The Ugly Bargain

Eve

I woke up to the stiff ache in my neck and a sharp itch crawling across my arm. When I finally opened my eyes, I realized I was on the floor. Not the bed. Not even near the bed. Just sprawled on the cold floor like someone who fainted during a nervous breakdown.

It all came back immediately.

I hadn’t been able to sleep. Not even close. I had paced the room for hours, replaying that stupid kiss, replaying the way Sage just walked out, replaying how I messaged him and he didn’t answer. The more I thought about it, the tighter my chest felt, until I finally slid down to the floor with my phone in my hand, telling myself I wasn’t bothered.

And that was where I must have slept off. The floor. Like a clown.

I wiped the corner of my mouth with the back of my hand, straightened my hair a bit, and checked my phone, still hoping there would be a response.

Nothing. Not even a dot. Not even a single letter.

Sage had not replied.

A fresh wave of irritation washed over me. What kind of man ignores someone all night? After kissing them? After barging into their house like a psycho? I scoffed under my breath, threw the phone on the bed, and folded my arms. It was ridiculous. Completely ridiculous.

But then the thought crept in, slow and sharp.

Maybe this was good. Maybe he had finally let the whole thing go. Maybe he didn’t want the marriage anymore. Maybe this was his way of stepping back and leaving me alone. That should have made me relieved. A huge win. Freedom.

So why did I feel irritated instead?

I shook my head and pushed the feeling aside. I forced myself to stand up, even though my body protested loudly. My back felt like it had been hammered. My shoulder throbbed. My legs were stiff. I walked to my drawer, opened it, and reached for the painkillers I always kept there. The container rattled in my hands as I opened it and took two tablets.

I swallowed them with a long breath and rubbed my forehead, determined to pretend the whole night didn’t bother me at all.

Even though it clearly did.

Mia’s knock snapped me out of my own miserable thoughts. I dragged myself to the door, already annoyed, and opened it to see her worried face.

“Eve, did you get any call or message? Anything at all?” she asked quickly.

I shook my head. “Nothing.”

Her expression changed immediately, like she was about to cry. “Your aunt is signing the transfer today. Everything under your father’s name will be handed over to her. They’re doing it now. Since you didn’t get married, she qualifies. Eve, if she signs that paper, it’s over.”

My heart didn’t just skip. It punched itself out of my chest. For a second I felt dizzy, like someone shoved cold water over my whole body. “What? No, no, hell no. She can’t do that.” I pushed past Mia and rushed to the bathroom. My mind was racing so fast I could barely breathe.

I jumped into the shower and didn’t even let the water settle on my skin, just washed as quickly as I could. I threw on clothes with shaking hands. Mia was even the one helping me to spray perfume. I didn’t even remember to do skincare. She tried to grab her bag to follow me, but I held up my hand.

“Don’t. They won’t even let me into the building, so there’s no way they’ll allow you. If I’m going to stop this, I have to fight my way in alone.”

Mia looked crushed, but she nodded. I ran out of the house, yanked the door open, and that was when I realized I didn’t even have my car keys. Before I could curse myself out loud, Mia ran after me.

“Eve! Your keys!”

I spun, grabbed them from her, breathless. “Thank you!”

I slid into the driver’s seat and started the engine, my pulse thudding in my ears. I drove fast, faster than I probably should have, but I didn’t care. If my aunt signed that document before I walked into that building, my entire life’s inheritance would be gone. Gone because I wasn’t married. Gone because I hesitated. Gone because Sage didn’t want to answer my message.

I gripped the steering wheel tighter. The regret hit hard, hot, and sour in my stomach. I should have just agreed to Sage. I should have accepted his offer. Clearly he didn’t want it anymore, judging from how he left me on seen the entire night. He was already letting me go, and now everything else might go with him.

And as I sped toward the headquarters, all I could think was that I was about to lose everything in one single morning.

The moment I parked in front of the company, I stepped out of the car with my heart already racing from the urgency of everything happening today. But the guards stopped me before I even reached the glass doors. They stood there stiffly, blocking me like I was some stranger, and told me I couldn’t come in.

For a second I just stared at them, stunned. These were the same people who used to straighten their backs the moment I walked past, the same ones who practically bowed whenever my father brought me here. Now they were pushing me away like I had no right to be here. It made no sense. It felt humiliating and unreal at the same time.

I tried again, but they didn’t budge. That was when I remembered the old route. The back way. The one only Mia and I knew, the one I used whenever I wanted to sneak into the building without anyone noticing. I didn’t even think twice. I went straight there, slipped through the hidden entrance, and moved fast, keeping my head down so no one would see my face.

The hallway felt colder than I remembered. Every step echoed like I was walking in a place that used to belong to me but didn’t anymore. I hugged my arms around myself, half-covering my face, half-hiding the panic rising in my chest.

By the time I reached the conference hall, I could hear voices inside—calm, formal, business-like. I pushed the door open and stepped in quietly, but the sight in front of me made my breath freeze.

The entire board was seated. Clarissa sat at the head, her posture confident, documents spread neatly before her, pen in hand. They were about to sign. They were really about to sign everything away.

Something inside me snapped. I rushed forward and shouted, “No!”

Every head turned at once, shock rippling across the room. Only then did they truly notice me. Some of them whispered my name under their breaths. Clarissa’s eyes widened before they narrowed sharply.

“And who let you in?” she asked, her tone dripping with irritation.

“You can’t sign it,” I said, walking farther into the room. “You can’t do this.”

“Well, you didn’t get married,” she answered calmly, almost smugly. “Meaning you don’t qualify. You should have told us the truth from the beginning instead of pretending you had a fiancé and wasting everyone’s time.”

My chest tightened, but I didn’t back down. “Don’t forget you still need my blood for your daughter. I’m the only match she has. I’m the only one who can donate to her. So why don’t you sign that paper, and I’ll give her as much blood as she needs. I can even be her personal blood bank if that’s what you want.”

The room fell silent.

The smile Clarissa had been wearing minutes ago vanished completely. Her face twisted, her expression turning sharp and venomous in an instant. I could feel the hatred rolling off her, heavy and suffocating, but I stood my ground because I meant every word.

And because she had pushed me far enough.