Chapter 7 – Bound by Shadows and Promises
9:45 AM — Knight Tower, Downtown Los Angeles
The elevator doors glided open to reveal the sixty-third floor, a space carved out of glass, obsidian, and silence. Elena stepped out slowly, her heels clicking against the polished black marble. Her breath caught in her throat the moment the doors closed behind her.
Knight Tower wasn't an office.
It was a throne.
And Adrian Knight sat atop it like a king who didn't need a crown to declare his dominion.
His private floor was shrouded in sleek elegance. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked downtown LA. The sky looked like bruised silver, and the light sliced through the windows in sharp, intimidating beams.
Elena tightened her grip on the manila folder in her hand. It contained her signed contract, a decision she had made not with hope, but necessity.
Adrian stood behind a glass desk, not looking at her. He was dressed in a charcoal suit that hugged his frame like a secret. He was reading something on his tablet, but the tension in the air said he knew she had arrived.
"You're early," he said without lifting his eyes.
"You sent a car."
His lips twitched.
"And you came."
She stepped forward and placed the folder on his desk. Her hands trembled, but her voice stayed firm. "You said once the contract is signed, we start immediately."
Adrian finally looked up.
And everything in Elena coiled.
His gaze was ice over fire. Calm. Deadly. And too deep to escape from.
"I keep my word, Mrs. Knight," he said.
She flinched at the title. "Not yet."
He leaned back in his chair. "Give it twenty-four hours. We do it tomorrow."
Her heart skipped. "Tomorrow?"
"Why wait? The press will have their fairytale. You'll have your chains."
She straightened her spine. "I'm not afraid of you."
Adrian rose from his chair, walked around the desk, and stopped inches from her. She could smell his cologne—something dark, rich, and far too intoxicating.
He reached for the folder. Opened it. Read her signature.
"You should be," he whispered.
---
10:03 AM — Legal Affairs Department, Knight Tower
She was introduced to a wall of cold faces. Lawyers. Assistants. PR reps. Each one with a folder and a list of instructions. One handed her a binder titled: Public Image Protocol.
Another, a PR associate named Lily, handed her a flash drive. "Your new backstory," she said casually. "You met at a private gala in Monaco. Fell in love during charity work. He proposed on a yacht."
Elena blinked. "None of that happened."
"No," Lily said with a smile. "But it's prettier than: he forced you to save your father from prison."
---
12:45 PM — Knight Penthouse, Bel Air
The mansion Adrian owned in Bel Air was nothing like the Whitmore estate. It was carved from modern obsidian, steel, and shadow. Where her home had been warm wood and vintage gold, this was all glass, chrome, and dominance.
The master suite was already being modified. Two closets. Two vanities. Two lives, forced into parallel existence.
She stared at the wedding dress hanging in her private suite—a sleeveless silk gown that shimmered under the recessed lights.
"This is insane," she muttered.
"Insanely expensive," said a voice behind her.
Elena turned to find Adrian standing by the door. He held a glass of scotch, his tie slightly loosened, his gaze unreadable.
"I picked it out."
She crossed her arms. "And what if I had something else in mind?"
He shrugged. "Then I'd buy it and burn it."
"You're unbelievable."
"And you're marrying me tomorrow. So what does that make you?"
"Desperate."
He stepped closer. "Survivor."
---
3:15 PM — Bridal Appointment, Private Showroom
She was fitted like a doll. Tailors pinned silk to her skin while stylists whispered about cameras, angles, lighting.
One of them, a young assistant with nervous hands, accidentally jabbed a pin into Elena's hip.
"Sorry! I didn't mean—"
"Leave," Adrian said.
The girl looked terrified. "I—"
"I said out."
They all fled.
Elena turned to him. "That was unnecessary."
"No one touches you without permission. Not even accidentally."
She stared. "You don't own me."
"That's where you're wrong," Adrian said. "Tomorrow, you won't just be my wife. You'll be mine. Entirely."
---
6:40 PM — Knight Tower Rooftop
Adrian stood on the helipad, staring into the twilight skyline. Elena approached, the wind tossing her hair into chaos.
"Why me?" she asked. "Why not some actress? A model? Someone who actually wants your money and attention?"
He looked over his shoulder. "Because you're the only one who makes me want to burn it all."
She didn't know what to say to that.
So she said nothing.
Adrian turned. His expression shifted.
"Tell me something, Elena. Would you have still said yes if your father hadn't been part of the equation?"
Her throat tightened. "No."
He nodded, as if expecting that answer.
Then, calmly, he said: "You should know... there are secrets about your father I haven't told you yet."
Her heart dropped. "What kind of secrets?"
"The kind that might change your reasons for marrying me."
---
10:00 PM — Whitmore Estate, Elena's Former Bedroom
She returned once more before the wedding.
To say goodbye.
She sat on her old bed, stared at the ceiling she once covered in glow-in-the-dark stars.
Taped to her old mirror was a photo—her mother, in a hospital bed, holding Elena's hand. She hadn't seen that photo in years.
And beside it... a letter.
Addressed to her.
From her mother.
The first line read:
> If you're reading this, I'm probably gone, and your father is still lying to you.
Elena didn't move. Her fingers trembled as she held the note.
> Marry for love, Elena. Not to fix someone else's sins.
Tears slipped down her cheeks.
---
Midnight — Knight Penthouse
She returned to her new prison, changed out of silk and makeup. Adrian was in the library, swirling amber liquid in a glass, staring at the fire.
She walked in. Said nothing.
He looked at her. "Cold feet?"
She shook her head. "No. Just learning how deep the lies go."
He didn't flinch.
She stepped closer.
"If I find out you've hidden something else about my family..."
"You'll what?"
"I'll stop playing nice."
Adrian smirked. "Good. I never liked you nice."
Questions for the Reader:
✨ What secrets do you think Elena's father has been hiding?
❤️ Do you believe Adrian's obsession is love in disguise, or something darker?
🔥 If you were Elena, would you go through with the wedding tomorrow?