chapter 4

Chapter Four: The Contract

Elena remained standing beside the table, staring at the marriage contract as if the words printed across its pages belonged to someone else's life. She had expected threats, questions, perhaps even a demand for information about her father, but she had never imagined that Damian Moretti would place a marriage proposal in front of her as though it were the most reasonable solution to everything that had happened.

She slowly picked up the contract and began reading.

The agreement was surprisingly detailed. Their marriage would last exactly one year, during which Elena would live in Damian's residence and appear beside him at official events whenever necessary. In return, Damian would provide complete protection and use every resource at his disposal to find her father and uncover the people responsible for the attack on her home.

There was one clause, however, that made her stop.

Neither party would have the right to interfere in the private life of the other.

Elena looked up.

"That means you won't ask questions about my personal life?"

"It means we both have boundaries."

"And what about feelings?"

Damian's expression didn't change.

"There won't be any."

The certainty in his voice irritated her more than she wanted to admit.

"You seem very confident about that."

"I am."

She placed the contract back on the table.

"You make this sound easy."

"It is."

"For you, maybe."

Damian leaned against the edge of the desk, watching her carefully.

"You're thinking about your father."

Elena's expression softened immediately.

"Of course I am."

"Then think about what happens if you walk away from this."

She looked at him silently.

"You will leave this house without protection. You don't know who attacked your father, why they were looking for you, or who inside your father's circle may have betrayed him. You won't know which person to trust when you walk outside."

His voice remained calm, but every word carried the weight of reality.

"You could spend weeks searching for answers and never get close to the truth."

"And if I marry you?"

"I'll put my people on the investigation."

"You'll find my father?"

"I'll find out what happened to him."

Elena studied his face, searching for the hidden motive behind his offer.

"Why do you care?"

Damian's eyes remained fixed on hers.

"I don't."

She frowned.

"Then why are you doing this?"

For the first time, something unreadable passed through his expression.

"Because your father once did something for my family."

"What did he do?"

"That's not something you need to know yet."

Her frustration returned.

"You keep saying that."

"Because you're not ready for the answer."

Elena crossed her arms.

"You don't get to decide what I'm ready to hear."

A faint smile appeared on Damian's lips.

"You're right."

He walked around the table and stopped directly in front of her.

"That's why I'm giving you a choice."

He pointed toward the contract.

"Sign it, and I'll protect you."

His gaze moved toward the door.

"Or leave, and I'll have someone drive you wherever you want to go."

Elena stared at him.

"You would really let me leave?"

"Yes."

There was no hesitation in his answer.

For some reason, that made her trust him slightly more.

She looked down at the contract again and imagined what would happen if she walked away. She would have no money, no information, and no idea whether the people who had attacked her home were still watching her. Most importantly, she had no idea where her father was.

Her fingers tightened around the pen.

"One year?"

"One year."

"No real marriage?"

Damian's gaze darkened slightly.

"Only in public."

"And no feelings?"

"That is the rule."

Elena took a slow breath before signing her name.

The moment the ink touched the paper, something inside her told her that she had just crossed a line she could never uncross.

Damian picked up the contract and looked at her signature.

Then he looked at her.

"Congratulations, Mrs. Moretti."

Elena's heart skipped at the unfamiliar title.

She immediately regretted showing any reaction.

But Damian noticed.

Of course he did.

His eyes lingered on her face for a moment longer than necessary before he quietly said,

"Your new life starts tonight."

Elena swallowed.

She had entered the marriage to save herself.

She just didn't know yet that Damian Moretti had his own reasons for making her his wife.

And those reasons had nothing to do with protection.