Chapter 6

ZARIA

The room reeked of vanilla, cologne and luxury. Everything was too clean, white and cold. I blinked against the soft light filtering in through the floor-to-ceiling windows. My wrists ached from the restraint,

“Those damn bastards”, I cursed.

my legs were bare and I was dressed in neater clothes, but they were not my own clothes.

I sat up slowly. The bed beneath me felt like clouds, but I wasn’t floating. I was sinking.

The door creaked open and Darian Wolfe walked in like he owned everything, including me. He wore a charcoal suit, with no tie and the top button undone. His eyes found mine and they didn’t flinch.

"You’re awake," he said.

I didn’t answer. What was there to say?

"You slept long enough to miss two meals and a storm. I was beginning to think you were faking it."

He walked to the table and dropped a thick folder onto it. The sound echoed.

"That’s your future," he paused and looked at me with a keen expression.

"Our future. Read it. Sign it and make peace with it."

My heart thudded. "What is it?"

"A contract marriage. Public and private. Legal and binding."

My voice came out hoarse. "Excuse me….you….you want to marry me?"

He stepped closer. "You’re not here because I want to. You’re here because you made a choice. You ran Zaria, you betrayed Roman."

"You think I wanted this?" I snapped. "You think I had options?"

He scoffed, his jaw tightening. "You always had options. You just never chose wisely and that inability of yours to be sensible is what killed Roman"

My breath caught in my throat. "Roman is... dead?"

His eyes hardened. "Don’t act like you didn’t know."

I blinked away the heat in my eyes. I didn’t know, I mean not truly, not until now.

"I didn’t mean for…"

"Oh please save yourself the sob story," He walked away again and poured himself a drink.

"You’ll be Mrs. Wolfe again," he said, sipping slowly.

"But this time…to me."

"Why?" I whispered.

He turned mouth tight. "Because I paid for you. Because you signed your soul away the day you disappeared with my brother's secrets. Because I don’t trust you, and I’d rather keep my enemies close. Because I want to make you pay in the worst possible way."

"So I’m your enemy now?"

His gaze pinned me. "You were never anything else."

He picked up the folder and opened it.

"Section three. Clause twelve. You cannot leave. Not unless I break the contract or you’re dead."

“I'd rather die”, I muttered under my breath and he shot me a look.

I walked over and took the folder with trembling fingers. I skimmed through it…it had my name, his name, the conditions, the rules and I immediately felt sick.

"This is insane."

"No, Zaria. This is reality and if you want to survive? Then play along."

"I have nothing. I came back for..."

He raised a brow. "For what? Sympathy? Money? A safe place to hide until your next betrayal?"

"No."

"Then what?" His voice dropped, dark and demanding.

"What the hell did you think would happen? That I’d see you and forget everything? Kiss you? Welcome you back?"

I looked away. "I didn’t come for that."

"Good. Because I don’t forgive. I collect."

I gritted my teeth. My fingers shook as I picked up the pen.

"One more thing," he said.

"You smile in public. You hold my hand. You play the wife. No one must suspect. Understand?"

I stared at him. The man I once loved is now the man who looked at me now like I was poison in his veins.

"I understand."

I signed.

He picked up the folder, satisfied. "Good. The wedding is in three days."

"Three?"

"You don’t need more. Just a dress, a face and a mouth that says 'I do', that is."

"You’re really going through with this?"

He looked amused. "What part of 'binding' didn’t you understand?"

I stepped back and my legs touched the bed, then I sank onto it. Reality dawning on me more than it should.

He started to leave.

"Darian."

He paused.

"You really believe I killed Roman?"

He looked over his shoulder. "I believe in evidence."

"And what if the evidence lies?"

"Then prove it.”

He paused by the door, one hand on the knob and for a second, silence hung. Then a low chuckle escaped him, cold, amused and cruel.

"I didn’t even remember to ask..." he said, turning back to face me. "How did you get caught?"

His eyes narrowed, they were curious and mocking.

"I mean the auction. I thought you were sneaky enough to avoid things like that."

He tilted his head, his voice dropping into something almost playful.

"Zaria the brave. Zaria the untouchable. Zaria the... Oh what was it they used to call you?...Oh…yeah ‘the storm in red heels.’"

He smirked. "Got caught by human traffickers. Tsk. I have a feeling there’s more to that story…A lot more."

He let the silence stretch, his eyes gleaming with hatred and something more.

"But I’ll save it for another day."

Then he walked out and the door clicked shut.

I curled into myself. My fingers pressed against the soft sheets like they were the last real thing I had.

That night, I read the contract again. Every word. Every rule and then I saw it. Hidden deep in the fine print. One sentence.

"In the event of proven betrayal, the subject forfeits all rights, privileges, and protections within the Wolfe estate."

My chest tightened with fear for not just me, but for him.

I closed the folder and said into the dark,

"You don’t know what betrayal is yet. But you will.”