Chapter 1: The Deal

The rain hammered against the glass walls of the high-rise office. Inside, the silence was heavy.

I stood in the middle of the room, shivering. My hands were shaking so badly I had to hide them behind my back.

Across the massive black desk, he sat.

Damien Blackwood.

They called him the Devil. Looking at him now, I believed it. He was staring at me like a wolf stares at a trapped rabbit.

"Please, Mr. Blackwood," I whispered. My voice cracked. "My father… he didn't mean to lose the money. He just needs more time."

Damien didn't blink. He just tapped his pen against the desk. Tap. Tap. Tap.

"Time is expensive, Elara," he said. His voice was low and smooth, like dark velvet. "And your father is broke."

He stood up. He was huge—tall, broad-shouldered, and terrifyingly handsome in a sharp black suit. He walked around the desk, moving slowly toward me.

I wanted to run, but my feet felt glued to the expensive rug.

"He owes me five million dollars," Damien said, stopping just inches from me. I could smell his cologne—expensive whiskey and danger. "He goes to prison today. Unless…"

My heart slammed against my ribs. "Unless what?"

Damien smirked. It wasn't a nice smile. It was cold. Possessive.

"Unless you pay the debt."

"I don't have five million dollars!" I cried out, tears stinging my eyes. "You know I don't!"

"I know," he replied calmly. He reached out, his cold fingers tilting my chin up so I had to look into his dark eyes. "But you have something else I want."

My breath hitched. "What?"

"You."

The word hung in the air, suffocating me.

"Be my wife," he said. He wasn't asking. He was telling me. "Sign the contract. Belong to me. Do that, and your father’s debt is gone. He walks free."

I stared at him in horror. "You… you want to buy me? Like I’m an object?"

"I want to keep you," he corrected, his thumb brushing against my bottom lip. His eyes darkened. "There is a difference."

He turned and picked up a black folder from his desk. He held it out to me.

"Read it. The terms are simple. You wear my ring. You live in my house. You never leave without my permission. And in exchange, I protect your family."

He leaned closer, his lips brushing my ear. "But be warned, Elara. Once you put these chains on... I never take them off."

I looked at the contract. Then I thought of my father, rotting in a jail cell.

I had no choice.

I took the pen. My hand trembled as I hovered over the paper.

"Good girl," Damien murmured. The sound vibrated through my bones.

I signed my name. Elara Vance.

The moment the ink hit the paper, the air in the room changed. It felt heavier.

Damien snatched the paper away, satisfied. He looked at me with a hunger that made my knees weak.

"Welcome to hell, my sweet wife," he said.

And then, he kissed me.

It wasn't a gentle kiss. It was rough. Demanding. It was a promise that my life was no longer my own.

I hadn't just made a deal with the Devil. I had married him.