Chapter 2: The Dark Agreement

Sienna stared at the document Ezekiel Vance held out to her. The bold letters Marriage Contract sat at the top of the crisp paper, while the rain crashing against the hallway window mirrored the frantic beating of her heart.

​"Why me, Mr. Vance?" Sienna asked, her voice steadying as she wiped the final tear from her cheek. "There are countless socialites and wealthy heiresses in this city who could offer you immense corporate backing."

​"Because none of them possess your wrath," Ezekiel replied directly, his silver-gray eyes unreadable. "I don't need a wife who will chase my affection. I need a woman with every reason to stand beside me and fight while I handle internal conflicts within the Vance Empire."

​Sienna slowly rose from the cold floor, straightening her clothes and taking a deep breath.

​"One year," Sienna confirmed, her eyes flashing with determination. "You give me the influence and power to destroy Tristan and Chloe, and after three hundred and sixty-five days, we walk away completely clean?"

​"One year," Ezekiel repeated, extending his hand. "No real romantic attachment, no interference in each other's personal lives. But before the media and my family... you will be the undisputed Mrs. Vance."

​Sienna looked at his long, powerful fingers. She knew stepping into the world of the country's most formidable billionaire meant entering a lion's den. Yet, as the memories of Tristan's cold betrayal and her brother's stolen life rushed back, fear evaporated completely.

​She reached out and gripped Ezekiel’s hand firmly. "Deal."

​A faint, dangerous smirk curved the edge of Ezekiel’s lips. Without wasting a second, he signaled his personal assistant from down the corridor to retrieve her belongings and secure them in his vehicle.

​"Where are we going?" Sienna asked as they settled into the back of his sleek, armored Maybach sedan.

​"To my office," Ezekiel answered calmly, opening his tablet. "By tomorrow morning, I will freeze Tristan's corporate assets using the weight of the Vance Empire. But first, you sign the legal documents in front of my attorney."

​Upon arriving at the top floor of Vance Tower, the contract was finalized. Sienna didn't hesitate for a second—she signed her name in sharp, fluid strokes across the bottom line.

​However, before she could even take a breath of relief, the heavy double doors of the office burst open.

​BANG!

​An elderly man in a bespoke suit marched in, leaning heavily on a gold-headed cane, flanked by four armed bodyguards. The temperature in the room plummeted under his overwhelming presence—it was Don Gustavo Vance, the terrifying patriarch of the Vance family and Ezekiel's grandfather.

​"Ezekiel!" the old man thundered, his cane striking the marble floor. "I hear you entered into an unauthorized marriage behind my back! Who is this penniless stray?!"

​Ezekiel stepped smoothly in front of Sienna, shielding her completely from his grandfather's lethal glare.

​"She is my wife, Grandfather," Ezekiel stated, his voice flat, emotionless, and absolute. "And there is nothing you can do to change it."

​Don Gustavo let out a harsh, mocking laugh, raising his cane to point directly at Sienna. "Do you think I don't know who she is? She’s the exiled daughter of the Javier family! Ezekiel, if you insist on keeping this worthless girl, I will strip half of your voting shares in the Vance Empire by midnight!"

​Sienna’s breath caught in her throat. The contract she thought was her key to vengeance had plunged her straight into the heart of a deadly civil war for the ultimate throne.