Terms nd Conditions
The Vasquez convoy had vanished by the next morning, leaving the estate in a state of unnatural stillness.
Later that day, Runa stood in the center of the main hall. She had requested this meeting—a move that, in the Vale household, was an act of quiet defiance. It would either be rewarded or punished.
Roman sat at the head of the mahogany table, hands folded with regal patience. Althea stood like a statue at his right, her face a mask of dispassionate stone. Aurora hovered near the back, her hand resting on Toni's shoulder; Toni's eyes darted between Runa and the rest of her family, wide with nervous anticipation. Jason leaned against a pillar, his arms crossed with a lazy, bored smirk—though the rhythmic twitch of his fingers betrayed him.
Eli stood apart from the rest. She was a map of healing bruises—her arm in a cast, her face a gradient of purple and sickly yellow. She was a silent spectator to her own family's judgment.
Runa's heart slammed against her ribs, but she forced her chin up. "I need to speak," she said.
Jason let out a dry, hacking chuckle. "This is about the wedding, isn't it? Getting cold feet, little mouse?"
Runa didn't give him the satisfaction of a glance. "I'm speaking to the family," she said, her voice cutting through the room like a blade. "Not to you."
A flicker of genuine interest crossed Roman's face. In this house, weakness was ignored, but spine was respected. "Proceed," he rumbled.
Runa took a steadying breath. "Jason came into my room. At night. Without permission. He tried to force himself on me."
The silence that followed wasn't just quiet; it was a vacuum. Jason's smirk didn't vanish, but it stiffened into something grotesque. "Careful," he warned. "That's a very serious accusation to make against a Vale."
"Jason!" Aurora's voice was sharp—a rare crack in her composed exterior. For all their brutality, the Vales prided themselves on a code of possession. Violating the women without consent before a contract was finalized was a breach of order.
"He grabbed me," Runa continued, her voice never wavering as she locked eyes with Roman. "He told me I belonged to this family. That I didn't have the right to say no to him."
Toni sucked in a sharp breath. Althea didn't look shocked; she looked like she was calculating the legal and social fallout. Jason laughed, a hollow rattling in his chest. "This is absurd. She's desperate. She's trying to sow discord because she's afraid of Althea."
Runa turned to him then. Her voice grew colder. "I screamed," she said. "And Eli stopped you."
The shift in the room was physical. All eyes pivoted toward Eli.
"She's lying!" Jason spat, fear finally bleeding into his anger. "You're making up stories and stringing Eli along because she's the only one who's been nice to you. She's manipulating Eli! They're in league!" He pointed a shaking finger at them. "This collateral has poisoned Eli against us!"
"It's the truth," Runa said firmly.
"Youre a liar!" Jason spat
Eli spoke before Roman could prompt her. "She isnt" Her voice cut like a razor through Jason's hysteria.
One word. Final. Absolute. Roman's gaze cut to his second daughter. "Explain."
Eli met her father's eyes without flinching. "I found him in her room. He had his hands on her. I removed him."
"You little—!"
"Jason, you bastard," Althea snapped, her voice like the crack of a whip. "She was going to be my wife, and you dare touch her?"
Jason's mask finally shattered. "You'd take her word over mine? Over your own brother? She's broken, Father! Look at her!"
Roman didn't answer with words. He stood, moved with the suddenness of a predator, and landed a heavy blow to Jason's gut. It sent him to the floor, coughing and spitting blood. Roman looked at Runa, studying her as if she were a complicated lock he was finally beginning to pick. "Do you know what happens to people who lie to me, Runa?"
"Yes," she said quietly. "I do."
"And you stand by your accusation?"
"Every word."
Something flickered in Roman's eyes—approval, or at least acknowledgment. He gave a single nod.
Althea stepped forward, her voice a chill wind. "Even if this were true, Father, it doesn't change the debt. The contract stands."
"It should change who I marry," Runa said.
The room erupted. Toni gasped; Jason, clutching his stomach, managed a bark of pure disbelief. Even Althea's carefully maintained composure cracked, genuine surprise crossing her face for the first time. Roman raised a single hand, and the room went dead. He had that power—the ability to command with the smallest gesture.
"You wouldn't marry Althea?" Roman mused, leaning forward with renewed interest. "Interesting."
"I will honor the debt," Runa said, her spirit unyielding. "The contract will be fulfilled. But I will marry Eli."
The air seemed to leave the room. Eli hadn't moved, but her breathing had become shallow—a rhythmic, controlled expansion of her chest.
"You'd choose Elizabeth?" Roman asked. "Why?"
"Why not? Eli protects me. She protects her sister." Runa's gaze drifted briefly to Eli. "In my short time here, I've seen that she doesn't confuse ownership with cruelty. And even in your line of work... isn't family meant to be the priority? She proved that earlier, didn't she?"
The backhanded compliment hung in the air. Runa pressed on. "Eli is overlooked, but she handled the boutique efficiently. She's capable. She's a Vale, too. So why not her?"
Roman's eyes flicked to Eli, reassessing her. He remembered how she handled the challenge against Gwen. He looked at Althea, who was already burdened with the primary empire—the legitimate and the illicit, the endless negotiations. Althea was his heir apparent, but perhaps he had made her carry too much.
"Besides," Runa added, driving her point home, "Jason coming into my room... isn't that a breach of contract? Doesn't that violate the very terms your family set?"
Roman studied her with new appreciation. He had expected a victim; instead, he found a strategist. He remembered Aurora saying Althea needed someone she could control, someone who wouldn't complicate things. But this girl had spine. This girl understood leverage.
"I will allow it," Roman said finally.
Runa's breath hitched. Eli's posture turned to iron.
"But," Roman continued, "there are conditions."
"I accep-"Before Runa could finish Roman interupted her
"Not for you, girl. You've already paid the price by entering this family. Elizabeth, will you accept this contract?"
Eli's gaze shifted to Runa. In that moment, something passed between them—a fragile thread of what might someday be trust. Eli saw the sheer bravery it took to take this gamble.
"I accept," Eli said, her voice steady as a heartbeat.
"Then you must provide. Added responsibility. You will take over the downtown club and handle the transactions involving the east port."
"Wait, that's my turf!" Jason shouted from the floor.
"Quiet," Roman barked. "You've proven you can't be trusted with the most basic rules of this family. Full operational control for Eli. You will oversee the weapons transactions personally, Elizabeth. You will earn the right to keep her."
Eli gave a single, sharp nod. "I accept."
Roman turned back to Runa. "You get your protection. But understand this—this marriage is not an act of mercy. It is leverage. If she fails, you pay the price. If she falls, you fall with her. You've tied your fate to hers. There is no backing out."
"I understand," Runa said. She had traded one cage for another, but at least this one had someone in it who was willing to bleed for her.
"Then it is settled. The contract is amended. Rumina will marry Elizabeth instead of Althea. The wedding will proceed as scheduled." He looked at Althea. "You are relieved of this situation. Focus on the expansion."
Althea's jaw tightened, but she nodded. "Yes, Father."
As the family dispersed, Jason was called into Roman's study. The sounds of muffled blows and Roman's low, disappointed growl drifted through the heavy doors. Punishment in the Vale family was swift and impartial.
Eli remained where she was, unbowed despite her injuries. She had never dodged pain—there had never been any point. She had simply learned how to endure it—and now, finally, how to be chosen.