Chapter 1

“No, I won't ! “ Iris shouted , her voice ringing out, raw and defiant.

The weight of her father words hung in the air, each syllable was an invisible chain tightening around iris's chest.

“Iris, you don't understand. This is the only way we can save the company.”

Her father voice cracked, his hands trembling as they gripped the paper on the table. The words he spoke , marriage contract, stung like daggers.

“To save your mother health as well…. We don't have a choice.”

Iris eyes burned with unshed tear, her pulse hammering in her ears. She couldn't believe what She was hearing.

After everything they'd been through, after everything her father had promised her, they were here. Her own father desperate and broken, asking her to make an ultimate sacrifice.

“I can't marry him, I would rather stay single if he's the only man on earth.”

She sprang to her feet, knocking over the chair behind her. Her heart pounded as she stepped back refusing to let the reality of what was being asked of her sink in.

Her father's pleading gaze followed her every movement but she couldn't bring herself to look at him.

Not when he had become so unrecognizable to her. She had always trusted him, but this? This was beyond anything to her.

Her father's face twisted with guilt, the silence between them grew unbearable before he spoke again. Voice barely above a whisper.

“He's our only hope, Iris, He's the CEO of Babel industries. If you marry him, he'll wipe out the company debt and guarantee your mother treatment. Everything we've lost will be fixed.”

Iris couldn't breathe. The reality of the situation hit her like a tidal wave.

The man her father was asking her to marry , Marx Danver, was a powerful businessman known for his ruthless tactics. He had destroyed countless companies crushed dreams and left families in ruin, all for the sake of power.

And now, her father was asking her to be his wife. A wife to save their company.

“Do you think I would ever marry a man like him? A man who built his empire off the back of people like us.”

Iris spat, her anger flaring “he's a monster.”

Her father's face darkened, and for the first time Iris saw something in his eyes that frightened her —- fear.

“You don't understand it's not about him, Iris, it's about saving everyone, saving your mother and the company.”

“If you don't , we lose everything. Do you want to see your mother die because we can't afford her treatment? Do you want to see this family fall apart.”

Her heart twisted, but the pain of the situation only fueled her defiance.

“I'll find another way. I'll work harder. I'll do whatever it takes but I'll not marry him.”

The front door slammed behind her with a finality that echoed louder than her father desperate pleas.

*******************

Iris walked down the street like a ghost, her fists clenched inside her coat pocket trying to hold herself. The cold evening air bit her skin, but she welcomed it—it numbed the rage simmering beneath her rib.

Marry Marx Danver?

She scoffed aloud, the words tasting bitter on her tongue. The same man built his empire of the back of the weaks, a ruthless billionaire now wanted her in a wedding dress?

She stopped under a flickering street lamp and pressed a trembling hand to her forehead. “I need to think,” she whispered. “I need to think fast.”

But no solution came, just a spiral of chaos.

Reaching for her phone, she tapped her best friend's contact and brought it to her ear.

“Iris, Everything okay?”

“No,” she muttered. “Meet me at a degree tap, I need to shut my clear off my head for a while.”

“Give me ten minutes, I'll be there,” Dina answered “A few shot should help,” she smirked

******************

The warm hum of jazz music and low conversation filled the small bar, but it barely touched Iris's nerves.

She sat in a dim booth at the back, fingers wrapped around a glass of straight whiskey. The first shot was down, the second waited patiently behind it.

Her mind was still racing.

There has to be another way, there's always another way.

Dina arrived in her usual whirlwind— black boots messy bun , and a sharp eye for trouble. She slid into the booth, eyes scanning iris's face.

“Damn. That bad?”

Iris nodded and took the second shot in one clean motion.

“Worse. My dad wants me to marry Marx Danver.”

Her words made Dina blinked, “wait, what? The CEO, Marc Danver?” Dina blinked again.

“The same. Ruthless CEO of Babel & co tech industries.,”

“ That build his empire behind the back of the weaklings.”

“Exactly.”

Dina leaned back folding her arm. “ And your dad thinks marrying you off to him will fix things?”

Iris didn't respond. She just stared into her empty glass, jaw tight.

“So what now ?” Dina asked gently.

“That's why I'm here. I need time to think maybe even a miracle.

After multiple shots of alcohol Iris was drunk and Dina needed to get her home.

****************”*********************

Iris leaned heavily on Diana's shoulder as they stumbled through the front door. Her laughter was soft and slurred, the kind that only came after too many shot and not enough clarity.

“You're heavier than you look,” Dina muttered, dragging her toward the stairs.

“That's the weight of betrayal,” iris mumbled with a tipsy grin. “ Or maybe tequila.”

The houses was strangely quiet, no light , no movement but Dina didn't think much of it — she just figured iris's dad, Mr Joseph has gone to bed worn out by the day madness.

They reached Iris's room, and Dina dropped Iris gently onto the bed.

Her friend flopped backward, arm sprawled over her face like she was trying to block out the entire world.

“Stay there. I'll get you water,” Dina said, already turning towards the door.

“I'm fine,” iris whispered. “Just tired.”

Dina paused, spotted the TV remote on the dresser and clicked the power button on her way out. The screen lit up the room a blushing glow.

News broadcast.

“And In today's shocking update, the ownership right of Hargrove textiles has officially been transferred to the Nanode private co, a private investor company. This follows a federal investigation into the company finances that uncovered multiple accounts of allegedly money laundering.”

“Sources confirm Joseph Hargrove, current CEO and majority shareholders, has been taken into custody for questioning and may face charges related to financial fraud and corporate bankruptcy.”

The words sliced through the air like a knife.

Iris sat up slowly.

Her drunken haze shattered instantly