Chapter 4 : The Billionaire’s World

The next day felt unreal.

Every moment from the night before replayed in my mind   Slade’s calm and assured voice, his impossible offer and the velvet box that still sat unopened on my dresser.

I should’ve said no.

I should’ve walked away.

But when the black car pulled up in front of my building at exactly noon, I didn’t.

The driver stepped out and opened the door. “Miss Mendel,” he said with a polite nod.

I hesitated for only a second before sliding in. The leather smelled like something expensive and dangerous exactly like the man I was on my way to see.

The city blurred past the tinted windows. My reflection looked foreign especially my pale skin, red-rimmed eyes, and a determination that didn’t feel like mine.

An hour later, the car pulled through wrought-iron gates taller than most buildings I’d lived in. The estate beyond was breathtaking with modern glass and stone rising from a sea of manicured gardens. It wasn’t just a home. It was a fortress.

When the driver stopped, a woman in a sleek black suit greeted me. “Miss Mendel, Mr. Knight is expecting you.”

Expecting me.

Not waiting.

Expecting. Like this was just another meeting on his schedule.

The woman led me through halls lined with art I didn’t understand and silence that weighed too heavily. When the doors to his office opened, I froze.

Slade stood by the window, hands in his pockets, city skyline stretching behind him like his personal empire. He turned at the sound of my footsteps his gaze sweeping over me once, slow, unreadable.

“You came,” he said simply.

“I shouldn’t have,” I murmured.

“But you did.”

He gestured to the chair across from his desk. “Sit.”

I did, more out of nerves than obedience. On the desk between us sat a folder, thick and perfectly aligned with the edge. I didn’t need to open it to know what it contained.

“The contract,” I said quietly.

He nodded. “Six months. Publicly, you’ll be Mrs. Knight. Privately, you’ll continue your life as you wish although  with certain limitations, of course.”

“Limitations?”

He met my gaze. “You’ll live here. Appear at events as my wife. No press interviews, no contact with Shawn Black, and no discussions about the nature of our marriage.”

I exhaled slowly. “So, I’m your cover story.”

“Think of it as a mutually beneficial arrangement.”

“And what happens after six months?”

“You’ll leave,” he said, leaning back in his chair. “With financial security and my protection guaranteed.”

I hesitated. “You make it sound simple.”

His lips curved slightly. “Simplicity is an illusion, Ariana. But it’s one I’m good at creating.”

He slid a pen across the desk. “If you agree, sign.”

My fingers trembled as I picked it up. The ink bled slightly against the paper, the sound of my name being written feeling like a lock clicking shut.

When I finished, he took the contract, folded it neatly, and tucked it away. “Welcome to the family, Mrs. Knight.”

The words sent a chill down my spine.

He stood, moving around the desk until he was right in front of me. His presence was overwhelming, calm, powerful and magnetic.

“Why are you really doing this?” I asked, unable to meet his eyes. “You said revenge, but this… this feels personal.”

He was silent for a moment, then said, “Maybe it is. Maybe I want to see how far a man will fall when he realizes the woman he threw away became mine.”

My breath caught. “You don’t love me.”

“I don’t have to,” he said softly. “Love is overrated, Mrs. Knight. Respect isn’t.”

He turned away, his voice suddenly businesslike again. “We’ll announce the engagement at the charity gala this weekend. The ring is on your dresser upstairs. My assistant will help you settle in.”

He paused at the doorway, then looked back. “And, Ariana… whatever you’re feeling right now all the fear, anger, confusion use it. It’ll make you stronger.”

When he left, the silence felt heavier than before.

The assistant showed me to a room larger than my entire apartment all in shades of cream and gold. On the dresser sat the velvet box I’d left unopened. I stared at it for a long moment before finally lifting the lid.

The ring inside wasn’t delicate or romantic but it was bold, heavy, carved with small diamonds that glinted like tiny secrets. When I slipped it onto my finger, it fit perfectly.

I caught my reflection in the mirror and barely recognized the woman staring back was a stranger wrapped in silk and uncertainty.

A knock came on the door. “Miss Mendel,” the assistant said, peeking in. “Mr. Knight asked me to inform you that dinner will be served at eight. Formal attire.”

“Dinner,” I repeated, my voice thin.

She smiled politely. “Welcome to Knight Manor.”

When she left, I sank onto the bed, staring at the ring again. It should have felt like a chain  but instead, it felt like armor.

Somewhere deep inside, a quiet voice whispered that I wasn’t the same woman who cried over divorce papers two weeks ago.

This was a new beginning the one built on lies, maybe, but mine all the same.

Slade's Pov

Downstairs, I  watched the security footage of her arrival. I didn’t smile, but the corner of my mouth twitched, just barely.

“She signed,” i said to myself.

On his desk lay an old photograph, a business partnership meeting from three years ago. In it, Shawn Black stood beside him, hand extended in a false show of camaraderie.

Slade’s gaze hardened.

“Round one, Shawn,” i muttered. “Let’s see how well you handle losing her.”