1: The Marriage Deal

CHAPTER ONE

Nina

The first time I was told I was going to marry Alex Sterling, I laughed.

Not because it was funny.

Because sometimes, when life becomes completely ridiculous, laughter is the only thing standing between you and a breakdown.

I remember sitting at my mother’s dining table, staring at her as though she’d just announced that we’d all be moving to the moon.

“I’m sorry,” I said slowly. “What did you just say?”

My mother wouldn’t meet my eyes.

My father did.

“You heard me.”

I looked from one parent to the other.

Then I laughed again.

“You’re joking.”

Neither of them laughed.

The room suddenly felt too quiet.

“You’re actually serious.”

My father folded his hands on the table.

“Nina, this marriage has been discussed between our families for some time.”

“Some time?”

“Yes.”

“And nobody thought to tell me?”

My mother’s voice was soft.

“We were waiting for the right moment.”

“The right moment to tell me I’m being sold?”

“Nina—”

“No.”

I pushed my chair back.

“Absolutely not.”

I stood so quickly that the chair scraped against the marble floor.

“I don’t care how much money the Sterling family has. I don’t care how important this is to the company. And I definitely don’t care what some seventy-year-old family agreement says.”

My father’s expression hardened.

“You will care.”

I stared at him.

There was something in his voice that made my anger falter.

“What does that mean?”

He didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, he slid a folder across the table.

I stared at it.

Then at him.

“What’s that?”

“The reason you don’t have a choice.”

My stomach twisted.

I slowly opened the folder.

The first page was a legal document.

The second was a financial statement.

The third—

I stopped breathing.

Sterling Holdings.

My eyes moved across the numbers.

Then back to my father.

“You can’t be serious.”

“Our company is in debt.”

I shook my head.

“No.”

“We have six months.”

“No.”

“Without the Sterling investment, we’ll lose everything.”

I closed the folder.

“And marrying their son fixes that?”

My father nodded.

“Alex agreed to the arrangement.”

I laughed bitterly.

“Of course he did.”

Because Alex Sterling always got what he wanted.

He had been that way since we were children.

Our families had known each other for years, which meant Alex and I had been forced into the same rooms, the same dinners, the same holidays.

And we had hated each other from the beginning.

He was arrogant.

Cold.

Infuriatingly calm.

And completely convinced that being born into the Sterling family made him untouchable.

I hated the way he looked at me.

Like he could see every thought I was trying to hide.

I hated the way he never lost an argument.

Most of all, I hated that he seemed to enjoy making me angry.

And now my parents wanted me to marry him.

“No.”

My father sighed.

“Nina.”

“No.”

I pushed the folder away.

“You can sell the house. Sell the cars. Sell everything. I don’t care.”

“We already have.”

That stopped me.

My father looked exhausted.

“We’ve sold almost everything we can.”

I looked at my mother.

Her eyes were wet.

Something inside me cracked.

“So this is it?”

Nobody answered.

I swallowed.

“You’ve already decided.”

My father nodded.

“The wedding is in three months.”

I stared at him.

Three months.

Ninety days.

That was all the time I had left before becoming Alex Sterling’s wife.

I left the dining room without another word.

I didn’t cry.

Not then.

I waited until I reached my bedroom, locked the door, and slid down against it.

Only then did I let the tears come.

Three months.

I was going to marry the man I hated.

And the worst part?

I hadn’t even seen him yet.

Not in three years.

Until tonight.

The Sterling mansion is exactly what I expected.

Huge.

Cold.

Impossibly beautiful.

I stand beside my mother in the entrance hall, trying not to look like I’m contemplating escape.

“Stop fidgeting,” she whispers.

“I’m thinking.”

“About?”

“Running.”

She gives me a warning look.

I almost smile.

Almost.

Then I hear footsteps.

Slow.

Measured.

Coming from the staircase.

My smile disappears.

I look up.

And there he is.

Alex.

For a second, I forget how to breathe.

He’s changed.

Older.

Broader.

More intimidating.

He’s wearing a black suit, his sleeves perfectly fitted around his arms, his dark hair slightly messy in a way that looks completely intentional.

But his eyes are exactly the same.

Cold.

Sharp.

Unforgiving.

They find mine immediately.

He stops at the bottom of the stairs.

Neither of us speaks.

Then his mouth curves into the faintest smile.

Not a kind one.

A dangerous one.

“Nina.”

Just hearing my name in his voice makes something unpleasant twist inside my chest.

I lift my chin.

“Alex.”

He walks toward me.

My mother says something beside me, but I don’t hear it.

Alex stops directly in front of me.

Close enough that I can smell his cologne.

I refuse to step back.

His eyes move over my face.

“You look exactly as I remember.”

I force a smile.

“Disappointed?”

His eyebrow lifts.

“Still difficult.”

“Still arrogant.”

“Still angry.”

“Still unbearable.”

His mouth twitches.

“Good.”

I frown.

“Good?”

He leans slightly closer.

“At least neither of us has changed.”

I stare at him.

Then he says the one thing that makes my blood run cold.

“Because we’re getting married, Nina.”

I swallow.

“I know.”

His eyes hold mine.

“And I have no intention of making this easy for you.”

I smile sweetly.

“Neither do I.”

For the first time, his expression changes.

Something flashes in his eyes.

Amusement.

Challenge.

Maybe even anticipation.

And suddenly I realize something terrifying.

This isn’t going to be a marriage.

It’s going to be a war.

And neither of us intends to lose.