The rain poured heavily as I stood beside my father's grave, my black dress clinging to my trembling body. The world felt cold, empty… silent.
I had just lost the only person who ever protected me.
"Miss Aria."
The deep, unfamiliar voice made my heart skip. I slowly turned around — and there he was.
Ethan Blackwood.
Tall. Powerful. Dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit. His sharp jaw and emotionless eyes made him look less like a man and more like a storm waiting to destroy everything in its path.
"I'm sorry for your loss," he said calmly.
But there was no sympathy in his eyes.
Before I could respond, he continued, "Your father owed me a large amount of money."
My breath stopped.
"What…?" I whispered.
"He signed a contract. The debt now belongs to you."
The ground beneath me felt like it was disappearing.
"I don't have that kind of money," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.
"I know," he replied smoothly.
Silence fell between us. The rain grew heavier.
"There is another way," he added.
I looked up at him, confused.
"Marry me. One year. A contract marriage. In return, your father's debt will disappear."
The words hit me harder than the thunder above us.
Marriage?
To him?
"Why would you do that?" I asked, my voice barely audible.
His eyes darkened.
"That," he said quietly, "is none of your concern."
As lightning flashed across the sky, I realized something terrifying.
This wasn't an offer.
It was a trap.
And I had just stepped into it.