Luca's POV
My name is Lucas Williams, and I used to have everything—a promising future, wealth, and a life most people could only dream of. I was the heir to the Williams legacy, destined to take over my father’s company, a giant in the business world. People respected me, envied me, even feared me. But all of that disappeared the night I made a mistake that ruined everything. It started with her. Tessa, the girl who said she loved me but didn’t hesitate to leave when things got hard. She ended things over the phone, her voice cold and detached, as though I was nothing but a chapter she’d finished reading. “I’m sorry, Lucas, but I can’t do this anymore,” she said. “Can’t do what, Tessa? Be with me?” I was pacing my apartment, anger and disbelief making my voice sharper than I intended. “You’ve changed,” she said. “You’re reckless, angry all the time. I don’t recognize you anymore.” The call ended, leaving me standing there, holding my phone like it might somehow fix the damage. I grabbed my car keys and stormed out, ignoring the fact that I’d already had too much to drink. I didn’t care. I just needed to escape. The city streets were empty that late at night, but my mind was crowded with thoughts of Tessa, of everything falling apart. The alcohol buzzed in my veins, dulling my judgment. Then it happened. I was gripping the steering wheel tightly, my knuckles white as I sped through the dark streets. Tessa’s words echoed in my head, sharp and cutting, as if she were sitting beside me. My vision blurred, and my hands felt clammy against the wheel. Out of nowhere, a shadow appeared on the road ahead. My heart stopped. Someone was crossing the street—a person. I slammed my foot on the brake, but the car swerved violently instead of stopping. My hands scrambled to steady the wheel, but my grip slipped, the alcohol dulling my reflexes. “No,” I whispered, panic rising in my chest. I jerked the wheel too hard, and the car spun out of control. The headlights illuminated the figure for just a second before the front of my car clipped them. The impact was sharp, followed by a sickening thud that sent a jolt through my entire body. The car veered sharply to the right, my attempt to regain control making things worse. The tires screeched as I hit the curb, and then the world tilted. My head slammed into the side window as the car crashed into a tree with a deafening crunch. Glass shattered, metal twisted, and pain shot through my body. Then, everything went black. When I woke up in the hospital, my world was forever changed. My legs were numb, and the doctors said I’d never walk again. The news hit me harder than the accident itself. But the real blow came from my father. “You’ve ruined everything, Lucas,” he said, his voice low and cold. He stood at the foot of my bed, looking at me like I was a stranger. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” I didn’t answer. What could I say? “We’ve handled the situation,” he continued. “The authorities have been… compensated. The victim’s family has been paid off. No one will ever know you were drunk or that you hit someone.” My chest tightened. Relief mixed with guilt, twisting in my stomach like a knife. “What about the company?” I asked hesitantly. My father’s jaw clenched. “That’s where things get complicated.” It turned out that Mr. Carrington, one of my father’s business partners, had found out about the accident. He used it as leverage, threatening to expose everything unless my father sold part of his shares. My father had no choice. To protect our family and me, he agreed to sell. The deal cost us dearly. The Carringtons became the majority shareholders, and I lost my place as the heir to the company. My father didn’t even try to hide his disappointment. “You were supposed to take over one day,” he said bitterly. “Now look at you. Look at what you’ve done.” His words cut deep, but I didn’t have time to dwell on them. There was one last condition to the deal, one that shocked me even more. “You’re getting married,” he announced one morning, his tone flat. “What?” I stared at him, confused. “To one of Carrington’s daughters,” he said, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. “You can’t be serious,” I said, shaking my head. “Why would I do that?” “Because I said so,” he snapped. “This marriage will keep the peace between our families. And after everything I’ve done to clean up your mess, you owe me this.” I wanted to argue, but I knew it was pointless. My father wasn’t asking me—he was ordering me. The day I met her, I wasn’t expecting much. I figured she’d be just like the rest of the Carringtons—cold, calculating, and full of herself. When she walked into the room, though, she was nothing like I imagined. Ava Carrington was quiet, her gaze guarded, like she was bracing herself for a fight. She wasn’t stunning in the way society expected, but there was something about her—something real, something honest. “So,” I said, breaking the silence. “This is her?” She met my gaze, and for a moment, I saw a flicker of defiance in her eyes. “And you must be Lucas.” Her voice was steady, but I could tell she was nervous. “Observant,” I said dryly, unable to stop the smirk tugging at my lips. The small talk that followed was unbearable. Our families talked about the marriage as if we weren’t even there, making plans for a future neither of us had agreed to. I watched Ava out of the corner of my eye, curious about the girl who had been dragged into this mess just like me. When the meeting ended, I wheeled myself over to her. “You don’t look too happy about this,” I said quietly. She looked at me, her expression unreadable. “Are you?” I laughed softly, surprising myself. “Fair point.” For a moment, we just stared at each other, two strangers caught in a web of lies and power plays. She didn’t pity me, and I didn’t blame her for any of this. That was more than I could say for most people. As I left the room, my father’s voice echoed in my mind. “This is your chance to fix what you broke,” he had said. “Don’t mess it up.” But as I glanced back at Ava, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this wasn’t about fixing anything. This was a punishment—a reminder of everything I had lost. And the worst part? I deserved it.
