Ties That Bind

PIPER'S POV"We're going bankrupt." I can't act surprised, even if I tried. It was no surprise our family business had gone under. Unlike everyone else who turned a blind eye to Lucia's money laundering, I was all too aware of the money being pushed into her account daily. I tried telling my father, hell, I told my mother. But neither did they believe me. They were bent on staying on her side even though the woman was the very thing that destroyed our happy family. Lucia Herrera, my father's second wife. Beautiful with perfect olive skin, straight silky black hair, enchanting green eyes, and full lips. She had a slim, wild beauty, with fine hips and shapely thighs. She lived up to her Miss World title and embodied physical beauty like no other could. My mom, blessed with fiery auburn hair and freckles that dotted her cheeks, had dark brown eyes, thin rosy pink lips, and cute dimples.We were the same person. But even with that type of striking beauty, she was no match for Lucia, and

PIPER'S POV"...and do you take Rowan Archer to be your lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?" I kept my gaze on the floor, my netty veil obscuring my view. Here I stood, up on an altar, hands intertwined in the hands of a man who was about to ruin my life for good. "I do." The words came out choked and weak. The crowd awws, some hooting and clapping, wildly. I couldn't raise my head to look at anyone, not my family, not my friends, and not Rowan. "You may now kiss the bride." The veil is pulled over my head just as the priest finishes his sentence. Rowan’s rough fingers grip my chin, painful and uncaring. His eyes are hard and emotionless as he forces my head up and places a chaste kiss on my lips. Disgusting bastard. I should've run for my life when I had the chance, but what choice did I have when I was met with those odds? ___"You can decide what you want to do. Your family can pay the 150 million dollars for breaching the terms of the c

PIPER’S POVGreat first day of work. I got to learn, I met new people, and best of all I got to watch the charming, arrogant, bastard embarrass himself as he pulled his coffee-soaked blazer away from his body and scrambled up from his seat. One could say it was a fascinating and thrilling first day of work. Though it wasn't my intention to give him first-degree burns, I wouldn't say I didn't enjoy the sight of a squirming Rowan. Call me whatever, but I didn't care much for what happened to him.The meeting was cut short, leaving me to drive Rowan to the nearest pharmacy to get his burn checked. I watched silently as the pharmacist put on ointment and dressed the reddened area on his chest. He was practically boiling with anger while they attended to him. His piercing eyes drilled into the side of my skull while I busied myself with the iPad he'd given me for work.Thankfully coffee hadn't gotten all over it, as for his laptop, I could say otherwise. While he sits there grumbling a

ROWAN’S POV“What the hell,” I thought to myself as I saw my dad warmly greeting Mrs. Piper.The fact that he greeted her first without acknowledging me seemed so… deliberate. I didn’t even understand it. His eyes were glued to her like she was some rare artwork he’d been dying to collect.I know Piper wasn’t my wife, my choice, but somehow she already is and I didn’t know if it would last forever, so whatever this stuff was , it was making me uneasy. “How are you, our dear Mrs. Piper Archer” he asked, his voice light and charming, laced with a tinge of something that made my jaw clench.Piper offered a soft, cautious smile, clearly taken aback by the sudden display of familiarity. She gave a curt nod, clutching her handbag a little tighter against her side. “I’m… fine, sir.”Sir? She still called him that. Good.“You look exquisite, my dear. Marriage suits you,” he continued, his tone velvet-smooth. The man was never without an agenda. Every word from his mouth always meant mor

PIPER’S POV“How come he put the towel around me without saying anything” all these questions kept turning in my head as I thought of that act Rowan did.It wasn’t just the towel—it was the way he did it. Silent. Careful. Like he was trying not to scare me but also not trying too hard. Like he cared. But didn’t want to admit it.I had braced for something else for words, for sarcasm, maybe even a smug comment about how I looked. But Rowan just… covered me. With that sharp jaw clenched and his eyes flickering with something I couldn’t read.Then he walked out.Not a word. Not a smirk. Just the quiet click of the door shutting behind him.I hugged my knees on the edge of the bed now, still in his oversized hoodie, hair slightly damp, my thoughts a tornado inside my skull.This wasn’t supposed to feel like anything.It was a contract. An arrangement. An escape plan for both of us in some twisted way.And yet…My phone buzzed beside me. Diana. I hesitated before picking it up. After how