Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Celine leaned against the nurses' station, her fingers tightly gripping the edge of the counter. Her mind was in a complete mess.

Mrs. Doris Smith. The matriarch of the most powerful dynasty in the city wanted her to marry her eldest son, Kayden. It was insane, a literal fever dream.

Just yesterday, Celine was a disgraced surgeon kicked out of her own operating theater, and now she was being offered a golden ticket into high society.

"Dr. Celine?"

A smooth, calculated voice broke through her frantic thoughts. Celine straightened up, turning her head toward the elevator doors.

A man walked down the hallway, flanked by two bodyguards. He was undeniably handsome, wearing a flawless, bespoke charcoal suit, but there was a sharp, arrogant coldness in his eyes that immediately made Celine’s guard go up.

He carried himself with the supreme confidence of a man who believed the entire world was his inheritance.

"You must be the miracle worker my mother is raving about," the man said, stopping just two feet away from her. His eyes traveled down her body, lingering on the pale pink bodycon dress with an appreciative, possessive smirk that made Celine’s skin crawl. "I am Kayden. Kayden Smith."

Celine cleared her throat, forcing her professional look into place. "Mr. Smith. Your mother is stable, but she needs rest. The cardiac arrest took a heavy toll on her system."

"I am not here for my mother, Doctor," Kayden murmured, stepping closer, effectively trapping her against the counter. He reached out, his fingers hovering just inches from her jawline. "She called me. She told me she found the perfect woman to secure my position as the undisputed heir of Smith Enterprises. I usually despise her matchmaking, but looking at you... I think I might actually let her have her way this time."

Celine’s jaw tightened. She hated being spoken to like a piece of valuable property. "Mr. Smith, I am a surgeon, not a business transaction. Your mother’s proposal is completely out of the question."

"Is it?" Kayden interrupted, a dangerous, mocking smile touching his lips. "I know about your termination, Celine. Chief Thornton ruined your career yesterday. With one phone call, I can reinstate your medical license and give you your own surgical department. All you have to do is accept my mother's ring."

Celine gasped, her heart hammering against her ribs. He was offering her life back on a silver platter, but the price was her absolute freedom.

She was trapped in a dilemma. If she refused, she remained ruined. If she accepted, she became a pawn in a rich family’s game.

"She won't be accepting anything from you, Kayden."

The voice came from the end of the hall, deep, freezing, and vibrating with authority.

Celine’s head snapped toward the sound. A towering figure marched down the corridor, his heavy footsteps echoing against the linoleum floor.

Darius Smith looked like a god of wrath. His dark eyes were fixed entirely on Celine.

Kayden stiffened, his smirk vanishing instantly as his hands balled into fists. "Darius. What the hell are you doing here? This is my wing of the hospital."

"Everything in this city belongs to me if I want it," Darius growled, ignoring his brother entirely. He stepped into the space between them, his massive frame completely cutting Kayden off from Celine.

When Darius looked down at her, Celine felt a sudden, bizarre jolt of electricity shoot down her spine. Her breath hitched.

But before she could process her thought, Darius grabbed her wrist. His grip was firm and unyielding, but surprisingly careful not to hurt her.

"We need to talk. Now," Darius commanded.

"Let go of her, Darius!" Kayden barked, stepping forward, his face flushed with rage. "Mother chose her for me. She is my future wife!"

Darius did not even turn around. "Touch her, Kayden, and I will strip you of every single share you hold in Smith Enterprises by noon."

Without waiting for a response, Darius pulled Celine down the hallway, blowing past the stunned nurses and dragging her into a private, vacant VIP consultation office.

He slammed the heavy oak door shut and turned the lock, sealing them inside.

"What do you think you are doing?!" Celine yelled, ripping her wrist from his grip, her temper exploding. "You Smiths are all completely out of your minds! First your mother, then your arrogant brother, and now you? I am a human being, not a trophy for you two to fight over!"

Darius did not answer right away. He stood perfectly still, his piercing gaze tracking the furious rise and fall of her chest.

"I have been watching you, Celine," Darius said, taking a slow, predatory step toward her. "For an entire year. I watched you break records in residency. I watched you handle complex neurosurgeries. And I watched you get wrongfully fired yesterday by a corrupt Chief of Medicine."

Celine scoffed, crossing her arms tightly over her chest and glaring at him with pure disdain. "Oh, wonderful. A multi-billionaire stalker. Do you want a medal for doing your research, or are you just naturally this creepy?"

Darius paused, a flash of surprise crossing his features at her biting words, but he quickly masked it with a cool expression.

Celine swallowed hard, backing away until her spine hit the locked door. He was too close, his expensive cedarwood and citrus cologne filling her senses, making her dizzy. "If you know I was fired, then you know I have nothing. Why are you cornering me like this?"

"Because my mother is a manipulative woman," Darius stated coldly, placing his hands on the door on either side of her head, completely trapping her in his space. "She wants to tie you to Kayden to consolidate his power in the company. Kayden is a snake. He will use your brilliance to secure his throne, and the moment he is done, he will discard you."

"And you won't?!" Celine challenged, defiance flaring in her eyes as she stared straight into his face without a shred of fear. "What makes you any different? You are just another arrogant Smith trying to play god with my life. Newsflash: I don't care who you are, and I don't care about your family drama. Get out of my face."

Darius’s dark eyes locked onto her lips, his jaw clenching at her fast rejection. "Because I don't want a real marriage, Celine. I want a partnership. I just found out my fiancée was cheating on me. My mother is breathing down my neck to marry, and she is trying to give you to my worst enemy. I won't allow it."

He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a crisp, heavy document, placing it against the door right next to her face.

"Five months," Darius proposed, his deep voice sending shivers straight down her spine. "Sign a five month contract marriage with me. Do this for my mom, play the part of my devoted wife to satisfy the board, and the day the contract stipulates ends, you walk away completely free."

Celine’s mind reeled back. Five months. It had to be a coincidence. Rich tycoons used contract marriages all the time in high society.

"And what do I get in exchange for selling my soul to you?" Celine asked, her voice trembling despite her best efforts to remain hostile.

Darius leaned in, his lips brushing against the shell of her ear, his hot breath making her shiver. "I will buy back your hospital. I will make you the Chief of Surgery, answerable to absolutely no one. I will give you back your life, Celine. All you have to do is choose me over my brother."

Celine stared at the contract, completely torn.