CHAPTER 3.

Sebastian’s POV.

I sat at my desk, papers spread before me, the contract documents demanding my full attention. The office was quiet, sterile. I focused on the numbers, the agreements, the intricate web of alliances and holdings my mother had built, meticulously. And then the phone rang.

The shrill sound tore through my concentration. My adviser’s voice came over the line, tense and hesitant, carrying words that immediately made my chest tighten.

“Sebastian,” he said, voice low, urgent, “I just came from the board meeting. Your father… he’s handed over control of the company to your stepbrother and his team. It happened tonight. The announcement was just made.”

My mind froze. I stared at the papers on the desk. “He… what?” I whispered, disbelief threading through my voice. “Tonight?”

“Yes, sir,” he continued, sounding apologetic.

“He did it thinking you don't want to get married as he wanted. This was his condition for maintaining your control. The board members were all in support of his decision too.”

I pressed my palm against the desk, the sharp sound grounding me. My thoughts scattered like shards of glass, jagged with panic, anger, and disbelief.

“Who authorized the transfer?” I asked, keeping my voice level. “Which board member signed?”

He hesitated. “Your father led the vote himself. The rest followed.”

A wave of heat and cold rolled over me. My mother had spent decades building this company, investing every ounce of herself.

And now, in one motion, my father threatened to tear it apart just because of a marriage ultimatum he gave me. It wasn’t just business and control, it was betrayal—sharp and personal.

“Does he even understand what this means?” I asked. “Everything we have worked for, all the preparations and alliances… it’s in jeopardy. How could he do this? Why now?”

He cleared his throat. "Sir, I’ve heard whispers that the team already moved up to the secondary round of investment talks. They’re operating unusually fast. If you don't want to lose the company, you have to go to him right now and find a way to prove you got married. That is the only way.”

I ended the call and leaned back, fingers pressing against my forehead.

My chest felt heavy, as if the weight of the company and my mother’s legacy had settled there all at once. The city lights outside were calm, indifferent, while my world felt like it was tilting beneath me.

I gathered the papers from my desk and left the office. Each step toward the elevator felt heavier than the last. Shock had faded into a singular focus.

My father thought he had won a tactical victory; he hadn’t realized he’d just opened the gates to the enemy. If only he knew what plans my step brother has for the family empire.

*

At the estate, I passed security without a glance. My father was in the private library, sitting behind his desk, reviewing ledgers with a satisfaction that made bile rise in my throat.

“You’ve made a mistake,” I said, voice calm but cutting, filling the quiet with authority.

He looked up slowly, eyes steady but guarded. “I made a necessary decision. You missed the deadline. You refused responsibility. Your step brother and his chosen team showed initiative. With him already having married as expected of him, he is ready to lead.”

“What initiative? The initiative of selling us out,” I said flatly.

My voice dropped, deadly quiet. "This isn’t about any responsibility, father. This is a hostile takeover. And you didn’t just appoint an heir, you handed the keys to a silent investor ready to strip the company within a week. Do you know what he has been involved in behind the back? He has been dining with Rivals, ready to sell the empire to them the moment he takes full control.”

He slammed his palm on the ledger, face flushed. "That is slander, Sebastian. He would never do such a thing. You’ve always been jealous of your brother’s easy approach to people! Do not insult me by suggesting I’m too senile to know what I voted for."

He paused, breath ragged, before forcing a cold, calculating look back. "If you want your place back as the heir then do what I asked of you. You want to save the company? Get married."

“Until you do so, I could consider handing you the affairs of the company again.”

“And who told you that I haven’t married?” I countered, the lie steady and cold on my tongue.

He laughed, sharp and humorless. “Stop the charade, Sebastian. If you had married, I would have heard about it. Do you expect me to believe you found a wife and married her in secret, tonight, after months of refusing the idea?”

I met his gaze, letting the silence stretch. “Believe what you choose. I was already planning to bring my wife to the estate tonight to introduce her. The papers are signed.”

He leaned back, expression cold, calculating. “Prove it,” he challenged, voice dangerously low.

“The decision is already registered with the board secretary. I will not undo a takeover on a baseless claim. If you have a wife, bring her to dinner tonight. If she is genuine, if the marriage is legal, I will call an emergency review. Fail to present her, and you walk away with nothing.”

I nodded once, sharp and decisive. “Tonight at eight. Prepare the necessary papers for the review.”

I left the estate and pulled onto the quiet road. This was no longer a negotiation. My step-brother wasn’t trying to lead the company; he was planning to dismantle it for a hidden alliance. I wouldn’t let him destroy what Mother fought for.

I picked up my phone and dialed Mr. Reed. I was done with the excuses, done with delays since agreeing to marry his daughter for the sake of our business deal.

“Mr. Reed,” I said, voice flat. “The timeline has changed. I need your daughter at my estate this evening at four.”

There was a pause. “This evening? Mr. Knight, we agreed the meeting would—”

“I don’t care what we agreed,” I interrupted, voice steel. “Your company needs my capital, and I need this marriage to hold my position. The deal stands, but the schedule does not. She will arrive this evening to review the prenuptial documents. Registration will also take place this evening.”

He was silent for a long moment. I could hear his breath catch.

“Fail to deliver her,” I said quietly, “and the partnership ends tonight. I will see to it that your company collapses without warning. Do you understand me?”

I ended the call without waiting for a response and set the phone on the passenger seat.

The war had begun, and losing was not an option.