Chapter 9

Chrissy Castro POV:

Kendrick's words, delivered with chilling precision, struck Chrissy like a physical blow. Her carefully constructed facade of the doting fiancée, the cherished artist, shattered instantly. The blood drained from her face, leaving her pale and hollow. Transactional. Not personal. The brutal truth of her situation hung heavy in the air, cold and undeniable. She wasn't his love; she was his employee, his prop.

She remembered the meeting, six months ago, after Amirah's confession. Chrissy, a struggling artist with immense talent but no connections, had engineered a 'chance' encounter with Kendrick at a high-profile gallery opening. She'd admired his sharp intellect, his undeniable power. He, in turn, had been intrigued by her fiery ambition, her striking looks, perhaps seeing a reflection of his own ruthless drive.

He had been direct, almost brutally so. "I need a fiancée," he'd said, his eyes cold and assessing. "Someone intelligent, presentable, and ambitious. Someone who understands a mutually beneficial arrangement."

Chrissy, desperate for a foothold in the cutthroat art world, had been ecstatic. She envisioned a lavish wedding, a powerful husband, a life of luxury and endless opportunities. Her heart had fluttered with ambition, believing she could turn the 'arrangement' into real love. She was beautiful, intelligent, and charming. Surely, she could win him over.

He had clarified, his voice devoid of emotion. "This is temporary, Miss Castro. A calculated response to a... personal problem. Once that problem is resolved, our arrangement will dissolve. Amicably, of course." He had offered her a generous sum, a significant investment in her art, and a promise of invaluable connections.

She had hesitated, a flicker of doubt in her ambitious heart. But the lure of success, the promise of a future she could only dream of, was too strong. She had accepted, convincing herself she could change his mind, that her charm and talent would conquer his cold heart. She had believed she was being clever, manipulating the manipulator.

She had reveled in her new role, systematically replacing Amirah, erasing her presence from Kendrick's life, from his home. She had believed she had won, that she had eradicated the 'childish problem' and secured her place by his side. Every time she saw Amirah's pain, Chrissy felt a surge of triumph, a confirmation of her victory. She was the chosen one. She was the woman who had finally captured the elusive Kendrick Page.

But now, his words echoed in her ears, hollow and cold. This wasn't victory; it was a cage. She was a pawn, just like Amirah had been, used for his inscrutable purposes. He hadn't chosen her for love; he had chosen her for utility. The realization was a bitter pill, crushing her pride, her ambition, her carefully constructed fantasy.

"Kendrick," she whispered, her voice trembling, "you promised me... you promised me you would eventually marry me. That this wasn't just a business deal." She clung to that one desperate hope, the loophole she had convinced herself existed.

He met her gaze, his eyes cold and unyielding. "I promised you a wedding, Chrissy. A public spectacle to finalize Amirah's departure from my life. That wedding will happen, and you will get everything we agreed upon. But the nature of our relationship remains unchanged. It is, and always has been, a means to an end."

Kendrick Page POV:

His words, sharp and final, hung in the air, leaving Chrissy's face pale and stunned. He watched her, a flicker of something close to pity stirring within him, but he quickly suppressed it. It was a business arrangement. She knew the terms. He had been clear from the start. This charade, this carefully constructed lie, was for Amirah. To make her give up. To make her leave. To finally make her grow up and forge her own path. He believed, with an almost desperate conviction, that once she saw him unequivocally committed to another woman, she would finally move on. She had to.

He retreated to his study, the rich mahogany walls and leather-bound books offering a familiar, if cold, comfort. He ran a hand through his hair, a rare sign of his inner turmoil. He checked his phone. Still nothing. No call, no text, no email from Amirah. Not since she'd walked out of the penthouse this morning, calm and distant, a ghost already.

He sank into his armchair, the silence of the room pressing down on him. Had he been too harsh? Too cold? The image of her face, pale and resolute as she demanded he admit his self-serving motives, flashed in his mind. She had looked... different. Hardened. Not the hurt, volatile girl he usually saw, but a woman, quiet and unyielding.

He remembered the day he first saw her. A small, frail figure, dwarfed by the immense grief of her father's funeral. She was fifteen, her eyes wide and haunted, looking utterly lost. He had stepped in, as a matter of duty, a promise to his best friend. But then, she had burrowed into his life, a fragile plant clinging to the nearest sturdy tree. He had poured his time, his resources, his meticulous planning into raising her, protecting her, shaping her. He had given her everything, except... the one thing she wanted. Himself.

Her confession had terrified him. He was her guardian, her protector, a father figure. The thought of her loving him in that way, of crossing that sacred line, had been abhorrent. He had to crush it, decisively, cruelly if necessary, to save them both. He chose Chrissy, a beautiful, ambitious artist who understood the transactional nature of their arrangement. He had tasked her with systematically erasing Amirah's presence, dismantling her emotional hold on him, forcing her to see the futility of her feelings. He had believed he was doing the right thing, the necessary thing.

He had watched Amirah's desperate attempts to provoke him, her credit card stunts, her brushes with the law. Each time, he had felt a pang of something, an unfamiliar tightening in his chest, but he had dismissed it as irritation, as the justifiable frustration of a guardian dealing with a wayward ward. He reinforced her detachment, kept his distance, believed his plan was working perfectly. When she finally left, calm and composed, he had felt a strange mix of relief and... something else. An unexpected emptiness.

He had decided to fulfill his promise to Chrissy, to stage the wedding, the final, undeniable proof that Amirah had to move on. He had even convinced himself that this was a good thing for him too. A stable, beautiful partner, a public image of domesticity. But it was a lie, a hollow shell.

His past was a lonely testament to ambition. He had built an empire, but at the cost of genuine connection. He had no family, no true confidantes. He had believed that he was incapable of deep emotional attachment, that his life was destined to be one of solitary achievement. Then Amirah came. He had tried to fit her into a pragmatic box, a duty, a responsibility. But she was a vibrant, chaotic force, shattering his carefully constructed order.

Now, she was gone. Truly gone. His plan had worked too well. The emptiness in the penthouse was a physical ache, a silent scream. He had thought he needed her to 'grow up,' but perhaps he had only succeeded in growing her away from him. Perhaps he had mistaken his possessiveness for paternal care, his need for control for selfless guidance. He had pushed her away, thinking he was saving her, but he might have just pushed away the only person who had ever truly seen him, truly loved him, flaws and all.

He had planned to celebrate her birthday next week, to soften the blow of Chrissy's 'marriage,' to perhaps offer a different kind of olive branch. A final gesture before she truly embarked on her independent life. He had convinced himself it was a final act of guardianship, a last chance to guide her. But now, with her gone, with her complete silence, a cold dread coiled in his gut.

He needed to call her. He scrolled through his contacts, his thumb hovering over her name. He dialed. A mechanical voice answered, cold and impersonal. "The number you have dialed is currently unavailable. Please check the number and try again."