Chapter 1: The Monster in the Wheelchair

 

The thunderstorm raging outside Sterling Manor matched the chaos in Harper’s heart.

Standing in the massive, dimly lit foyer, her cheap sneakers squeaked against the polished black marble floor. She clutched the strap of her worn-out backpack, her knuckles turning white. She felt small—like a sacrificial lamb thrown into a lion's den.

Today was supposed to be her sister, Clara’s, wedding day. But Clara had run away. And Harper? Harper was the replacement. The collateral.

"Don't expect him to be gentle," the elderly butler had sneered before leaving her alone in the cold hall. "Master Sebastian has a... temper."

Harper took a deep breath, trying to steady her trembling hands. You have to do this, she told herself. For Dad. For the five-million-dollar debt.

Suddenly, a loud crash echoed from the drawing room to her left.

SMASH!

It sounded like expensive porcelain shattering against a wall. Harper flinched, her breath hitching in her throat. Then came a woman's shrill, mocking voice.

"Look at you, Sebastian! Do you really think I’d still marry you? Look at your legs! You’re a cripple!"

Harper froze. She recognized that voice. It wasn't her sister... it was Elena, the woman Sebastian thought he loved before the accident. The woman who had sworn to stay by his side.

Driven by a mix of fear and curiosity, Harper stepped toward the slightly ajar heavy oak doors.

Through the crack, she saw a beautiful woman in a tight red dress pointing a manicured finger at a figure sitting in the shadows.

"I’m doing you a favor," Elena laughed cruelly, tossing a diamond engagement ring onto the floor. It spun noisily before settling near the man's feet. "No woman wants a monster. You’re useless in bed, useless in business, and frankly... that mask makes me sick."

The man in the wheelchair didn't scream. He didn't rage. He just sat there, his hands gripping the armrests so tightly that the leather creaked. The silence radiating from him was more terrifying than any shout.

"Get. Out."

His voice was a low growl, vibrating with suppressed fury, like thunder rolling in the distance.

"Gladly! Enjoy rotting in this tomb!"

Elena turned and stormed out, kicking the door wide open. She almost collided with Harper, who was standing there, pale and wide-eyed.

Elena sneered, looking Harper up and down with disdain. "Oh? Are you the new nurse? Or the new plaything? Good luck. He bites."

She clicked away in her high heels, the sound fading into the distance.

Now, it was just Harper and the "monster."

Harper swallowed hard. Every instinct in her body screamed at her to run. To flee into the rain and never look back. But the image of her father being threatened by loan sharks flashed in her mind.

She had no choice.

She took a shaky step into the room.

The air inside was suffocating, smelling of stale alcohol and bitter medicine. The heavy velvet curtains were drawn tight, blocking out all light. The man sat with his back to her, facing the unlit fireplace.

"I told you to leave, Elena," he rasped, his voice dripping with ice. "Or do you want me to have security throw you out?"

"I'm not Elena," Harper whispered.

Her voice shook, but she forced herself to speak clearly.

The high-tech wheelchair spun around abruptly, the mechanical whirring sound cutting through the silence.

Harper gasped.

She had seen photos of Sebastian Sterling before the accident—the handsome King of Wall Street. But the man before her was a shadow of that person. Half of his face was hidden behind a cold, silver mask. The other half was handsome but pale, his jaw set in a hard line. His eyes were dark, swirling with a storm of pain, humiliation, and murderous rage.

He looked at her—a girl in a wet raincoat, hugging a muddy backpack—with pure disgust.

"Who the hell are you?"

"I'm Harper Evans," she said, clutching her bag tighter as a shield. "I... I'm your wife. As of today."

Sebastian stared at her for a second, stunned. Then he let out a cold, humorless laugh that sent shivers down her spine.

"Ah. The replacement," he sneered, rolling his wheelchair closer until he was just inches from her. The sheer size of him, even sitting down, was intimidating. "Your father sold you to me because your sister was too smart to marry a cripple, right?"

He reached out, his large hand grabbing her chin roughly, forcing her to look at his masked face. His fingers were cold.

"Look at me. Look at the monster. Are you scared?"

Harper’s heart pounded against her ribs like a trapped bird. He was terrifying. He was broken. But looking into those furious, tormented eyes, she didn't just see a monster. She saw a man who was drowning.

"No," Harper lied. She looked him straight in the eye, refusing to flinch. "You're just a man."

Sebastian’s hand froze. He seemingly didn't expect that answer. He pushed her away as if burned, turning his wheelchair away from her.

"Get out," he snarled. "I don't need a wife. Take the check on the table. It's enough to buy your freedom. Leave. I don't want your pity."

Harper glanced at the check on the side table. It was a blank check. It could buy her a plane ticket to anywhere. It could buy her a new life. But it wouldn't clear her father's debt with the underground mafia. They wanted the marriage alliance, not just cash.

She didn't move.

"I can't leave," Harper said, her voice gaining strength.

She walked past him, straight to the massive floor-to-ceiling windows. With a swift motion, she pulled the heavy curtains open.

Whoosh.

Gray light from the storm flooded into the gloomy room, hitting Sebastian’s masked face.

He flinched, shielding his eyes with his arm. "What do you think you are doing?!"

"I'm earning my keep," Harper said.

She put her backpack down on the expensive leather sofa and turned to face him. A small, stubborn smile played on her lips—the first sign of the 'sunshine' that was about to invade his dark world.

"You bought me, Sebastian. No refunds."

She took a step closer to him, her eyes bright. "And since I'm staying... we need to talk about your attitude."

Sebastian stared at her, his mouth slightly open, stunned into silence. Nobody—absolutely nobody—had dared to speak to him like that since the accident.

This little girl... was either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid.

But for the first time in two years, the room didn't feel quite so cold.