He dragged a hand through his hair, making it even messier.
"Two months ago, they came back… with the same contract they made when I was fifteen years old. Without my consent. A merger with the Vance family, sealed by marriage. My marriage to Celia Vance. I refused. I told them about you. I said I had met someone… someone real."
A painful, distant shadow crossed his face.
"My father called you a phase. A distraction from my 'true legacy.' He said my feelings didn't matter. The deal was everything."
