
I wanted to throw my phone.
Instead, I went to the fancy restaurant he picked—a place so special it didn't even have a normal entrance, just a private elevator watched by men who looked like they used to be in the military.
He was waiting when I came in.
Dark suit. Blue tie. He looked cold and very put together.
"You're late," he said.
"I didn't agree to a time," I said back.
"You did the moment you agreed to be with me."
I wanted to punch him.
Instead, I faked a smile and sat down.
Dinner was… calm. Too calm. He asked about my job, my hobbies, what I thought about marriage. It almost felt normal until a camera flashed outside the window.
Then another one. And another one.
I got tense. "Ranon… what did you do?"
He leaned back, not worried. "I let them see us."
I felt very afraid. "Why?"
"Because keeping my future wife a secret would make things harder."
"Future wife?" I said, surprised. "I agreed to talk about marriage, not announce it "
"You agreed to marry me," he said smoothly. "Small details don't matter."
My heart raced as I realized what was happening.
The media outside wasn't taking pictures of a normal dinner.
They were taking pictures of the engagement of Ranon Vescari, the most feared person in the city…..to me.
By the next day, everyone would know.
And I wouldn't be able to escape.
"You tricked me," I said quietly, feeling angry.
He didn't change his expression. "I got what was mine."
I clenched my hands. I had not understood him well enough. I had thought I could be smarter than him.
But Ranon Vescari was always ahead.
Always.
And as I looked at him
across the fancy table, with the cameras flashing behind us like lightning, I kept thinking one thing:
This was just the start.
And I was already failing.