Chapter 2: Contractually Yours

Dante's POV

By the time I got home, the rain had already stopped, though I was completely soaked, as if I had been sitting under it the whole time.

The incident under the bridge replayed in my head as I walked into my bedroom—that stranger's face—the panic in his eyes.

There's something about him—the way he ran up to pull me down from the ledge even though I wasn't trying to jump. He must have thought I was gonna jump, so he tried to stop me.

I can't seem to stop thinking about his touch—the sudden jolt I felt when his fingers brushed my wrist.

I shook my head softly and started to strip off my wet clothes.

I stepped into my bathroom and grabbed a towel and dabbed it through my hair, exhaling sharply as I stepped back into my room.

“Why on earth will I ever even think about jumping off the bridge?!” The question suddenly popped in my head again.

I just wanted the rain—the silence. A moment where the noise in my head would stop. Yet somehow, even that had been interrupted.

I've lived my entire life with death breathing down my neck—the ‘deadly curse’ as everyone called it.

It was a family truth no one could erase. A curse carved into our bloodline. Every male heir in the Williams family died before—or on—their fortieth birthday. No exceptions. No mercy.

My father died at thirty-eight—nothing serious happened. He was strong one day, and gone the next. It was the curse.

My grandfather barely made it to forty.

My great-grandfather didn’t even reach that.

I could sit here right now and list the ages at which all the male heirs have died, stretching back centuries before I was even born.

Truly, this is a deadly curse—clear proof that it never misses. It takes you once your time comes.

I glanced at my reflection in the mirror.”Thirty-nine.” The number suddenly echoed in my mind. Time wasn’t just running out—it was sprinting.

Everybody—including my mother—thinks I’m the most nonchalant human being they’ve ever encountered on this earth, as though I don’t care about the death hanging over my head, as though I live each moment pretending I know nothing about the curse stalking my bloodline.

But deep down, that's not my reality. I'm actually scared. Some nights, I could almost feel death standing beside me, waiting patiently for the clock to tick over.

My chest suddenly tightened as another wound surfaced—Liam.

I stormed across the room, slamming my hand on the dresser. My mind was full, and it felt like everything was crashing down on me.

Liam was supposed to be my last boyfriend until my death—but then, I only saw it happen in my head, definitely not in reality.

The breakup was still fresh, still raw.

I didn't just lose a lover—I’d lost trust, dignity, and whatever illusion of safety I thought I'd left.

I hadn’t just discovered that Liam was secretly a p**n star. That alone had hurt me—but it went deeper than that. Liam had lied to me for months, using my name to open doors of opportunity for himself. He had quietly risen to become a top-rated p**n star by selling our sex tapes to VVIP clients, turning our most private moments into currency—just to build his fame and secure his place at the top.

That's not all.

He stole money from me constantly, and I knew about it—but I didn’t really mind. Instead, I deliberately left my safe box open so it would be easy for him to take whatever cash he wanted.

He'd always filmed us during sex claiming he uses it to pleasure himself whenever I was out of the state for a business deal.

I didn't find it a problem so I'd let him film us—I swear, I never knew or thought Liam was a pornstar.

The tapes shattered me most, of course, but I didn't let it weigh upon me for long before moving on with my life again.

It's already been three months since I ended everything with Liam, so it's crazy of me to still be thinking about it now.

Sometime last month, Liam had come back, begging me to take him back… of course, I asked my bodyguard, Shark, to bundle him out of my house before I set him on fire.

Soon again, my thoughts circled back to the curse—then my mother. Her quiet fear, and her constant reminders for me to at least leave an heir behind before I die. “A successor!” She'd always say.

I'd always brushed it off for years—I never took mom's words seriously, but now, with death looming closer, the weight suddenly felt unbearable.

I let out a loud sigh I never knew I was holding then I threw myself onto the bed, exhaustion pulling me down at once.

I rolled to the other side and froze, then my eyes landed on the photo frame sitting on the bedside table.

It was the picture we took last Christmas—me, my mother, Liam, and Mara(my niece)—smiles frozen in time.

A picture taken before everything went wrong—before I broke up with Liam.

The second my eyes landed on Liam’s face in the frame, something inside of me suddenly snapped.

I shot up, grabbed the small frame, and flung it across the room. It smashed against the wall and shattered on the floor.

I didn't move, I stood there—breathing hard, staring at the broken glass like I was happy about the mess.

I can't believe I still have that frame in my room. I need to get rid of anything that'll make me remember ever having Liam as a boyfriend.

I hated that I had to ruin this frame simply because it had his face on it. I hated the memory of him.

I was just about to look away from the mess I just caused when my eyes suddenly caught a smaller detail within the wreckage—Mara’s face—my neice—innocent, smiling so sweetly.

My anger drained slowly as I sank back into the bed, my shoulders slumping like exhaustion had finally claimed me.

Mara had always been different, smart, disciplined… and focused even.

During her high school days, she wasn't like every other student—she was neater, intelligent and she secretly carried this smell of leadership within her.

I saw it.

I knew she was good.

If the curse took me like it took the others, then the empire couldn’t die with me just like that.

Maybe it's high time I listen to what mom has been asking of me—a successor.

And that was when the thought fully settled in my mind—Mara would inherit everything. She’s my niece, after all, and she’s also the last and only option I have.

I didn’t hesitate; I embraced the thought immediately.

Liam had betrayed me, yes, but the curse… the curse doesn’t wait for heartbreak. I needed someone to carry the Williams name forward. Mara was the only choice.

I reached for my phone and called Mara at once. When she picked up, I asked about her studies, her health, and how law school was treating her.

I listened carefully, already testing her without saying it out loud.

And just like always, she sounded so confident and competent. In fact, it suddenly felt like she had become even more capable than I remembered.

I didn’t waste much time, so I told her about the plans I had for her.

Mara’s excitement exploded through the phone, and I couldn’t help but smile at her enthusiasm. That’s when I knew exactly what I had to do.

Before ending the call, I made my decision.

Since Mara’s birthday was in three weeks, I decided to host an elite gala that day to celebrate and honor her—and on that same night, in front of everyone who mattered, I would announce her as my protégé and my legal successor.

I had just ended the call when a soft knock came at my door.

Before I could respond, the door slammed open, and Mom stepped inside, moving quickly yet carefully as if not to startle me.

Her eyes were sharp, scanning the room, and without a word, she came straight to the bed. “Did you see it?” she asked, her voice calm but heavy with suspense.