CHAPTER 10

ZENDAYA'S POV

We sat in Adrian's living room, the silence so thick I could barely breathe.

Adrian paced back and forth in front of the fireplace, his hands running through his hair repeatedly. Malachi sat on the couch across from me, his expression unreadable. And I sat in my wheelchair, my mind still reeling from what had just happened.

Five days. Five days until I was supposed to marry Malachi Hayes.

"Okay," Adrian finally said, stopping his pacing. "I know that was... unexpected. But I had to think fast. That reporter was about to destroy everything."

"Five days, Adrian?" I asked, my voice shaking. "You told them we're getting married in five days?"

"I panicked," Adrian admitted. "If I'd said three months like the board wanted, it would have given people time to investigate, to dig into your relationship history, to find proof that you're lying. But five days? There's no time for that. You get married quickly, prove the engagement is real, and move on."

"I don't have a problem with it," Malachi said calmly.

Both Adrian and I turned to stare at him.

"You don't?" I asked incredulously.

"No," Malachi replied, leaning back against the couch. "Adrian's right. The faster we do this, the less time people have to question it. Five days works for me."

"Well, it doesn't work for me," I said, my voice rising. "I'm not ready for this. I'm not ready to get married in five days."

"Zendaya—" Adrian started.

"No," I interrupted. "I know what you're going to say. That it's for the company, that it's necessary, that I need to do this. But I can't. I can't marry Malachi in five days. I need more time."

"Time for what?" Adrian asked, frustration creeping into his voice.

Time to protect my heart. Time to build walls high enough that Malachi couldn't break through them. Time to convince myself that this was just business and nothing more.

Because if I married Malachi in five days, if we started living together, playing house, pretending to be in love—I'd never be able to fall out of love with him. I'd never be able to protect myself from the inevitable heartbreak when this all ended.

I couldn't survive losing someone again. Not after Derek. Not after everything.

"I just need more time," I said weakly.

"We don't have more time," Adrian replied. "I just announced it to the entire world. The press is already running stories about the wedding. We can't back out now."

"Then you shouldn't have announced it without asking me first!" I snapped.

"I was trying to protect you!" Adrian shot back. "That reporter was seconds away from exposing the engagement as fake. I had to do something."

"So you committed me to a wedding in five days?"

"Yes!" Adrian's voice rose. "Because that's what needed to happen, Zendaya. Because sometimes we don't get to choose the timing or the circumstances. We have to deal with what's in front of us."

"I'm not marrying him in five days," I said firmly. "I won't do it."

Adrian's jaw clenched. "This isn't up for debate."

"Yes, it is," I argued. "It's my life. My decision. And I'm telling you I need more time."

"And I'm telling you we don't have it," Adrian said, his voice getting louder. "Victor is already planning his next move. I know he is. He's going to try to find proof that your engagement is fake, and if he does, he'll take everything from you. The only way to stop him is to get married now. To make it real before he has a chance to destroy you."

"So I'm supposed to just sacrifice myself?" I asked. "Just marry someone I barely—" I stopped myself before I said too much.

"Someone you barely what?" Adrian challenged. "Barely know? You've known Malachi your entire life. Barely tolerate? You're adults. You can be civil for a year."

If only it were that simple.

"I'm not ready," I repeated, softer this time. "Please, Adrian. Just give me a few more weeks. A month. Something."

"No," Adrian said flatly.

I stared at my brother in shock. He'd never said no to me like that before. Never been so inflexible, so unwilling to compromise.

"Adrian—"

"I said no, Zendaya." His voice was rising again, frustration and fear making it sharp. "For once in your life, stop being so selfish and think about what's at stake here!"

The word hit me like a physical blow. Selfish.

"I'm not being selfish—"

"Yes, you are!" Adrian yelled. And it was the first time in my entire life I'd heard my brother yell at me like that. "You gave up the CEO position for Derek. You made me put my life on hold for three years so you could focus on a relationship with a man who never loved you. And now that you have a chance to take back what's yours, to finally step up and be the leader you were meant to be, you're hesitating because you're scared."

Tears stung my eyes. "That's not fair—"

"It's completely fair!" Adrian continued, his hands gesturing wildly. "Malachi is offering you a way out. A way to keep your position and prove yourself. All you have to do is marry him for a year. One year, Zendaya. And you can't even do that without complaining about needing more time."

"Adrian, please—"

"No," Adrian cut me off. "I'm done listening to excuses. You're getting married in five days whether you like it or not. That's final."

And then he stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him so hard the walls shook.

The silence that followed was deafening.

I sat frozen in my wheelchair, tears streaming down my face. I'd never seen Adrian that angry. Never heard him yell at me like that. Never been called selfish by the one person who was supposed to understand me.

But he was right, wasn't he? I was being selfish. Thinking only about protecting my own heart when so much more was at stake.

"Why do you hate me so much?"

Malachi's voice startled me. I'd almost forgotten he was still in the room.

I looked at him through my tears. "What?"

"Why do you hate me so much?" Malachi repeated, his voice hard with anger. "What did I do to make you despise the idea of marrying me this much? Is the thought of being my wife really that repulsive to you?"

"That's not—"

"Because from where I'm sitting," Malachi interrupted, standing up, "it looks like you'd rather lose everything than spend a year married to me. And I'm trying to figure out what I did to deserve that level of hatred."

"I don't hate you," I said weakly.

"Could have fooled me," Malachi replied bitterly. "You can't even stand to be in the same room as me for more than five minutes. You flinch every time I get too close. You pushed me away after we kissed and told me it was a mistake. And now you're acting like marrying me is the worst possible fate you can imagine."

He started walking toward the door, his shoulders rigid with anger and hurt.

"So congratulations, Zendaya. You've made your feelings perfectly clear. I'll marry you in five days because it's what needs to happen. But don't worry—I'll make sure to stay as far away from you as possible. Wouldn't want to make you any more miserable than you already are."

He reached for the door handle.

And something inside me snapped.

"Malachi, wait!" I called out, standing on my feet so I could reach him.  "Come back!"

I didn't realize what I'd done until I was already standing.

Standing. Without my wheelchair. Without support. Just standing on my own two legs for the first time in front of Malachi.

Malachi turned around.

And froze.

His eyes went wide, his mouth falling open slightly as he stared at me. At my legs. At the fact that I was standing.

"Zendaya," he breathed. "You're—you're standing."