The rain fell without mercy, striking the floor-to-ceiling windows like tiny fists demanding entry..
Elena sat perfectly still, her fingers curled tightly around the arms of the leather chair. She hadn't touched the tea placed before her. It had long gone cold — just like the hope she'd been trying to hold onto all morning.
Across from her stood a man who looked as though he had never been denied anything in his life.
Adrian Kade.
CEO of Kade Industries. Billionaire before thirty-five. Ruthless in business. Untouchable in society.
And apparently… about to become her husband.
"You're unusually quiet," Adrian said, glancing at her briefly before signing another document. His voice was smooth, controlled — the kind that commanded boardrooms and silenced opposition.
Elena swallowed. Her throat felt painfully dry.
"I'm trying to understand why," she replied softly.
He placed the pen down with deliberate care and finally met her eyes.
Those eyes unsettled her — not because they were cruel, but because they revealed absolutely nothing.
"This marriage benefits us both."
"Benefits?" A humorless laugh escaped her. "You threatened to withdraw funding from the only psychiatric center that agreed to keep my brother in treatment."
Adrian didn't flinch.
It was almost terrifying, how unaffected he remained.
"I prefer the word leverage."
Her chest tightened.
Depression had taught Elena many things — how to survive days when breathing felt like labor, how to smile when her mind whispered darker truths. But nothing had prepared her for this quiet form of coercion.
"You could have chosen anyone," she said. "Women throw themselves at you."
"I don't want just anyone."
The words lingered in the air longer than they should have.
For the first time, she noticed something shift in his expression — gone as quickly as it appeared. A crack in polished marble.
"Why me?" she asked.
Adrian walked toward the window, hands slipping into his pockets.
"Because you won't lie to me."
She blinked.
"That's your reason?"
"You're known for your honesty. You don't chase wealth. You avoid attention. And most importantly…" He paused. "You have nothing to gain from deceiving me."
Elena felt a strange mix of anger and exhaustion.
"So I'm convenient."
"You're necessary."
The distinction did nothing to comfort her.
Outside, thunder rolled across the sky.
Her therapist often said that life could change in a single moment — that sometimes the ground disappeared beneath your feet without warning.
This was that moment.
"What if I refuse?"
Adrian turned slowly.
"You won't."
The certainty in his voice sent a chill down her spine.
"Your brother's treatment ends tomorrow without my sponsorship."
Her nails dug into her palm.
Cruel. Calculated. Effective.
"You're heartless."
"No," he said calmly. "Just decisive."
Silence settled between them.
Elena studied him — the immaculate suit, the rigid posture, the face sculpted into composure. A man built entirely out of control.
She wondered, fleetingly, what it would take to make him lose it.
"Is this strictly business to you?" she asked.
"Yes."
The answer came too quickly.
Something about that made her chest ache — though she couldn't explain why.
Adrian stepped closer and slid a document toward her.
The contract.
Twenty pages that would legally bind her life to his.
"It's a marriage in name," he continued. "You'll have complete financial security. Freedom to pursue whatever you wish. There will be no expectations beyond public appearances."
No expectations.
Strange, how those words felt heavier than vows.
"And love?" she asked before she could stop herself.
His jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.
"Love complicates things."
The response confirmed what she already suspected:
This man had never been in love.
Or worse — had been, and learned to destroy the feeling before it could destroy him.
Her gaze drifted to the signature line.
Elena thought about the endless gray mornings… the weight pressing against her ribs… the effort it took just to exist some days.
She had fought so hard to keep her world from collapsing.
Now she was being asked to trade her freedom for someone else's survival.
Maybe that was what love looked like too — sacrifice without guarantee.
"Will you ever regret this?" she whispered.
For the first time, Adrian hesitated.
Then he said quietly,
"No."
But something in his eyes betrayed uncertainty.
And somehow, that frightened her more than his ruthlessness.
Her hand trembled as she picked up the pen.
The moment the ink touched paper, the storm outside seemed to intensify — as if the universe itself bore witness to the mistake.
Or the beginning.
Adrian watched her sign.
He had negotiated billion-dollar mergers without feeling so much as a flicker of emotion.
So why did his chest feel strangely tight now?
Why did the sight of her fragile signature unsettle him?
This was strategy.
Necessary.
Controlled.
So why did it feel like he had just stepped into something unpredictable?
"Elena," he said.
She looked up.
"For what it's worth… I will ensure you are protected."
She almost smiled at that — almost.
"I don't need protection, Mr. Kade."
He held her gaze.
"You will."
Neither of them realized it yet…
But the most dangerous thing about this marriage would not be the contract.
It would be the emotions neither of them planned to feel.