Chapter 6

Zack’s P.O.V.

The Hunt family sent a bride to the White mansion?

That matter alone was suspicious!

I leaned back in my chair, fingers resting lightly against the armchair as the city stretched beneath the glass office of my house.

Quiet and controlled, unlike the situation of this arranged marriage.

My gaze drifted to the file lying open on the table.

Ellie Hunt

Age: twenty-one

“How convenient!”

A humorless smile tugged at my lips.

“Interesting!”

This whole settlement didn’t look like a coincidence. Nothing in this world happened without a reason.

I had learned this lesson five years ago quite painfully.

Then why?

Why would the Hunt family send their daughter here?

A soft knock broke the silence, interrupting my thought process.

I straightened up. “Come in.”

The door opened, and Mr. Charles stepped inside, carrying a folder identical to the one already in front of me.

“Mr. Walton.”

He greeted me politely, adjusting his glasses.

“Everything has been finalized.”

I received the file, flipping the pages with deliberate slowness. Every signature was at its place.

“She didn’t hesitate?”

Mr. Charles smiled faintly.

“Not at all. The process was smooth.”

My eyes paused on a particular section, and this time, I didn’t flip the page and read it again. The number didn’t change.

One billion dollars!

My fingers stilled against the paper.

“She signed this?” I said more to myself than to him.

Mr. Charles stepped forward, tapping the clause with quiet confidence.

“The confidentiality of this agreement ensures your protection. I made it very clear that any breach will result in severe legal consequences.”

Severe?

That was one way to describe it.

I let out a low breath, leaning back in the air chair again, my gaze drifting away from the file. One billion dollars wasn’t a small amount.

Most of the people would hesitate or walk away, but she…

She signed this contract.

Why?

“Aren’t you satisfied with this agreement?” Mr. Charles asked carefully.

I glanced at him. “The contract is fine.”

Silence stretched between us for a moment before he cleared his throat again.

“Then… is the issue…  bride?”

My gaze shifted back to the glass window. The reflection staring back at me looked calm, unlike the chaos brewing inside me.

“No,” I said quietly. “That’s not the issue.”

Then I stood, reaching for the glass of wine resting on the side table. The liquid swirled lazily as I tilted it, watching its movement instead of him.

“I don’t need a wife.”

That much was true.

Mr. Charles stiffened behind me. “Mr. Walton…”

“And yet,” I cut in, taking a slow sip, “one was delivered to my doorstep.”

The silence that followed carried weight.

Mr. Charles adjusted his glasses and asked cautiously.

“Have you introduced yourself to her?”

I took another sip.

“No.”

“Why?”

I didn’t need to turn around to see his confusion.

“The maid sent her to your room. We made sure you met her, Mr. Walton.”

“I met her.” The air shifted as I answered. “And she believes that I am her stepson.”

“What?”

His composure cracked for the first time.

“Why-Why didn’t you tell her that you are her husband, Mr. Zackary Walton?”

Slowly, I turned to face him, hearing my name out loud, unsettling me deeply.

After that party, my name wasn’t spoken like that, not without any adjective attached to it.

I settled the glass on the table and gazed at him, his expression a mix of disbelief and concern.

“She came here expecting to marry a dying man,” I said calmly. “Let her keep this expectation.”

“That’s not…”

Mr. Charles stopped himself, exhaling.

“That’s not fair to her, Mr. Walton.”

Fair?

That word felt foreign!

I walked back toward the table, picking up the file again, my fingers brushing over the name.

“Fair doesn’t exist in agreements like this.”

Mr. Charles frowned.

“You think she agreed for this money?”

His query dragged me back to last night.

A strange girl stood in my room, wearing something she wasn’t clearly comfortable in. The way she looked at me, annoyed, and told me to watch my tone was still fresh in my mind.

My grip on the file tightened. Most women in her position would have to impress to secure their place.

And she…

She challenged me!

And then asked for a separate room as well…

I shook my head slowly. “I think people don’t walk into situations like this without a reason.”

Mr. Charles immediately defended Ellie.

“I have seen her before with Jared. She didn’t strike me as someone calculating.”

A faint scoff left my lips.

“No one does. That’s the point.”

Silence settled once more.

Mr. Charles hesitated, then tried again.

“Ellie went to the hospital. She asked to see her husband.”

“Of course she did.” I said lightly.

He raised a brow.

“You don’t believe that’s genuine?”

I held his gaze.

“If she is sincere, then we have a bigger problem.”

“Which problem?”

“She will soon realize that she has been deceived.” I said, my tone turning cold. “And then there will be legal consequences. She can sue us for fraud.”

Mr. Charles let out a sigh, utterly defeated.

“Or… she might be exactly what she looks.”

After a moment he gathered his things and spoke.

“I have done my part, Mr. Walton. The rest… is yours to handle.”

“Thank you.”

I nodded, and he walked away, closing the door behind him.

Taking a deep breath, I picked up the glass and walked back to the window, gazing at the city lights absentmindedly.

That girl… was something!

“This can’t be so simple!” I murmured, sipping wine.

Because, in this world, there were only two kinds of people.

The one... who hunts.

And the ones... who get hunted.

My grip tightened around the glass.

“Let’s see which one you are, Ellie Hunt!”