SOLD TO HIM

CHAPTER 2

Under the icy, suffocating weight of his gaze, my throat seized. The crumpled paper lay between us like a bomb, and as Kade stood over me waiting for an answer, my mind flashed back to the last forty eight hours, when my actual nightmare started.

It was a morning that had started like any other, with a family that saw me as nothing more than a rock, a literal rock.

It was dark in the morning— as usual— when I woke up.

My life had a pattern, wake up by 4 AM, prepare breakfast for my rich family, who could employ a million chefs, but choose not to because, why would there? when their daughter can do all that.

I was used to it, enjoyed it even. It had become part of me now.

By six o’clock, the table was set like a buffet. I stood back, hands folded, waiting for them to wake up and head down as usual.

Mother was the first to appear, gliding in wearing a champagne silk robe that shimmered under the chandelier light. 

She paused at her plate, then looked at me with that familiar critical tilt of her head. “Rory, darling, you look exhausted again. Those dark circles… really. Try smiling a little. You have such a dependable face, but no one wants to look at someone who seems so… tired all the time.”

I forced a small smile. “Good morning, Mother.”

Father entered next, newspaper already in hand, and dropped into his chair without a word. He only glanced up when Bella’s musical voice floated down the stairs.

Bella, my younger sister, descended like a princess, her golden hair cascading over one shoulder, wearing a soft pink pajama set that hugged her figure beautifully.

At twenty-two, she was radiant, glowing in a way that made the whole room gravitate toward her. Father lowered his newspaper, his face softening in a way it never did for me. Mother clapped her hands together with genuine delight.

“There’s my beautiful girl!” She sang. “Come sit right here, sweetheart. Rory, pour your sister some fresh orange juice. And make sure it’s chilled properly this time.”

I obeyed on autopilot, pouring the juice with steady hands even as the familiar ache bloomed in my chest. 

This was our ritual. I was twenty-four, two years older than Bella, but in this house, I had always been the invisible daughter. The discarded one.

I remembere my tenth birthday. I had asked for a simple cake and a new sketchbook. Instead, the day passed with barely a happy birthday thrown my way. while Bella, whose birthday was months away, received a surprise pony because she’d “had a hard week at school.” When I pointed it out quietly, Mother had sighed. “Don’t be selfish, Aurora. Bella is our sunshine. You’re our rock. Rocks don’t need presents.”

Ha!

I pushed the memory away as I served Bella. She flashed me a sweet sickly smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Thank you, Rory. You’re the best big sister.” I could hear the sarcasm dripping from her tone.

That morning continued in its usual rhythm. Bella chattering about a new dress she wanted, Father nodding indulgently and Mother planning her social events. I cleared plates, refilled coffee, and stayed mostly silent. No one asked about the online courses I’d been taking in business and design late at night, or the small savings I hid away like precious secrets. Those things didn’t matter in the Hale household.

It wasn’t until later that day that calamity struck. The doorbell rang and I opened the door to two men in dark suits. They were lawyers from father's company.

"Hello." One of them had greeted politely. "I'm here to meet Mr Hale. He's expecting us."

They spoke like they didn't know I was his child and I didn't feel like telling them. Father wouldn't like it if I did, I was too... unpresentable.

I welcomed them and ushered them into the living room. When Father saw them and the intensity on their faces, he motioned them into his study. Mother followed behind them quietly and Bella went up to her room. I was left alone wondering why the men looked like they came bearing bad news. Apparently, they had.

After a few hours, the Men came out of father's study and walked out briskly without sparing me a glance. I was about continuing my chores when Father's voice cut through the house.

“Girls. Both of you. In my study. Now.”

My heart beat fast as I walked into his study. Bella came in seconds later, her lips in a pout because daddy dearest used a cold tone to call her. She looked effortlessly worried, biting her lip in that pretty way that always won sympathy. She stood a little behind me, hands clasped tightly.

Father sat on his desk chair, his face pale and etched with lines I hadn’t noticed before. 

“Hale Enterprises is on the brink of collapse,” he said without preamble. “The bank is calling in the loans. Bad investments, mounting debts… we have perhaps two weeks before everything we’ve built, our home, our reputation, our entire future, disappears.”

Mother clutched the pearls on her neck instinctively, her voice trembling. “But we have a way to fix it."

She looked between us before continuing. "The Lannister alliance. Remember? The Lannisters had shown serious interest in marrying Bella to their Son, Kade. The merger would inject the capital we need and save us all.”

The name sent a chill down my spine.

 I had heard the rumors about Kade Lannister. He was a thirty years old, devastatingly handsome, heir to a ruthless business empire that swallowed smaller companies whole. Words associated with him were Cold. Unyielding. Ruthless and dangerous.

Bella’s eyes widened theatrically, and she clasped her hands to her chest. “But Daddy… you said we could talk about it when I'm older! I'm too young to get tied up to a man already! I haven't explored the world yet daddy." She was practically wailing now.

I had felt genuine sympathy for her. It wasn't right that Father was marrying her off for the sake of his company. And she was indeed too young. If I had known…

Father’s gaze slid slowly from Bella to me. Mother’s too. The shift in the room was suffocating, like the air had been sucked out.

“That’s why your sister will go in your place.”

The words dropped like stones into still water.

I stared at them, certain I had misheard. “I’m sorry… what?”

Mother stepped forward, placing a hand on my arm. Her touch felt more like restraint than comfort. “Aurora, you’ve always been the stronger one. The practical one. Bella is too young, too delicate for a man like Kade Lannister. You understand duty and sacrifice. This marriage will secure our family’s future. If you refuse, we lose everything. The house, the company, your sister’s future… Do you really want to be responsible for destroying us all?”

Bella burst into delicate tears, dabbing at her eyes with a silk handkerchief. “Rory, please… I never wanted any of this. But if you do this for us, I’ll be forever grateful. You’re such a good sister. The best.”

My hands trembled at my sides. Heat rose in my throat. “This was never my arrangement. I wasn’t even consulted. You can’t just decide this for me like I’m… like I’m nothing.”

Father’s voice was final. “We already have. The Lannisters expect a Hale bride tomorrow morning. And you, Aurora, will be that bride. There is no discussion.”

"But he wanted Bella!" I cried, "How do you explain me to him and his family?". I was looking for any way out of it.

"We'll handle that" Mother said with no further clarification. It was like they'd already planned it out and just gave me the courtesy of knowing beforehand.

The room spun. Mother and Father kept on drilling the importance of the marriage alliance, Bella kept on fake sobbing and thanking me, but I zoned out as I stood there, feeling smaller than I ever had.

When they finally dismissed us, I walked upstairs in a daze. I closed the door to my cramped room and sank onto the bed, my chest heaving with silent sobs. Years of being overlooked, criticized, and set aside crashed over me. They were throwing me to a stranger to save themselves, and they didn’t even hesitate. Didn't think about how it made me feel.

For the first time in my life, a quiet fire ignited in my chest.

No! I would not let them do this. Not without a fight.

For years, I had been the family rock- silent, immovable, and stepped on. But tonight, they didn't just step on me, they tried to bury me alive. If I was to be sacrificed to Kade Lannister, I would not go as a lamb to the slaughter. I grabbed a small duffel bag. I had some savings. my online design certificates, and. my dignity. If they wanted a bride, they would have to find me first.

Unfortunately, they found me.