Chapter 2

Jason showed no mercy to the men. Cole had ignored him, thinking he wasn't on his level, and so he had left his minions to do the job for him. 

And that left Jason feeling disrespected. It was clear that Cole didn't see him as a worthy opponent. He probably saw him as nothing more than a street-level punk that a few goons could handle.

Did he really think Jason was some average fighter who could be taken down by lackeys? If so, he had severely miscalculated.

Effortlessly defeating the lackeys was his way of sending a message to Cole.

Jason walked out of the bar, leaving the unconscious guys sprawled out on the bar's floor. 

Walking into the city, he reached for his coat pocket and took out a piece of paper. 

It was a contract. But not just any contract, a marriage contract that his master had arranged a long time ago to settle an old debt.

Jason had come to this city on a mission for the eclipse syndicate, sent to retrieve something important. But before he left, his master had informed him of something. 

In addition to completing his task, he had another responsibility, one that had nothing to do with his usual line of work.

His master had called in an old debt. Years ago, he'd loaned money to a man whose business was on the verge of collapse. Thanks to that loan, the man’s company not only survived  it thrived.

In return, the man, Alaric smith had promised his granddaughter’s hand in marriage to his master’s apprentice. It wasn’t just about settling the debt,  it was about forging a deeper connection between them.

Jason had been astonished when he first heard his master's words. He’d tried to reject it, throwing out every excuse he could think of. 

But of course, his master had insisted. Jason could still hear the old man's voice in his head:

 ‘You’ve spent enough time running around, living like a stray dog. It’s time you settled down, Lucan. Stop fooling around and get married.’ Those were his exact words.

Jason had gritted his teeth at the time, but arguing with his master was pointless. The old man had made up his mind. 

Plus, this was the first time his master had ever asked something from him, and Jason couldn't let him down, especially when the old man had done so much for him, and was like the parent he never had. 

And so it was decided, he had a fiancee now: Vanessa Smith. A woman he had never met, yet was expected to marry. 

Though they had never crossed paths, Jason had started doing some research into her and her family, trying to understand who she was. From what he gathered, Vanessa was a major figure in the business world, well-known for her role in Smith Royale, the family corporation.

Jason put the contract away and moved on.

Later on, Jason arrived at smith royale. He stepped into the office building, hands in his pockets and he took his time scanning the pristine interior.

He couldn’t help but nod slightly in admiration. Everything about the place screamed wealth and power.

“So, this is where my future wife works?” he muttered in intrigue.

According to his master, Vanessa Smith came from an extremely wealthy family, so he wasn’t too surprised. Still, seeing it in person made things feel a little more… real.

Thinking about her, he wondered what she looked like? What was her personality like? Hopefully she wasn't a spoiled rich girl.

Would she accept him as her husband, or was she going to fight against this arrangement?

Jason smirked to himself. Guess he would find out soon enough.

Not wasting any more time, Jason made his way to the front desk, stopping just as the receptionist, a well dressed woman in her mid-thirties, finished typing something on her computer. 

She didn’t look up at him, although he could tell that she saw him walk up to the desk.

Jason waited for a few seconds waiting for her to notice him, but she didn't. Or rather she did, but was too arrogant and thought someone like him was not worth her time. 

The way Jason was dressed, he looked like a casual passerby, so she immediately assumed he was not worth her time.

Attempting to get her attention, he tapped his fingers lightly against the counter.

“Morning,” he said. “I’m here to see Vanessa Smith.”

 Finally looking up from her computer, the receptionist gave him a polite, rehearsed smile. “Do you have an appointment?”

 “Nope.”

Her smile immediately was replaced by a scrutinizing look. “Then I’m afraid Miss Smith does not take walk-ins. You can schedule a meeting through the appropriate channels.”

Nodding in understanding, Jason said, “I doubt this falls under appropriate channels. It’s personal.”

That made her pause. She frowned slightly, her gaze scanning him, as if reevaluating whether he was worth another second of her time.

“Personal?” She repeated his words. “What kind of personal?”

With no hesitation, Jason said,“The kind where she might want to clear her schedule.”

Her frown intensified as she studied him even more, and now there was a hint of suspicion in her eyes,“Sir, if you’re here to sell something…. ”

Interrupting her mid sentence, Jason frowned slightly and said, “Not selling anything.” 

 “....or if you’re here with some personal grievance against Ms Smith….”

 Jason let out a  sigh,“No, nothing like that.”

“Then what?”

Jason met her gaze and smiled. “You could say, I'm her future husband.”

 Silence took over for a few seconds. Clearly, she did not expect Jason to say something like that.

Then, the receptionist blinked. She was stunned by that statement! Vanessa Smith's future husband he said?

 And then, she let out a short disbelieving laugh. “I’m sorry, what?”

 “You heard me.” Jason answered her casually.

 Staring at him for a second, she let out another short laugh. This was a joke right? She had seen men try different things to get a meeting with Vanessa Smith, but this was a new one. 

"That's a good one. But I don’t have time for pranks, so maybe you should leave?"

Feeling exasperated, Jason said,,“I’m not joking.”

 The receptionist scoffed. And the she icily said, “Sir, Miss Smith, doesn’t have time for nonsense.”

With an audible exhale, Jason said, “Well, that’s unfortunate. Because this isn’t nonsense.”

 The receptionist’s amusement faded, replaced with barely hidden irritation. “Look, I don’t know who put you up to this, but Miss Smith doesn’t have a ‘future husband.’ And even if she did, it sure as hell wouldn’t be you.”

At this point, she was done indulging whatever delusion this man was clinging to. He wasn’t just wasting her time, he was an embarrassment to himself. 

Claiming he was the future husband of Vanessa Smith? Seriously? Whatever he was smoking, he needed to stop it, because it was not helping him at all.

Her eyes scanned over him with open judgment. She thought he was probably some desperate loser who thought he could pull off a cheap stunt to meet her boss. Or worse, one of those obsessive weirdos who had a habit of stalking successful women, thinking they stood a chance.

Sure, Miss Smith had plenty of admirers. But none this pathetic.

She was already thinking about calling security to drag this one out.