Lara's POV
The next morning, I nearly dropped my coffee when I saw a familiar black car parked outside our house. Standing by the gate was Marco's driver, looking sharp and professional as always.
"Gary?" I asked, stepping closer, my voice a mix of surprise and disbelief. "What are you doing here?"
He smiled politely, tipping his cap slightly. "Good morning, Ms. Quinn. Mr. Blackwell sent me to pick you up. From now on, I will be your personal driver. I'll take you to the office, bring you home, and drive you anywhere else you need to go."
I blinked, trying to process what he had just said. "My driver?"
"Yes, ma'am," he replied, still smiling. "Starting today."
For a moment, I just stood there, completely still, as if I needed to pinch myself. The sunlight caught on my engagement ring, and I felt my breath hitch. Marco's proposal last night wasn't a dream after all. It was real. The man who once terrified me with his power and distance had just changed my entire world overnight.
The ride to the office felt different that morning. The city looked brighter, the air lighter. Even after the heavy conversation I had with my mother the night before, I couldn't stop feeling happy. I knew the guilt was there, lingering like a shadow, but I buried it deep inside me, refusing to let it steal this fragile joy. After all, Marco would soon be my husband. That thought alone was enough to make my heart flutter.
When I stepped into the lobby, something was different. The air buzzed with whispers, and before I knew it, people were smiling, congratulating me as if the news had spread overnight.
"Congratulations, Ms. Quinn!" one of the receptionists said, beaming at me.
"Finally!" another added, clapping her hands together. "We knew it would happen one day."
I smiled awkwardly, trying to hide my confusion. Everyone knew Marco had been engaged to Serene, yet not one of them seemed surprised or disappointed. Instead, they looked genuinely happy, as if they had been waiting for this moment all along.
Then, before I could gather my thoughts, the glass doors of the main entrance opened, and Marco walked in. He had just arrived from his house, still dressed in his usual crisp suit, every step confident and unhurried. The sight of him made everything else fade. My coworkers seemed to disappear, the noise around me turning into a distant hum.
"Mr. Blackwell," I began, but I never got the chance to finish.
He reached me, and without hesitation, he took me by the hand and pulled me close. The world seemed to stop as his lips met mine. For a second, I forgot where I was. I forgot that we were in the middle of the office lobby, surrounded by dozens of employees. All I could feel was his warmth, his certainty, the way his kiss made my knees weaken.
When he finally pulled away, I could still feel his breath against my skin. The lobby erupted with applause and cheers. Some of the staff even whistled playfully, and I felt my cheeks burn as Marco kept his arm around me, his expression unreadable but proud.
What startled me most was that these were the same people who had clapped when he kissed Serene during that mountain event. Yet now, they were cheering for me.
I looked around at their smiling faces and then back at Marco, who still hadn't let go of my hand.
Were they really happy for us? Or were they just following the man who had enough power to make anything seem right?
But as he looked at me, his eyes softening just slightly, I decided that for once, I didn't want to question it. Not today.
Because for the first time, it felt like Marco Blackwell was mine.
I was still in a daze when I sat at my desk, my fingers trembling slightly as I tried to focus on the computer screen. Everything that had happened in the lobby kept replaying in my head. The kiss, the sound of applause, the way Marco's hand had lingered on my waist before he finally let me go. It all felt like something out of a dream, one of those moments you wish you could pause and live in forever.
I pressed my palm over my chest, trying to calm the wild rhythm of my heartbeat. My mind was floating somewhere between disbelief and pure happiness when the phone on my desk rang. The sharp sound jolted me back to reality. I stared at the blinking light on the trunk line for a second, hesitating, because somehow I already knew who it was.
When I finally picked up the receiver, his voice came through—deep, controlled, and unmistakable.
"Ms. Quinn. In my office. Now."
Just like that, the spell was broken. The warmth of the kiss vanished, replaced by the familiar weight of authority in his tone. The man who had just kissed me in front of everyone was gone, and in his place was Marco Blackwell, my boss, the one who commanded boardrooms and silenced entire rooms with a single look.
I swallowed hard, trying to steady my breathing. "Yes, Mr. Blackwell," I replied, my voice barely steady.
When the line went dead, I sat there for a moment, staring at the phone as if it had just declared war. My heart was still racing, not from fear but from the memory of his lips, his scent, and the way he said my name before everything changed again.
I stood up slowly, smoothing my skirt with shaking hands. I wasn't sure what waited for me behind his office door, but one thing was certain—whatever this was between us, it was no longer something I could ignore.
As I walked toward his office, every step felt heavier, every breath louder. The air around me seemed to tighten, filled with an anticipation that made my stomach twist. And when I reached his door and saw my reflection on the polished glass, I realized I was smiling like a fool.
Because even if he was back to being my boss, part of me knew that behind that commanding tone still lingered the man who kissed me as if I belonged to him.
My smile vanished the moment I stepped into his office. It felt as though I had been pulled into another world entirely, one colder and far less forgiving. Marco was already standing behind his desk, a set of documents in his hand. The warmth from last night, the tenderness in his kiss, all of it was gone.
"This is the contract," he said, his voice calm but distant. "Read it carefully."
I blinked, unsure if I had heard him right. "Contract of what?" I asked, my confusion spilling into my voice.
He looked straight at me, his expression unreadable. "Our marriage."
For a heartbeat, everything inside me stopped. I stared at him, unable to believe what I was hearing. "Why?" I managed to whisper, though the word barely left my lips.
He set the papers down on the table and fixed his gaze on me. "Ms. Quinn, do you really think that because I took your virginity, I would marry you out of guilt?" His tone was cool, detached, almost cruel. The words hit me harder than a slap, each one cutting through the fragile hope I had been holding onto.
I felt my throat tighten. I didn't understand. This wasn't the man who kissed me in front of everyone just hours ago. This wasn't the same Marco who made me feel like I belonged to him.
"I am going to marry you," he continued, "but not for the reasons you imagine. My decision has nothing to do with love. It is because of my parents and the council of our pack."
"Pack?" I repeated, barely able to form the word.
He met my eyes then, his expression unreadable but serious. "I am a werewolf, Ms. Quinn. And most of the employees in this building are members of my pack. I am their Alpha."
The room felt smaller suddenly, the air heavier. My mind struggled to make sense of what he was saying, yet something in his voice told me he wasn't lying.
He continued, his tone steady and factual, as though he were discussing a business deal. "You are the woman foretold in our prophecy, the one destined to bear my child. You are my fated mate, Lara."
My knees weakened, and I had to grip the edge of the chair beside me just to stay upright. "This is insane," I whispered.
"Our marriage will be based on a contract," he went on, unmoved by my reaction. "I need you to bear my child. Once my son is born, our agreement will end. I will grant you a large sum of money, and you will never have to work again. You will live comfortably for the rest of your life. And I will be free to marry Serene, my one true love."
He spoke as if he were offering me a promotion, as if my heart and dignity were things that could be signed away on a piece of paper. I told myself I should never feel guilty toward Serene, because he was only marrying me for some stupid prophecy, and he was still in love with her.
I stared at him, my chest rising and falling unevenly. The fantasy I had built in my head shattered all at once. What I thought was a dream had turned into a cruel joke.
"You proposed to me," I said softly, my voice trembling, "you kissed me, made me believe this was real."
He looked away for a moment, his jaw tightening. "I had to make it look convincing," he said. "We were surrounded by my pack members. They needed to believe that the prophecy was coming to pass."
The words burned in my chest like acid. "I never thought you would go this far, Mr. Blackwell," I said, my voice breaking. "You knew I loved you from the moment I met you. You took advantage of that. You used my feelings as part of your performance."
He remained silent, his expression carved in stone.
"You don't have to invent stories about werewolves just to humiliate me," I went on, anger spilling through the cracks of my heartbreak. "You've already done a perfect job of that by being arrogant and heartless."
I turned away, fighting the tears threatening to fall. My heart was pounding painfully, a mix of fury, disbelief, and sorrow twisting deep inside me.
Behind me, I heard Marco exhale, slow and heavy, but he didn't speak. The silence between us was sharp and suffocating, filled with all the things we both wanted to say but couldn't.
I looked down at the engagement ring on my finger, the one I had adored just hours ago, and for the first time, it felt like a chain instead of a promise.