The countryside still clung to Amara, the scent of dry earth,long roads, and the quiet comfort of places where people didnt speak unless they are meant to.
Her small travel bag hung from her shoulder,dust clinging to her shoes,her hair pulled back carelessly the way it always was when she visited her grandmother's village.
Home should have felt familiar. Instead, it felt...wrong.
From when Amara got down from the car, she spotted some black cars parked outside their house,Not just any cars, sleek,Polish, clearly the expensive types to look out for on a modest street.
Amaranth slowed her steps.
Her parents never entertained guests like that, her chest pounding of thought who could the guest be.
She reached the front door and hesitated.voices drifted from inside,low, male controlled. Not of her father's anxious but of someone else there.
She pushed the door open.
The living room was surrounded with men in black,armed, her stepmother sat rigidly on the edge of the sofa,hand clasped together in her lap.her father stood near the coffee table, his shoulders tense,his back straightener than she has seen in months.
And seated calmly in the armchair crossed legs opposite them a man, Amara had never seen before but he looked quite familiar.
He rose when she entered, slowly and deliberately.
He was tall, sharp jawline that sure could cut through anything,dark aura that yet somehow dominated the room.His presence filled the space without effort,his gaze sharp as it lifted to meet hers.
For a second, no one spoke.
"Amara," her mother said finally, too quickly. "You're back early."
"I—" Amara stopped, eyes flicking from her parents to the stranger. "Who is this?"
The man answered before either of them could.
"Lucian Blackwood," he said. His voice was calm, deep, confident. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you."
Finally?
Her father cleared his throat. "He's… a business associate."
Amara looked at her father. Really looked at him.
His hands were shaking.
"Why is a business associate in our living room?" she asked quietly.
Lucian didn't sit back down.
"We were discussing a proposal," he said. "Your arrival is timely."
Her stomach tightened.
"A proposal?" she echoed.
Her mother stood abruptly. "Amara, sit down."
"No," Amara said, eyes never leaving Lucian. "I want to know what's happening."
Lucian's gaze shifted briefly to her father.
"We were finalizing terms," he said evenly. "Your father and I."
Finalizing.
Amara turned slowly to her father. "Terms of what?"
Her father's mouth opened. Closed. Then finally—shamefully—he said, "A solution."
The word made her chest ache.
Lucian gestured toward the table. A thin folder lay there, untouched but heavy with intent.
"Your family's debt has reached a critical point," Lucian said. "The company cannot survive another quarter."
Amara's breath caught. "You said you were handling it."
Her father didn't meet her eyes.
"I was," he said. "I thought I could. But—"
"But you couldn't," Lucian finished. "So I stepped in."
Amara took a step forward. "And what do you want in return?"
The room went still.
Lucian's eyes settled on her with unsettling focus, as if this moment had always been meant for her.
"You," he said simply.
Her pulse thundered.
"What does that mean?" she asked.
"It means," Lucian continued calmly, "that I will assume full responsibility for your family's debt. Every account. Every threat. Every consequence."
Her mother gasped softly.
"And in exchange," he said, turning slightly toward Amara, "you will marry me."
The words fell like something breaking.
"No," Amara said immediately. "No. That's not—this is not a conversation you get to have without me."
Her father finally looked at her then, eyes red. "Amara—"
"You already had it," she said, her voice shaking now. "Didn't you?"
Silence answered her.
Lucian stepped closer—not invading her space, but close enough that she could feel the weight of him.
"This is a contract marriage," he said. "Three years. Public only. At the end of it, we divorce."
She laughed once—short, disbelieving. "You expect me to agree to this because you said it calmly?"
"No," Lucian replied. "I expect you to agree because the alternative destroys your family."
Her heart pounded painfully.
"You didn't even ask me," she whispered to her father.
"I was trying to protect you," he said.
She shook her head slowly. "You were trying to save yourself."
Lucian placed the folder gently on the table. "You may review the terms."
"I just came back from the countryside," Amara said softly, more to herself than anyone else. "I came home thinking… things might finally be peaceful."
Lucian's voice didn't change. "Peace has a price."
Her hands trembled as she stared at the contract.
This wasn't love.
This wasn't choice.
It was a deal made in her absence.
And she was the final clause