Chapter 4: Signed And Sealed

Emma's Point Of View

The air in the hospital wing was cold and sterile. The faint scent of disinfectant clung to everything, making my stomach churn. I sat on one of the hard, wooden benches near the nurse’s station, the creak of my shifting weight echoing faintly in the quiet. In my right hand, I clutched a file.. the infamous contract Adrian Steele had handed me. In my left, a cheque with enough zeroes to save my brother’s life.

I stared at them one at a time, my thoughts a chaotic mess of fear, anger, and desperation. How had it come to this? How had I ended up here, forced to decide between my dignity and my brother’s life?

A bitter laugh bubbled in my throat, though I swallowed it back before it could escape. Adrian Steele. Just thinking about him made my blood boil. His smooth, infuriating voice echoed in my head: "Marry me… or get the fuck out of my Office. And if you choose to get fired, I’ll make sure you never work in this city again. I mean every word of it."

I believed him. He didn't have just the money he had the power and the connections as well. Adrian Steele wasn’t the type of man who made empty threats.

I closed my eyes, squeezing the bridge of my nose. “What the hell am I supposed to do?” I whispered, my voice trembling.

Part of me wanted to tear the cheque into tiny pieces, march into his office, and throw them in his smug face. Why would a man like him want to marry me, anyway? He had the world at his feet. Women far more beautiful, far more experienced, would have thrown themselves at him for a fraction of what he was offering me.

But then there was the other part of me, the part that couldn’t stop thinking about my brother lying in that hospital room. The doctors had made it painfully clear: without the surgery, Brandon wouldn’t make it.

What was two years? That was all Adrian wanted... two years of a contract marriage. A sham. A lie. Could I endure two years with a man I despised if it meant saving my only surviving sibling?

The sound of approaching footsteps pulled me from my thoughts. I looked up just as Dr. Bennett, Nathan’s doctor, stepped into view. His expression was somber, his voice even more so.

“Miss Carter,” he began, folding his hands in front of him. “I’m afraid there’s been a development. Your brother’s condition is worsening. If we don’t operate within the next 24 hours…”

He didn’t need to finish the sentence. I felt the weight of his words crash down on me like a ton of bricks.

I looked down at the cheque in my hand, the numbers blurring as tears welled up in my eyes. My fingers trembled as I held it out to the doctor. “Here,” I choked out. “Take it. Start the preparations. Do whatever you have to do to save my brother.”

Dr. Bennett hesitated, his gaze flicking between the cheque and my face. “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” I said firmly, even as my voice wavered. “Just… save him. Please.”

He nodded, taking the check from my hand. “We’ll get started right away.”

As he walked away, I felt a hollow ache settle in my chest. The check was gone, but the contract remained. I opened the file with shaking hands, my eyes scanning the lines of text. Adrian had been meticulous, of course, covering every possible loophole, ensuring that I had no way out once I signed my name.

“This is just a contract,” I whispered to myself, my voice barely audible over the hum of the hospital equipment. “Nothing more.”

I grabbed the pen tucked into the file and pressed it to the paper. My hand trembled as I wrote my name, each letter feeling heavier than the last.

When I was done, I stared at the signature for a long moment. “Emma Carter,” it read. But who was Emma Carter now? The assistant who’d prided herself on her independence and resilience? Or the woman who’d sold her soul to save her brother?

I closed the file with a snap, my jaw tightening. I couldn’t afford to dwell on that. This wasn’t about me. It never had been.

Pulling out my phone, I dialed Adrian’s number. He answered on the second ring, his voice as cold and smooth as ever. “Miss Carter.”

“I’ve signed the contract,” I said, trying to keep the tremor out of my voice.

There was a pause, just long enough to make me uncomfortable, before he spoke again. “Good. Meet me at the registry in two days. We’ll finalize everything then.”

“Two days?” I echoed, my stomach twisting.

“Yes. And you’re on leave starting now,” he added. “Take care of your brother, prepare for our first media appearance, and do try not to embarrass me.”

Before I could respond, the line went dead.

I stared at the phone in disbelief, my hand tightening around it. The audacity of that man. He’d just upended my entire life, and he didn’t even have the decency to pretend to care.

Forcing a deep breath, I slipped the phone back into my pocket and stood. My legs felt like jelly, but I willed myself to move forward.

Brandon's room was quiet when I entered, except for the steady beeping of the machines monitoring his vitals. He looked so small in that hospital bed, his pale face framed by the oxygen mask.

I sank into the chair beside him, taking his hand in mine. It was cold, his fingers limp in my grasp.

“Hey, buddy,” I murmured, brushing a strand of hair from his forehead. “I know you can’t hear me, but… I’m doing everything I can for you, okay? You’re going to be fine. We’re going to get through this.”

My voice broke, but I forced myself to keep going. “You’re all I have, Brandon. Mom and Dad… they’re gone. It’s just you and me now. And I’m not going to let anything happen to you. I promise.”

Tears slipped down my cheeks as I tightened my grip on his hand. For Nathan, I would endure anything, even two years with Adrian Steele.

This was for him. Only for him.