Chapter 7: The Proposal

The following morning, the Wilfred mansion was unusually quiet.

Sylvie barely slept. The image of Zade Russo’s smirk kept replaying in her mind, along with the words he left hanging in the hallway.

There is a debt. And I always collect what I am owed.

She couldn’t shake it off.

She found Ryan waiting for her downstairs, already dressed in black, unreadable as always.

"You’re up early" she muttered.

"I didn’t sleep." he replied simply.

Sylvie blinked. "At all?"

"Didn’t need to."

She rolled her eyes. "You’re not human."

Ryan didn’t answer just opened the car door for her. His silence felt heavier today.

Halfway through the drive, Sylvie’s phone buzzed. It was her father. Come to the office. Now.

He sped toward Wilfred Corporation headquarters, never taking his eyes off the mirrors.

---

Inside the building, employees whispered the moment Sylvie walked through the lobby.

Ryan walked beside her, expression carved from stone, scanning every corner like he expected bullets to fly.

When they reached the top floor, Sylvie prepared herself for her father’s usual scolding, or another meeting about her “responsibilities.”

But what she found instead made her stomach twist.

Her father wasn’t alone.

Zade Russo sat casually on the leather chair opposite the desk, one ankle crossed over his knee, flipping through a folder like he owned the room.

Ryan waited outside.

The same cold smile was waiting for her.

"Ah," he said softly, “the princess arrives.”

Her father stood abruptly. "Sylvie… sit down."

Sylvie remained standing. "Why is he here?"

Cole’s throat bobbed. "There’s something we need to discuss."

Zade gently closed the folder and placed it on the desk. "It’s very simple, really."

Sylvie’s eyes narrowed. "If this is about the sabotage..."

"Oh, it’s absolutely about the sabotage," Zade said with a soft chuckle. "And about your father’s losses. And about mine."

Cole exhaled shakily. "Sylvie… please sit."

"Dad, just tell me.

Her father lowered himself into his chair, shoulders slumping under invisible weight. He looked older than she had ever seen him.

"Zade has made… a proposal."

A cold shiver ran down her arms. "What kind of proposal?"

Zade clasped his hands together. "A business one. Mutually beneficial."

Her father closed his eyes briefly, then forced the words out.

"You must marry Marco."

The world fell silent.

Sylvie stared at him, unblinking. "What?"

"It’s for two years," Cole said quickly. "It’s temporary"

"Two years?" Sylvie repeated, voice hollow. "Two years of my life?"

Zade leaned back comfortably. "Think of it as… an arrangement."

"I am not merchandise," she snapped, voice shaking with fury.

Zade’s smile never faded. "I never said you were."

"But you’re treating me like it!"

Zade opened the folder and slid a document toward her, contract papers.

"Your father owes losses beyond what he can cover. Millions." He tapped the page. "My cargo. My property. My operations. All sabotage through your father’s network."

"Zade," Cole started, "we agreed this wasn’t.."

"You are in no position to negotiate," Marco said softly. Too softly. The softness of a blade gliding before the cut. "The numbers speak. Your empire is hanging by threads."

He turned to Sylvie again.

"I step in as a savior. I forgive the debt. I inject capital to stabilize the corporation. And in return…" His eyes lowered to her lips, then rose back to her eyes. "I receive something equally valuable."

Sylvie recoiled.

"You’re insane," she whispered.

"Sylvie," her father said, voice cracking, "please listen..."

She glared at him. "How could you agree to this?"

Cole’s face collapsed under guilt. "We’re on the edge of ruin. Investors are pulling out. Contracts are being frozen. If we don’t secure help within weeks, the company, which your mother and I built for decades, will collapse."

Sylvie felt the room tilting.

Her world, the privilege, the luxury, the identity, was standing on crumbling ground.

"He wants the company," she said quietly. "Not me."

Zade’s expression shifted. Just a hint.

"This is business," Zade replied. "And business requires… sacrifice."

Sylvie’s voice broke. "Why me?"

Zade leaned forward, eyes gleaming. "Because you’re the one thing Cole values enough to make a deal worth respecting."

Sylvie staggered back.

It felt like betrayal.

It felt like her father choosing his empire over her life.

And worst of all...

Her father didn’t deny it.

Sylvie’s chest tightened until she could barely breathe.

And Zade watched her break… with the calm curiosity of a man studying a priceless object he already owned.