Chapter 1: The Proposal That Ruined Everything
The rain fell in steady sheets against the tall windows of the Vance estate, as though the sky itself mourned what was left of Elara's once-proud family. She stood in her father's study—bare of warmth, stripped of portraits, and lined with unopened bills stacked like silent graves.
"You can't be serious," Elara said, voice low, trembling with disbelief.
Across the desk, her father—once the iron-willed tycoon of Vance Pharmaceuticals—sat hunched and gray. Age hadn't touched him kindly, but the last two years had done more damage than time ever could. He didn't meet her eyes. He didn't have the strength.
"I'm sorry," he said hoarsely. "But this is the only way left. Damien Arclight made the offer himself."
Elara's lips parted in a bitter smile. "Of course he did."
The name was poison in her mouth—Damien Arclight. Cold-blooded, calculated, cruel. The man who had outmaneuvered her father in the boardroom, stripped their company of its patents, and left them with nothing but debts and lawsuits. He didn't just take their empire—he ground it beneath his heel.
And now he wanted her.
"He's toying with us," she said. "With me."
Her father remained silent.
Elara turned to pace, her heels echoing across the marble floor. "There are other ways. Loans. Bankruptcy negotiation. Even—"
"There are no other ways," her father snapped, finally looking up. "The banks won't touch us. The lawsuits... you've seen the numbers. We're one step from total ruin."
Elara clenched her fists.
Damien had waited until they were at their lowest. And then, like a predator sensing wounded prey, he had extended his hand—with a ring.
"He said he would clear the debts," her father continued. "Help us settle out of court. Rebuild... something. He's offering security. A future."
"Through me," she spat.
Her mother entered the room quietly, hands folded, face pale and unreadable. "Elara," she said gently, "you don't have to love him. Just endure him."
A laugh bubbled up from Elara's throat. "Is that what marriage is now? Endurance?"
"In our world," her mother said softly, "sometimes it is."
The next day, Elara stood before the gates of Arclight Industries. Steel and glass towers rose like monuments to ego and power. Damien's empire.
She had worn her most composed expression and her sharpest black coat—armor more than fashion. Her spine straightened with every step, rehearsing indifference.
The receptionist greeted her with a cool nod. "Mr. Arclight is expecting you."
Of course he was.
She was led to the top floor, where a private office loomed like a throne room. And there he was—leaning against the edge of his desk, as though he hadn't just destroyed her family's legacy.
Damien Arclight.
He wore power like a second skin. Tailored black suit, pale shirt unbuttoned at the collar, no tie. His eyes were ice-gray, like storm clouds just before lightning strikes. His features were chiseled, deliberate—too handsome for someone so heartless.
"Elara," he said, as though they were old friends. She didn't sit.
"This is a joke," she said. "You think you can gut my family's company, and then offer me marriage like... like you're doing me a favor?"
Damien's lips curved in a faint smile. "It's not a favor. It's a business arrangement."
Her jaw tightened. "You could have picked any heiress. Any socialite. Why me?"
"Because you're valuable," he said simply. "You know how this world works. You were raised to lead, not follow. And..." He stepped closer. "Because taking you would complete the victory."
The air grew heavy. She should have slapped him.
But she didn't. She needed answers.
"And what do you get out of this?" she asked. "A trophy? A pawn?"
"I get the Vance name attached to mine. I get you silenced—no lawsuits, no vendettas, no press drama. In return, your family survives."
Elara stared at him.
This wasn't romance. It wasn't even politics. It was war.
And she was the peace offering.
"If I agree," she said slowly, "what guarantees do I have?"
"I'll clear every debt. Pay off the lawsuits. Restore your family's estate. Publicly, you'll be the phoenix bride—the woman who saved her legacy. And no one will know the cost."
"And what do you expect from me?"
Damien's voice dropped. "Loyalty. Discretion. Public appearances when needed. A role to play."
"No affection?" she challenged.
"That," he said, "is optional. But I rarely lose interest in what's mine."
A chill raced down her spine.
Elara sat in her childhood bedroom that night, staring at the contract Damien had given her—ten pages of legality and control. A prenuptial agreement, confidentiality clauses, a two-year minimum term.
She could walk away. Let her family drown in disgrace.
Or she could sell herself into a golden cage.
Her pen hovered above the signature line. And then, with steady fingers, she wrote her name.