6

Madeline swallowed hard, her face pale. 

A contract marriage?

She still couldn’t believe Nathaniel could say something like that.

“Impossible!” Madeline finally shouted. She tried to pull her hand away from Nathaniel’s grasp. “I will never marry a man like you!”

Nathaniel only looked at her coldly, as if completely unaffected.

 “A man like me?” he repeated in a low, pressing tone. “Then what? You’d rather go back to the man who betrayed you? Or live with a father who never trusted you?”

His words cut deep, leaving Madeline speechless.

“I don’t need your pity!” Madeline shot back, her voice trembling. “I can survive on my own!”

Nathaniel’s lips curved into a faint smile, as though he had expected her answer. Slowly, he released her hand.

 “You’re stubborn, Madeline Brooks.” His voice was low, but carried authority. “But think carefully. I never offer something twice.”

Madeline lowered her gaze, took a deep breath, then hurriedly stormed out of the room. The door slammed shut behind her.

Nathaniel stared at the door that had just closed, his expression calm though his eyes gleamed with something mysterious.

 “Just wait,” he murmured softly. “You’ll come to me on your own.”

Madeline walked quickly out of the ARS building, breathing heavily. Her heart was in chaos.

Why did everything have to be this complicated? Ethan had betrayed her. Her father had cast her aside. And now, Nathaniel Ethan’s own uncle was offering a contract marriage?!

Had her life really lost all its worth, reduced to nothing but a cruel game?

Madeline wiped at her eyes, which burned with unshed tears. She mustn’t cry in public. She had to be strong.

But her steps froze when a black car stopped right in front of her. The window rolled down slowly.

Inside, Thomas looked at her with a calm expression. “Miss Brooks,” he said politely. “Mr. Nathaniel has asked me to drive you home.”

Madeline glared at him. “No need. I can go home by myself.”

Thomas didn’t argue. He simply nodded. “Very well. But if you ever need help, don’t hesitate to reach out.”

The car pulled away, leaving Madeline standing stiffly in front of the grand ARS Company building.

She stared at the job application still clenched in her hand. Slowly, she crushed it until the paper was nothing but a crumpled mess.

 “No!” she whispered. “I’ll find my own path. Without anyone’s help.”

Madeline walked down the sidewalk, letting the cold evening wind slap against her face. Her pace was brisk, almost as if she were running from Nathaniel’s shadow that clung to her thoughts. She kept her head down, clutching her bag tightly, trying to contain the storm in her chest.

Her mind spun wildly. Nathaniel’s words echoed over and over: “I never offer something twice.” The sentence weighed on her, making it harder to breathe.

“Do I look that weak, that he thinks he can propose a contract marriage like I have no other choice?” Madeline muttered bitterly.

Her steps halted in front of a small café on the corner of the street. The scent of coffee and toasted bread drifted out as the door opened, greeting some customers who were just leaving. Madeline stared at the café sign for a moment before finally stepping inside. She needed a quiet place to think.

Warmth wrapped around her. Dim golden lights, soft jazz music, and the muffled conversations of patrons gave her a brief sense of peace. She chose a corner table, placed her bag on the chair, and sat down heavily.

A waiter approached. “What would you like to order, Miss?”

 “Hot cappuccino and cheese bread,” Madeline replied quickly, trying to sound normal.

After the waiter left, Madeline lowered her gaze and unlocked her phone. Dozens of unread messages from Ethan filled the screen. Her heart pounded every time she saw his name. With firm resolve, she deleted them all without opening a single one.

“Enough,” she whispered. “I won’t be trapped again.”

There were also messages from her father. Short, cold, filled with accusations: You’ve shamed this family. Madeline bit her lower lip until it almost bled. The physical sting was a small relief compared to the deeper pain inside.

Soon, her cappuccino and warm cheese bread arrived. Madeline blew on the surface of the drink and took a slow sip. The heat spread through her body, easing the trembling she hadn’t been able to control earlier.

But the calm didn’t last. Through the glass window, she saw the silhouette of a black car she knew all too well. Thomas’s car. She froze, eyes widening. The car didn’t stop, only rolled past slowly, as if to confirm her location.

A surge of anger and fear rose in her chest. “Is he watching me?” she muttered anxiously. Her hand shook around the cup. She knew Nathaniel was no ordinary man. Every move of his was calculated, every intention concealed.

She closed her eyes, drawing a deep breath. I can’t falter. I have to prove I can stand on my own.

Time passed. Dusk deepened, the sky slowly turning crimson as night crept in. Madeline stood, paid her bill, and left the café. The air had grown colder, the streetlights flickering on one by one.

She hugged her own body as she walked toward the bus stop. Even though her tiny rented house was far from the city center, she was determined to get there without looking back.

Inside her heart, Madeline made a vow, tonight would be a beginning. She would never again let Nathaniel, Ethan, or her father decide her path.

Yet, deep down, she couldn’t shake another feeling, a foreboding sense that Nathaniel’s offer wasn’t just an empty threat. And sooner or later, she might be forced to face that choice.

***

That night, Madeline lay in her uncle Haris’s guest room. She stared at the dark sky, her eyes swollen from holding back tears for too long.

 The image of Nathaniel’s face returned to her mind, his cold gaze, his low voice, and that humiliating offer of a contract marriage.

“Does he think I’m someone who can just be bought?” she whispered, clutching the bed sheet tightly.

But in her heart, another voice whispered.

 “If you marry him, you can take revenge on Ethan. If you marry him you can stand tall again, not be discarded like now.”

Madeline squeezed her eyes shut.

 “No!” she cried out. “I won’t sell myself just for revenge. I won’t!” And yet, her heart wavered.

She turned her body away from the window. The thin curtain swayed with the night breeze slipping through the cracks. The sound of crickets outside mixed with the faint creak of the old ceiling fan. But none of it could soothe her restless mind.

She covered her face with both hands, trying to stop the tears that kept leaking out.

 “Why do

I have to face all of this alone?” she whispered hoarsely.