LOGINGina's POV:
I stared blankly, my jaw dropped.
“Uhm! I’m the master of the house.” he said lightly, like I needn’t to ask more.
“How? And why am I supposed to be here when you are the master of the house.” Overly confused. I can’t even have a correct guess of ten percentage about what’s going on.
“You are in danger.” He said folding his arms and turned to look at the long field beside the greenhouse. “Is saving you a crime or something?”
He sounded really calm even when I’m loaded with unanswered questions. He made me even confused of where to start asking them.
I stepped closer to him, mesmerizing the field view together beside him.
“Just tell me.” I rested my back by the wall. “Who are you?”
He smacked his lips and faced me. “Since you demand an answer.” he paused. “I’ll give you one.”
“I’m Damon.” he dropped the name, floating in the warm air.
Everything stiffened.
“What?” I meant to exclaim inside, but it somehow found its way out of my throat.
“Yeah. I’m Damon.”
“So the rumors are real.” Damon was a name that went viral around the Kings sometimes. It happened that someone said the chairman had an illegitimate child named Damon. But he declined it, and avoided the rumor getting to the public.
But if he was real, and the chairman’s son. How does me being here relate to that?
“So why disguise to get me off there when you can send someone do that as a billionaire child.”
“A billionaire child?” he chuckled. “Who is hidden from the public.” he completed the sentence, and I nodded.
I then understood, the chairman decided to hide him or maybe erase his existence by enriching him and delete him off list.
“I know you’re my half-brother’s fiancé—Evan.” he broke the silence.
The part he touched made my heart pumped so fast, my stomach turning. I can’t even understand what is trying to get at.
“I know how much you love each other and all that.”
My eyes turned red. Not from rage but sadness. Remembering he was gone—that he could not be by my side anymore— hit me more than I’d expected. Especially now more than ever.
“He was supposed to be the heir to Kings which is really fine by him.” he released his folded arm. “Everyone loves him anyway.”
He is sounding more serious now, and that made my heart beats more faster. Like some great deal of crap are going to be revealed at the end of the conversation.
“And he was a good brother to me.” I was shocked by that, Evan knew about him too?
“But now!” his voice sounded like he had gotten to the main part of the conversation, so I tried to listen well—paying more attention.
“The problem is my father’s legacy.” What? Is he trying to be the heir or something?
“Jax can’t have it.”
I interrupted. I had to.
“So you’re trying to be the successor too?”
“He gave me the opportunity to shoot my shots!” he said and sat by the bench beside us. The eagerness in the conversation made my eye blind to it.
“Who?” I sat too.
“Father.” Then he raised a finger. “But with a condition.”
“And what’s that?” It was getting more interesting then.
“I should prove myself worthier than Jax.”
“And how are you going to do that exactly.”
“That start with you.”
I paused. Me? How?
Then I said it aloud. “How?”
“This is the point of the bargain.” He brought a paper from a bag beside the bench we were sitting on. And a pen too.
A contract.
“Be my wife for a year and I guarantee you safety afterwards.” He said and stood. “I’ll make the succession really fast.
“What are you saying?”
I was a bit shocked.
“See.” he stood behind me, and I looked up to him from where I was sitting. Those face I saw in the car earlier. The softness. “I really know how much you hate Jax, and I do too. Let’s just have our each victories. And it’s a win win.”
“Then… What if I refuse?” I tried weighing the probabilities.
“You ended up marrying someone you hate. And a real marriage I mean here!” My heart pounded and I hold stiffly to the bench underneath me.
He noticed it and patted me slightly, making no noise out of it.
“And I might still probably be the successor.” He sat back. “Then, I can do anything to you and your husband.”
I hate being intimidated. “What if I marry you and you failed to be the heir. Won’t Jax do the same?”
“Then you have your freedom.” He was quite right. “Jax need you just for the succession. So if you’re with me and he gained it without you. He would not need you afterwards.”
Yes! He was right. Jax needed me to impress his father and become the next chairman.
“But why do your father needed mine’s alliance anyways?” I tried asking if he could know too.
“That’s more than you can know right now.”
“I still can’t rush over this. I need to settle down and weigh the odds.” I stood.
“Uhm! You have to be here till you make your decision.” He said looking blankly at me.
“Sure.” I walked out slowly. “I think I’m safer here.”
I could hear him clapping loudly as I walked out.
A contract marriage? Things are getting more complicated and more questions kept emerging. I just can’t get my head off it.
Anyway! I have to make the best decision for myself. I can’t just follow Evan to the grave anymore — like I’ve been blabbing right after his death. Things are getting more interesting right now on earth.
I walked back to the end of the terrace and stopped by the door to the master bedroom I came out from earlier. It has changed within those few minutes. Now completely feminine, especially my taste exactly like my bedroom but with some additions of luxury.
A maid came by. Bowed. “My lady, lunch is ready.”
“Oh!” I nearly forgot I need to eat. Reminded of that made my stomach groaned— the hunger I had endured since.
“Let me pick something to wear.”
“Okay.” She walked away.
I sighed and entered.
Gina’s POV: We stepped out, and he closed the door behind us.In that moment, I felt like I breathed life back into my body. My lungs freed up after being tightened for so long.“I asked you to talk less, but you said literally nothing.” He walked forward toward the hallway.“Isn’t that better?” I said. “The results matter. It was really a win-win.”He nodded.“You’re kind of good at negotiations.” I tapped his arm, and he smiled.“Really? I’m still learning from him though. And I’m taking after him.” He didn’t look back.Evan was like that too—full of confidence and strategy.He impressed me at first sight. In college, I tried to hide my feelings. Luckily for me, he came to me himself.He said, “I think I like you,” in the middle of nowhere. We were just having normal talks with a group of students, and he said it where everyone could hear.Just like that.I was shy and embarrassed at first—like I was some girl a rich kid would ask out one day and forget tomorrow.But he proved me w
Damon’s POV:“And who is that?” My father said, his voice deep and cunning as always.He looked up closely, at Gina—not even me, like he was having a conversation with her silently. Gina trembled slightly. I tightened my grip around her and she calmed down slowly.“Good day, father,” I said simply and she bowed too—probably too terrified to speak.He didn’t release his gaze on Gina, and my heart shook —no one could imagine what he’ll do next.“Father, this bastard is really losing it, how dare he show up with someone you’ve been looking for all day?” Jax grew uncomfortable with the unrelenting decorum of the room.“Shut up!” Father said, his voice loud and firm.“But you’ve sent him out long ago.” he protested, loosening his tie, “That piece of…” he mumbled.“Shut up! Jax” he said slowly, still staring at Gina like he was doing an assessment.“How do you two end up together, son.” It was really unlike him, and I shook at the drop of the name—son? Is he letting me in already?“Um… Um..
Gina’s POV:He stopped for a second at the drop of the sentence from my mouth. His gaze narrowed straightly into mine. As if searching for the truth."I'm for real here." I said and grabbed the pen with me. I rushed down the document and signed it. "You don't need to doubt me anymore."He still couldn't say anything. "I already signed it, Damon." I said and nudged him."You did." he said slowly like something had just broken in him. His voice shaking-like it's vibrating."Then what's the problem?" I started growing tense too. "You've wanted this all along.""I'm a bit shocked." He sat on the bench behind us. "Even though all odds suggested you'll do it, I still can't imagine you actually did."I was a bit confused. He sounded like he was my only hope just some hours ago, now he's talking like I'm his savior."Anyways." he chuckled slightly. "We should hurry the wedding." "Why?" "So Jax will know he is already losing to me." he clapped, smiled and stood up again."Let's go meet fat
Gina's POV:Evening.Still later in the day.I tried to think about what benefits me most. Everything favoring me lies with the contract marriage he offered.I decided to clear my mind by a walk around the mansion. I walked out of the room quietly and a maid came by. The same one that came to inform me of lunch time.“Wait, please.” And she did.“How can I help you, ma.” She bowed, avoiding eyes contacts.“Look up.” I said, drawing her chin up slowly.“It’s against the etiquette, my lady.” She said gently returning her head to the bow, but somehow forceful. “We are to conceal our identity as much as we could do.”It was normal for most influential people abodes, but not in ours. I even had a friend among the staffs back home. “Okay.” I nodded like I understood her situation. “Just tell me your name then.” “I’m Zoe.” That was really short and unsatisfying.“Just Zoe?” “I think that’s okay to identify me. I’m the only Zoe here.”I chuckled.“Are you busy right now?” I asked friendl
Gina's POV:I stared blankly, my jaw dropped.“Uhm! I’m the master of the house.” he said lightly, like I needn’t to ask more.“How? And why am I supposed to be here when you are the master of the house.” Overly confused. I can’t even have a correct guess of ten percentage about what’s going on.“You are in danger.” He said folding his arms and turned to look at the long field beside the greenhouse. “Is saving you a crime or something?”He sounded really calm even when I’m loaded with unanswered questions. He made me even confused of where to start asking them.I stepped closer to him, mesmerizing the field view together beside him.“Just tell me.” I rested my back by the wall. “Who are you?”He smacked his lips and faced me. “Since you demand an answer.” he paused. “I’ll give you one.”“I’m Damon.” he dropped the name, floating in the warm air.Everything stiffened.“What?” I meant to exclaim inside, but it somehow found its way out of my throat.“Yeah. I’m Damon.”“So the rumors are
Gina's POV:My eyes blurred open slowly, vision still unclear.The first thing I noticed was silence. Real silence.No loud footsteps coming for me. No threatening words from my father. No muffled whispers from relatives and maids. And most of all—no Jax. No cold voice telling me my duty. No presence of the man I was supposed to marry.Just silence.Then I felt it—the softness that surrounded my body. No aches. No exhaustion. Just relief and relaxation. Beneath me, the source of that softness. I struggled lightly against the grip of the blanket wrapped tightly around me.Then I stopped.I touched the blanket again and my eyes widened, fully awake now.Silk?I gazed at the ceiling—or rather, I stared through it, my mind still catching up. It was high and white, with a delicate crystal chandelier that caught the light and scattered it into tiny rainbows across the walls."Where am I?" I whispered.I sat up, resting my back against the headboard, and turned my head slowly, studying the r







