A daughter, for a deal

"No hard feelings anywhere, this is purely business. A daughter from you to me and in exchange, an investment from me to you. You should even be grateful, because her signature on these papers mean that you get to keep your funds, our ties, and your family name"

He handed the documents to the lawyer he came with while the Remington's lawyer just stood there, in front of him sat the paper that had previously been signed by Scarlet, utterly meaningless.

Scarlet took another step forward, her composure finally cracking. “Halo,” she snapped. “You don’t even know what you’re getting yourself into. You aren't fit for him”

“I know enough,” Halo replied, her voice softer but firm. “And I know that he didn’t want you.”

Scarlet recoiled as though she had been slapped.

Dolores opened her mouth to speak, but Talon was already turning away, pulling Halo along with him as if dismissing the entire conversation. His movements were smooth, decisive, leaving no room for argument.

“The car,” he said simply, and the lawyer he had come with immediately stepped forward, clearing the way.

As Talon led Halo outside, the cool evening air hit her skin, a stark contrast to the suffocating tension in the house. The mansion behind them, once an inescapable cage, was growing smaller with every step. She hadn't been outside in so long.

"W-wait Mr Ashwood. Won't I go back in to get my things or say something to my parents?"

"Say something to your parents, your goodbyes?" He scoffed "didn't look like they wanted to say theirs to you either. As for packing, judging by what you're putting on" he muttered. "I doubt they'd be anything to pack. If something important that can't be replaced needs to be gotten from here in the future, I'll send someone to come get it"

The sleek black car waited at the curb, it's tinted windows shielding the world inside. Talon released her wrist, opened the door, and gestured for her to get in.

Halo hesitated. She turned her head, glancing back towards the doorway where her mother and Scarlett stood, silent but visibly distressed. She had spent years seeking their approval, their validation. And yet, in this moment, watching them from the outside, she realized something.

She didn’t need it anymore.

Without another word, she slid into the car. Talon followed, shutting the door behind him. The vehicle hummed to life, and within seconds, they were on the move. Heading to the court to get a quick court marriage done.

The silence between them stretched, the weight of everything settling in. Halo stared out the window, watching the Remington estate disappear in the distance.

“You don’t look relieved,” Talon observed, his voice breaking the quiet.

Halo turned to face him, her fingers curling against the fabric of her dress. “Should I be?”

Talon studied her for a moment before exhaling lightly. “That depends,” he said. “On whether you see this as a fresh beginning or a roadblock.”

She took a look at him. With time, she would get the answer to that question.

••••••••

The courtroom was smaller than she imagined, whenever she thought of courtrooms she had always imagined big wide rooms that seemed to have infinite walls as opposing sides jeered at each other. This was probably a more private courtroom.

The thin grey haired lawyer following behind them approached the judge and shook hands with him. Exchanging familiar pleasantries.

The judge sat behind a modest desk. A few clerks shuffled papers in the background, their low murmurs blending with the faint hum of the ceiling fan.

Talon stood beside her, standing tall. There was a bit of an awkward moment as she was alighting from the cab. She stared at him too long, basically gawking. She couldn't help it, she wasn't used to seeing lots of men around. Especially the ones that looked like him. Regal, confident, possessing otherworldly beauty in physique and facial structure.

His gloved hand rested loosely at his side, but there was no mistaking the authority in his presence. He barely acknowledged the handful of attendees, his attention fixed on his lawyer, and the judge who gulped on sighting him. The man looked gravely uncomfortable. Did they have bad blood or something? Why would he come here then?.

“Mr Ashwood" The lawyer greeted cautiously, and from the looks of it. Anxious.

"You don't look quite pleased to see me Mr Vikram, and unfortunately I can't ask why. I am not here for small talks"

"Then why are you here, a message from your father?"

"Seeing that I am not his messenger or lap dog. No. And if at all there was a message to be sent, it would have been sent through the usual medium. I am here for something else entirely"

"Right, my apologies Mr Ashwood. I didn't mean to insinuate that. I would love to know what you are here for so that I could immediately get it done"

Halo scrunched a brow. Was it proper for a high judge to be this submissive in front of a civilian?.

"I am here to turn this Remington, into an Ashwood"

She felt a hand on her head, lightly resting on her tousled hair for a moment. She could deduce just how long his fingers were.

He signalled the lawyer who handed the initial papers Halo and Talon had signed to Mr Vikram who scrutinized it. His eyes widened. Talon Ashwood was here to get married, and to this woman perched at his side, even at the mention of her being a Remington didn't stir up any familiar images. "Is she.......a distant relative of the Remington's?" He asked quietly.

"More like a hidden daughter," Talon murmured with a smirk. He felt Halo shift awkwardly at the comment and he retracted his fingers from her hair and held the small of her back instead. The lawyer hadn't heard what he had said so he still had questions on his mind, and answers which he wasn't entitled to get.

"Enough deviating from the matter at hand. Who she is or who she was doesn't matter. Who she will be after saying the words 'I Do', is what counts"