Mira stayed frozen on the sofa long after the door closed behind Cassian. The quiet inside Aunt Mayla's house felt heavier now, as though the air itself was trying to catch up with everything that had just happened. One moment she was arguing with Rafael, the next she was agreeing to a contract marriage with the man she was supposed to avoid her entire life. None of it made sense, yet all of it felt too real to deny.
Aunt Mayla hummed softly from the kitchen as she prepared tea, completely unaware of the chaos building inside Mira's mind. The house smelled warm, bread, cinnamon, a little bit of sea breeze, but nothing could ease the tension held in Mira's chest.
She pressed a hand over her abdomen, the smallest flutter of fear rising again. She didn't know if she was strong enough to do this. She didn't know if Cassian's offer came from responsibility or something else she couldn't name. But she did know that he was the only person who hadn't pushed her away.
A soft vibration buzzed from her phone. At first she ignored it, thinking it might be Rafael again. But when it buzzed a second, then a third time, she finally reached for it.
Her screen lit up with notifications, headlines, and dozens of messages from unknown numbers.
Her breath caught.
BREAKING: Cassian Draymond calls emergency press conference.
Rumors of Mira Serrano pregnancy – Draymond responds LIVE.
A cold wave of nerves ran through her, even though she knew he was going there. Knowing was different from seeing the world react to it.
She swallowed and set the phone down, unable to bring herself to click anything.
Maybe it was better to wait. Maybe she needed a moment first. Maybe..
"Mira?" Aunt Mayla peeked from the kitchen. "You look pale, sweetheart. Are you okay?"
Mira forced a small nod. "Just… overwhelmed."
"That boy will take care of everything," Aunt Mayla said confidently, as if Cassian solving a war was just another Tuesday. "He's always been like that. Quiet, but firm where it matters."
Mira didn't know what to say. She wasn't sure if she believed it yet.
At the Press Conference
Cassian stepped out of the car into the courtyard of his corporate building where dozens of reporters were already gathered. Cameras flashed before he even approached the podium. Security tried to clear a path for him, but the noise rose in waves,questions, accusations, curious whispers.
He walked straight, shoulders square, expression composed. Anyone who didn't know him would think nothing could shake him. Only Ryan, his assistant, walking a step behind him, knew exactly how tense he really was.
The microphones were already waiting as he stepped up to the stand.
"Mr. Draymond, is it true you were seen leaving a hotel with Mira Serrano?"
"Are you responsible for her pregnancy?"
"Was it consensual?"
"Is this revenge on the Serrano family?"
Cassian didn't flinch at any of it. He simply raised one hand, and the crowd slowly quieted.
His voice was calm, steady, almost too controlled.
"I called this conference for one reason," he began. "To state a fact, and to end the rumors."
The courtyard fell silent.
He let the pause sit just long enough.
"I'm marrying Mira Serrano."
Gasps rippled through the reporters. Some fumbled for their recorders, others exchanged stunned looks. Cameras flashed even brighter.
Cassian continued, unfazed. "The wedding will be held in one week. Preparations are already underway."
A reporter jumped forward. "Is this marriage a merger between Draymond and Serrano holdings?"
"No comment."
Another shouted, "Is the marriage happening because she is pregnant?"
"No comment."
Another voice rose above them all. "Then is it out of love?"
Cassian paused, his gaze steady, unreadable.
Media screens zoomed in. Ryan looked up sharply, knowing the weight of the question. The reporters waited, breath held, pens ready.
But Cassian said nothing.
He simply stepped away from the podium.
"Mr. Draymond-!"
"Is it love?!"
"Are you confirming a romantic relationship?"
He ignored them all. Security closed in as he walked directly to the car, slid inside, and shut the door. Ryan followed, breathless, and the driver sped off before reporters could crowd in.
Inside the car, Cassian loosened his collar slightly, feeling the pressure return as silence replaced the chaos. Ryan didn't speak; there was nothing to say.
Cassian stared straight ahead.
The only thought echoing in his mind was Mira's face before he left, a mixture of fear and fragile trust.
He couldn't betray that.
Not even with a single sentence.
Mira heard the news before she saw it.
Aunt Mayla had turned on the TV, a live stream already playing. The screen showed Cassian stepping away from the podium, the entire crowd erupting behind him. The anchor spoke in an excited tone:
"Cassian Draymond has just publicly announced that he will marry Mira Serrano in a week. This marks an unexpected alliance between two families known for over twenty years of rivalry-"
Mira's heart thudded painfully.
A week?
He didn't tell her that part.
Her fingers tightened on the blanket she was holding. Her mind went blank for a moment before everything rushed back, her father's rejection, Cassian's promise, Rafael's confession, the contract marriage, and now this.
He really went through with it.
He actually said it.
Aunt Mayla touched her shoulder gently. "You should breathe, sweetheart."
Mira nodded, though she didn't feel her body moving.
This was real now.
This wasn't a contract whispered in a quiet room. This was the world knowing. The world waiting.
Her stomach twisted with nerves. She didn't know whether to be relieved or terrified.
Maybe both.
Thousands of miles away, in a different time zone, Mira's older brother, Adrian Serrano, was sitting in a glass-walled office overlooking a foreign skyline. He was reviewing documents when his phone began vibrating constantly on the table.
He ignored the first few notifications until his business partner walked in, pale.
"Adrian… you need to see this."
Adrian lifted a brow, unimpressed. But when the tablet was placed in his hand, his eyes narrowed instantly.
A headline glared back at him:
CASSIAN DRAYMOND ANNOUNCES MARRIAGE TO MIRA SERRANO - CEREMONY IN ONE WEEK
Adrian's jaw tightened.
Another notification buzzed.
Then another.
And another.
His grip around the tablet hardened until his knuckles turned white.
"So," he murmured, voice low and dangerous. "That bastard finally found a way in."
His business partner hesitated. "Should we prepare a response? Maybe reach out to the family? The media?"
Adrian stood slowly, pulling his jacket off the chair with a calmness that didn't match the sharpness in his eyes.
"No." he said.
"But-"
"If Cassian thinks he can stand on the stage and announce something like this without expecting consequences, then he's not as smart as people claim." Adrian looked out the window, expression dark. "He's making a move. I know him. He wouldn't marry for love. Not Mira. This is strategy."
"Then should we-"
"Not yet." Adrian's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "Let him think he has the upper hand. Let him play whatever game he's playing. I want to see what the Draymond boy does next before I decide how to respond."
He placed the tablet down, but the tension in his shoulders didn't soften.
"Mira better not be a pawn in his plans," he muttered under his breath. "Otherwise…"
He didn't finish the sentence.
He didn't need to.
The look in his eyes said enough.
Back at Aunt Mayla's House
The TV continued playing, endless speculation, excited theories, reporters debating the reason behind the marriage. Mira felt her throat tighten with each word.
She didn't know if Cassian would return soon or go straight to his office. She didn't know what the world would say tomorrow. She didn't know what her brother was planning. She didn't know if she had just stepped into a war she didn't understand.
But she knew one thing.
Cassian meant what he said.
At least.. meant the part where he promised to take responsibility.
And for the first time in a long time, someone chose to stand beside her instead of turning away.
She hugged the blanket closer, trying to ease the trembling in her hands.
Her life had already changed.
But after today, it wasn't just different.
It was irreversible.
And there was no turning back anymore.