Wren's Pov

The door to my temporary apartment clicked shut behind me, and I leaned against it, breathing hard.

I'd just spent three hours at my old apartment. Packing the rest of my belongings while Vivienne watched from the couch, scrolling through her phone like I was invisible. Three hours of pretending I didn't see the smug smile playing at the corners of her mouth. Three hours of swallowing the words that burned in my throat.

I should have left after the first hour.

But I couldn't. Because leaving meant letting them win.

****

I'd gone back for the box of my mother's things I'd hidden in the back of the closet. The only thing that mattered. The only thing I couldn't replace.

Vivienne had been there when I arrived.

"Well, well." She didn't look up from her phone. "Look who finally crawled back."

I didn't answer. Just walked past her to the bedroom.

"Raphael's not here, if that's what you're wondering." Her voice followed me. "He's at work. You know, doing actual adult things."

I kept walking.

"He said to tell you — if you came back — that you should take whatever you want. He doesn't care." She laughed. "He said he'll just replace it with better things anyway."

My hands shook as I opened the closet.

"Did you know he's already started moving my things in?" Her voice was closer now. I heard her footsteps in the hallway. "Just a few drawers for now. Making space. While we figure out our next steps."

Making space.

Like I'd never been there.

I found the box and pulled it out.

I held it against my chest and turned to face Vivienne.

She was leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, looking me up and down like I was something she'd scraped off her shoe.

"You look terrible," she said. "The breakup really did a number on you, huh?"

I said nothing.

"You know, I never understood why he stayed with you for so long." She tilted her head. "You're so... boring. And oh, your proposal, I asked him to do that."

She smirked at me.

I wish I could wipe that smirk off.

"But me?" She smiled. "I'm exciting. I'm unpredictable. I gave him something you couldn't."

I clutched the box tighter. "And what was that?"

"Permission to be himself." She pushed off the doorframe and walked closer. "You wanted him to be someone he wasn't. Someone good. Someone loyal. But he was never that person, Wren. You just refused to see it."

She was inches from me now. I could smell her perfume. And it disgusted me.

"He wasn't cheating on you with me," she said quietly. "He was cheating on you with the idea of someone who actually saw him. Who accepted him. Who didn't try to change him."

My throat was tight. "You're my sister."

"Half-sister." She smiled. "And even then, I was never really your sister, was I? You just pretended. Because you were lonely. Because you needed someone to love."

I flinched.

"And now you have no one," she continued. "No Raphael. No sister. No home. No future." She laughed softly. "What are you going to do, Wren? Go back to that cold office and pretend you're fine?"

I didn't answer.

"I thought so." She stepped back. "You should go. You're not welcome here anymore."

I walked past her without looking back.

Her voice followed me all the way to the door.

"Oh, and Wren? If you ever try to contact us again — I'll make sure Raphael ruins you completely. He knows people. Powerful people. People who can make your life very, very difficult."

I stopped at the door.

"Don't threaten me," I firmly retaliated.

"It's not a threat." Her voice was sweet. "It's a promise."

I walked out.

I climbed into the back of the SUV and sat there, clutching my mother's box, my hands shaking so badly I could barely breathe.

"Miss?" The driver glanced in the rearview mirror. "Are you alright?"

"No," I said. "Just drive."

He didn't ask questions.

I didn't go back to the apartment Leander had given me.

I couldn't. The silence would have swallowed me whole.

Instead, I went to the office.

It was late. Almost 9 PM. The building was mostly empty. I walked through the lobby, past the security guard, and took the elevator to the fourth floor.

The lights were dim. The cubicles were empty.

But Leander's office was lit.

I walked toward the door without thinking. I wasn't sure what I was going to say. I wasn't sure what I wanted.

I just knew I couldn't be alone.

He was at his desk. Sleeves rolled. Tie loosened. He looked up when I walked in, and for a moment, something flickered in his eyes.

Then it was gone.

"You're back"

I didn't respond. Just stood there, clutching the box, shaking.

He studied me for a long moment. His eyes traveled over my face . The way I was barely holding myself together.

"Another ?" he predicted.

I laughed, and it came out wrong. Bitter. Hollow. "My sister... she said I was boring. That Raphael never really loved me. That she gave him something I couldn't." I swallowed hard.

Leander remained expressionless. But his fingers tightened on the edge of his desk.

"She threatened me," I continued. "Said if I ever contacted them again, she'd make sure Raphael ruined me completely. That he knows people. Powerful people."

"Does he?"

"I don't know." I shook my head. "I don't know anything anymore."

I sat down in the chair across from his desk. Dropped the box on my lap. Stared at the floor.

"I'm so tired," I whispered. "I'm so tired of fighting. Of pretending. Of trying to hold myself together while everyone around me is trying to tear me apart."

Leander was quiet for a long moment.

Then he reached into his desk and pulled out a folder. Thick. Unmarked. Bound with a black ribbon.

He slid it across the desk.

I stared at it. "What is this?"

"A way out."

I looked up at him. "What?"

"Read it."

I opened the folder with shaking hands.

****

LEGAL MARRIAGE CONTRACT

My heart stopped.

PARTIES:

Leander Voss (hereinafter referred to as "The Husband") & Wren Will (hereinafter referred to as "The Wife")

I looked up so fast my chair nearly tipped over.

"What the hell is this ?" I gritted the words through my teeth.

Leander leaned back calmly.

"An offer." He shrugged.

I furrowed my brows. "You're insane."

"Maybe... "

His eyes were so focused on mine.

The place instantly felt hot and chilling at the same time.

Fear gripped me.

Wren's Pov

I wasn't sure if this decision was right. But either I ruin him or this ruins me.

I calmed down after Leander gave me minutes to think about it again. I was pissed but at the same time, I wanted a way out.

It wasn't like this was the end of things.

Who knows.

After the time was over, I took the contract and went through to read the terms.

I lowered my head and scanned every page.

TERMS:

1. Duration. This contract shall remain in effect for a period of two (2) years from the date of execution.

2. Consideration. Upon execution of this contract, The Husband shall provide the following to The Wife:

a) A residence of her choosing, fully furnished and maintained.

b) A monthly allowance of [$30,000] for personal expenses.

c) Full legal leverage over Raphael Caine's financial accounts, including but not limited to all assets, properties, and shell companies currently under Harrow & Steele's investigation.

3. Obligations of The Wife. The Wife agrees to:

a) Assume the role of spouse in all public and private capacities as deemed necessary by The Husband.

b) Produce a legal heir within the term of this contract, said heir to be considered legitimate and entitled to all inheritance rights.

c) Maintain absolute confidentiality regarding the terms of this contract.

♧♧♧

I stopped reading.

"Produce a legal heir," I said slowly. "You want me to have your child."

Leander's expression didn't shift.

"I need an heir. My uncle's will made it clear. If I don't have a child by the time I'm forty-five, control over everything reverts to the board." He paused. "I turn forty-two next month."

I stared at him. "So this is about your inheritance."

"You think?" His voice was flat. "It's more like a way out."

I looked back at the contract. The words blurred in front of me.

"You want me to be your wife," I said, shaking my head. "For two years."

"Yes." His answer was firm.

"To have your child."

"Are you blind too?" He sounded bored. "It's written in plain English."

I flinched at his tone. "And in exchange, you destroy Raphael."

"It's a platter to destroy him yourself." His voice was cold. "What you do with it is your choice."

I looked up at him. "And what about love?"

He blinked. "Excuse me?"

"You said I'd be your wife. In public and private." I swallowed hard. "What about... what about intimacy?"

He was quiet for a long moment.

"The heir must be legitimate," he said finally. "The contract assumes the traditional method of conception."

My face burned. "Traditional method."

"Yes."

"You mean—"

"I mean what you think I mean." His voice didn't change. "If you sign this contract, we will need to conceive a child. Naturally."

I stared at him. The room was suddenly too small.

"Two years," I said. "Two years of pretending to be your wife. Two years of—" I couldn't finish the sentence.

"Two years," he agreed. "And then you walk away with everything."

"And what about love?" I asked again. "What about... what about feelings?"

He leaned forward, and for the first time, something sharp entered his voice.

"Let me make something clear." His eyes pinned me in place. "I'm not offering you a fairy tale. I'm offering you a contract. I don't care about your feelings. I don't care about love. I only care about the outcome ."

I opened my mouth to speak, but he wasn't done.

"You came to me with nothing. No home. No money. No leverage. The man who betrayed you is walking free, and the woman who helped him is living in your apartment." He paused. "And now I'm offering you everything you need to destroy them. But you're standing here asking me about feelings?"

His voice was cold. Every word hit a nerve.

"You want love?" He laughed, but there was no warmth in it. "Go find someone else. Go find someone who'll hold your hand and tell you everything will be okay. But if you want to win—if you want to take back everything, they stole—then sign the contract."

I stared at him.

"Love doesn't pay the bills, Miss Wren," he continued. "Love doesn't give you back your home. Love doesn't put Raphael Caine in prison. But this contract does."

He leaned back in his chair.

"So stop asking me about love. And start asking yourself what you actually want."

I was quiet for a long time.

Vivienne's voice echoed in my head. "You're so boring. So safe. You never took risks."

Raphael's voice repeatedly echoed too. "You made yourself so easy. So available. You just take whatever I give you and smile."

Maybe I had been too trusting.

Maybe I'd mistaken loyalty for strength.

But Raphael and Vivienne didn't get to define me.

I'd let them take everything from me. And what had I done about it? Nothing. I'd walked away with my tail between my legs.

But here was a chance.

A chance to fight back. To take everything they'd stolen. To watch them burn.

All I had to do was sign.

All I had to do was give Leander Voss a child.

****

"If I sign," I said slowly, "you'll help me destroy them."

"I'll give you the tools to destroy them yourself." He held my gaze. "But yes."

"And after two years?"

"After two years, you walk away with everything. Your money. Your home. Your dignity." He paused. "And the satisfaction of knowing you won."

I looked at the contract again. Going through all the benefits I'd have.

Full legal leverage. Just to produce a legal heir in a span of two years.

It was just one choice.

One signature.

Everything I'd lost. Everything I'd wanted.

I picked up the pen.

My hand hovered over the signature line.

This is insane.

This is the only option you have.

He's using you.

He's offering you a way out.

I set the pen down.

"I need time," I said finally. "To think about it."

He nodded once. "Take all the time you need."

"How much time do I have?"

"The contract needs to be signed within the week." He paused. "After that, the offer expires."

Within the week.

I picked up the folder. Held it against my chest.

"Is there anything else?" His voice was flat. Dismissive.

I wanted to leave so bad. Walk out with the contract and figured things out on my own.

But something stopped me.

"Why Raphael?" I asked quietly. "Why are you so invested in destroying him?"

Leander's fingers paused on his keyboard.

I thought I saw something flicker in his eyes. Something cold. Something almost satisfied.

"Before you came to me," he said slowly, "I was already investigating him."

I blinked. "What?"

"I suspected him of financial irregularities. I just didn't have proof." He held my gaze. "The documents you brought me confirmed what I already suspected."

I stared at him. "So this whole time—"

"I was going to offer you the contract anyway." His voice was flat. "The documents just gave me more leverage."

"And the investigation? The money laundering?"

He leaned back in his chair. "That's not information you need right now."

I felt cold.

"You're using me," I said quietly.

"I'm offering you a deal." His voice was flat. "There's a difference."

I looked down at the contract again. At the clause on what I had to offer.

I picked the contract up.

My ticket to revenge.

My ticket to ruin.

Maybe both.

Then I walked out of Leander's office without a word.