CHAPTER 4

Serafina Moncrieff POV

The private elevator shot up to the penthouse floor of Kensington Tower in total silence. The echo of the press circus outside still buzzed in my ears, but inside the lift, the air was suffocatingly thick. Lucian stood next to me, staring at his reflection in the polished steel doors, looking completely unfazed by the bomb he had just dropped on national television.

Fiancée. The word felt heavy on my tongue, like a bitter pill I was forced to swallow just to stay out of a orange jumpsuit.

When the doors slid open, we stepped into an executive suite that overlooked the sweeping skyline of Manhattan. It was sleek, minimalist, and cold—just like the man who owned it. Glass walls, charcoal leather furniture, and a panoramic view of the city he essentially controlled.

"Sit," Lucian said, walking over to his desk without glancing back.

I didn't move. I crossed my arms, holding my ground near the center of the room. "You just announced our engagement to every major news network in North America, Lucian. I think you owe me a clear explanation before I take a seat."

Lucian unbuttoned his suit jacket and tossed it casually over the back of his chair. He picked up a leather-bound folder resting on the polished wood and tossed it across the desk toward me. It slid to a stop right at the edge.

"Read it," he commanded quietly.

I approached the desk, my eyes narrowing as I opened the folder. The header on the document read: CONDITIONAL ASSET MERGER & ENGAGEMENT AGREEMENT.

"This is the contract that keeps you out of prison for the next twelve months," Lucian explained, leaning back against his desk and folding his arms across his broad chest. "The terms are simple. You play the role of my devoted fiancée in public for exactly one year. You attend charity galas, corporate dinners, and family functions at my side. You smile for the press, look madly in love, and maintain the spotless image of a high-society Moncrieff heiress."

I skimmed through the legal jargon on the pages. Clause 4: Public Appearances. Clause 7: Media Non-Disclosure. Clause 12: Co-habitation requirement.

"And what do I get out of this?" I asked, looking up to meet his dark, evaluating eyes. "Besides not being thrown into federal custody today?"

"In exchange, Kensington Capital will officially wipe out your ten-million-dollar debt," Lucian replied smoothly. "I will pay off every single one of your mother’s remaining hospital bills, cover all expenses for her private burial, and secure an off-the-books allowance for your personal living costs during the term of our agreement."

My chest tightened at the mention of my mother. He knew exactly which buttons to push. He held my freedom and my mother’s final dignity in the palm of his hand.

"Why me?" I blurted out, unable to hold back the question that had been eating at me since yesterday. "You're Lucian Kensington. You could pick any actual billionaire heiress in the country to play this role. Why waste your time saving a fake?"

Lucian let out a low, dark chuckle that didn't reach his eyes. He pushed off the desk and took a slow, deliberate step toward me.

"Because real heiresses come with real families, Serafina," he said, his voice dropping into a dangerous, velvet purr as he closed the distance between us. "They come with nosy fathers, meddling boards, and legal ties that I don't care to deal with. You, on the other hand... you have no one left. You're desperate, you're brilliant enough to forge ten million dollars without getting caught for three years, and most importantly, I own you."

He stopped right in front of me, so close I could smell the dark wood and spiced citrus of his cologne. His shadow completely engulfed me.

"My grandfather’s living trust states that I must be legally married or publicly engaged to a woman from a recognized high-society family by my thirty-second birthday to retain full voting control over the Kensington Group," he continued, reaching out with one finger to gently tilt my chin upward. "My birthday is in three weeks. The board was getting restless, waiting to ambush me with their own puppet candidates. You solved my problem. I solved yours."

His touch was warm against my icy skin, sending an unwanted spark of electricity straight through my veins. I forced myself not to flinch, keeping my gaze locked onto his.

"It’s pure business," I said, trying to convince myself as much as him.

"Pure business," Lucian agreed, his thumb lingering on the edge of my jaw for a split second longer than necessary before he pulled his hand away. "No romantic expectations. No emotional entanglements. You fulfill your duties for twelve months, and when the contract expires, we announce a quiet, mutual separation. You walk away with a clean record, a wiped debt, and enough money to start fresh anywhere in the world."

I stared at the black pen resting next to the document. Everything inside me rebelled against the idea of chaining myself to a ruthless man who had torn my entire life apart in less than twenty-four hours. But the alternative was rotting in a cell while my mother’s body was treated like an unclaimed charity case.

There was no real choice. There had never been one from the moment I set foot in his office.

I picked up the pen. The metal felt heavy and cold in my trembling hand.

"One year," I whispered, signing my name across the bold line at the bottom of the final page. Serafina Moncrieff.

"One year," Lucian echoed, taking the folder back and closing it with a sharp, decisive snap. "Starting today, you pack your belongings from the hotel. You're moving into my estate in Greenwich tonight."

I froze, looking up at him in surprise. "Moving in? The contract said co-habitation for public appearances, but living under the same roof—"

"The press will be watching my gates twenty-four hours a day," Lucian cut in mercilessly. "A newly engaged couple living in separate locations invites questions we don't need. You live with me, Serafina. No arguments."

He turned toward his desk, picking up a sleek set of silver keys and tossing them straight to me. I caught them instinctively.

"Welcome to your new life, fiancée," Lucian said, his eyes flashing with a dark, satisfied glint. "Try not to break any rules."

I gripped the cold metal keys tight in my hand, watching him calmly walk back to his chair as if he hadn't just rewritten the entire trajectory of my existence.

A black town car was already waiting at the private VIP exit downstairs to take me directly to Greenwich.