Selene's hands trembled as she stared at the black leather folder on the table, the city lights outside the floor-to-ceiling window casting cold reflections across its smooth surface. Inside that folder lay everything she hated and feared: her family's medical bills, her younger brother's tuition, and all the debts she had been trying to hide from her mother's worried eyes. Debts she inherited from her late deadbeat father. The numbers alone were enough to make her heart pound, but it wasn't the numbers that terrified her it was the man sitting across from her.
Adrien.
The name alone carried a weight that made people flinch. He was the kind of man who commanded attention without trying, whose mere presence silenced rooms. Not just a billionaire, not just a successful CEO—the whispers told a darker story. A man who didn't just own money; he owned fear. His reputation was a carefully built armor, a fortress that no one dared to breach. And now, Selene had walked right into it.
He didn't move. Not a muscle. He sat perfectly straight in the chair, his hands resting casually on the table, fingers long and elegant, yet somehow threatening. His black suit was tailored to perfection, his tie a sharp slash against the crisp white of his shirt. Every detail screamed control. Every inch of him radiated danger.
Selene swallowed hard and forced herself to speak, though her voice shook. "I… I don't understand. What do you want from me?"
His eyes, dark and calculating, met hers without hesitation. "Not what you have. What you can give."
Her stomach dropped. "Me? What… what could you possibly want from me?"
He leaned back, one hand brushing a lock of hair from his face in a gesture that was casual yet deliberate. "Your freedom."
Her brows furrowed. "My freedom?"
"Yes," he said simply. "Your compliance, your obedience. Your signature. One line on a piece of paper. That is all I ask, in exchange for their safety."
Selene's chest tightened. The folder seemed heavier now, as if the weight of her family's lives pressed down on her. Her thoughts scrambled. My mother… my brother… She could see their faces, small and helpless, relying entirely on her. And now, her life had come down to a pen, a signature, and a man she barely knew.
"Why me?" she asked, voice barely above a whisper. "Why not someone else? I don't even have money to pay—"
"You have something more valuable than money," Adrien interrupted, his voice cold but smooth. "You have a choice. Choose to protect your family, or choose their demise."
Selene's fingers trembled as she hovered over the pen. The leather of the folder was smooth and cold under her fingertips, the paper crisp and intimidating. Each second that passed felt like hours. She wanted to reject him, to throw the folder back and storm out, but the thought of her family being harmed made her throat close up.
Her mind raced. I can't… I can't do this. I can't sign away my life… Yet, every instinct in her body screamed that she had no choice. Adrien's eyes were unrelenting, watching her like a predator studying its prey. There was no threat in his tone, no raised hand, no violence but yet the danger was unmistakable.
"You belong to me now," he said softly, almost a whisper, and it felt like the words had settled into her bones.
Selene froze. The words were a promise, a warning, and a verdict all at once. Her chest tightened, her palms grew sweaty. She could feel her heart hammering against her ribcage as panic and fear collided with a strange, unwanted fascination. He was terrifying, and yet… impossible to ignore.
Her fingers finally closed around the pen. One line. One signature. And everything would change.
She signed, her hand shaking so violently that the pen scratched against the paper. Adrien's eyes didn't leave her face as he watched every motion. The folder snapped closed under his hand, and he stood, moving around the table like a shadow.
"Good," he said, voice calm. "Now, come with me."
Selene's stomach lurched. "Wait—what?"
The door opened silently, and two men appeared. They didn't smile. They didn't speak. They only gestured for her to follow. Her legs felt like lead as she obeyed, each step echoing in the silent room. The city outside seemed distant, irrelevant. Her world had narrowed to the cold gleam of the floor beneath her feet and the dark, impossibly controlled presence of Adrien beside her.
As they walked down the long hallway, Selene noticed subtle details she hadn't before: the walls lined with expensive art, the faint metallic scent that seemed to follow the guards, the way Adrien's gaze swept the room constantly, as if nothing escaped him. Every instinct in her screamed that she was no longer just a visitor here but she was part of his world now, and it was a world she did not understand and could not escape.
Finally, they reached a private elevator. Adrien pressed a button, and the doors slid open silently. The cabin was luxurious, black marble and polished steel, but the sensation was oppressive rather than comforting. As the elevator descended, Selene realized she hadn't asked a single question. Every thought she tried to form about escape, about reason, about bargaining, was crushed beneath the weight of reality: she had signed her life away.
The doors opened onto a floor she hadn't known existed. Guards flanked the hallway, silent as shadows. Adrien stepped forward, his hand brushing lightly against her elbow not enough to touch, but enough to remind her he was there, in control.
"This is your new life, Selene," he said quietly. "You will learn your place, your limits, and most importantly, your duty. Do not forget… the safety of your family rests entirely on your obedience."
Her throat tightened. She wanted to argue, to scream, to run, but the walls, the guards, and the undeniable presence of Adrien told her there was no argument, no escape.
They reached a door at the end of the hallway. Adrien opened it, revealing a room that was luxurious beyond belief, but sterile, almost prison-like. The bed was immaculate, the floor polished, the city lights spilling in through the massive window.
"You will stay here," he said. "Do not leave without permission. And remember… one mistake, and there will be consequences."
Selene's chest heaved. She sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the floor. Her thoughts were a jumbled mess of fear, resentment, and something else she couldn't name. She had survived the signing of the contract, but this… this was a new kind of survival.
Adrien's gaze lingered on her for a long moment. Then he turned and walked out, the door clicking shut with finality. Silence enveloped her. The city outside carried on, unaware of the life that had just been sold within these walls.
Selene pressed her face into her hands. Her family's safety had been secured but at what cost? The weight of the pen, the contract, and Adrien's dark presence pressed on her chest like a vice.
And for the first time, she realized something terrifying: she wasn't just trapped by the contract. She was trapped by him.