Chapter 1 1

The subway car smelled of stale sweat and metallic friction. Elodie gripped the metal pole, her knuckles white. The train screeched as it hurtled through the dark tunnel, the lights flickering overhead. It was a stark contrast to the silent, climate-controlled atmosphere of the penthouse she had left an hour ago.

The morning sun sliced through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the penthouse, hitting Elodie Sinclair's face like a physical blow. She didn't move. She lay perfectly still on the charcoal silk sheets, the cold air of the room settling into her bones. The space beside her was empty. The sheets were cold.

She reached for her phone on the nightstand, her movements heavy, like moving through water. The screen lit up, blinding her for a second. A notification from The New York Times sat at the top of the list.

Kensington Heir to Wed Vanderbilt Socialite in Merger of the Decade.

Her heart didn't just stop; it felt like it dropped into her stomach. The air left her lungs. She stared at the pixelated photo of Braxton Kensington and Caroline Vanderbilt. They looked perfect. Polished. Untouchable.

The bathroom door swung open. The heavy scent of sandalwood and expensive soap filled the room. Braxton walked out, a towel low on his hips, water droplets clinging to the hard lines of his chest. He didn't look at her. He walked straight to the walk-in closet, his focus entirely on the day ahead.

Elodie sat up. The silk sheet pooled around her waist. She forced her hand to stop shaking as she turned the phone screen toward him.

"Is this real?" Her voice was raspy, unused.

Braxton paused. He glanced at the phone, then at her. His expression didn't change. It was the same look he gave a fluctuating stock graph-mild interest, zero emotion.

"It's the Times, Elodie. They fact-check."

He turned his back to her and dropped the towel. He pulled on a pair of boxer briefs, his movements efficient, mechanical.

Elodie swallowed the bile rising in her throat. She slid out of bed, her bare feet sinking into the plush carpet. "Clause 12," she said, her voice gaining a fraction more strength. "The Non-Disclosure and Companionship Agreement. Section 4, Paragraph 2. It states that upon a material change to the Primary Party's status, such as a formal betrothal, the contract is null and void, and the Secondary Party is entitled to a severance of five million dollars."

She stood there, naked and shivering, demanding her freedom. Five million dollars. It was enough to pay off the final tier of her father's debts. It was enough to keep her mother in the care facility for another ten years. It was an exit strategy.

Braxton pulled on his dress shirt. He began buttoning it from the bottom up. He didn't turn around. "Read it again."

"I know what it says, Braxton."

"Do you?" He turned then. He looked immaculate. Crisp white shirt, dark hair perfectly styled. He walked over to the nightstand, opened the drawer, and pulled out a thick document. He tossed it onto the bed. It landed with a heavy thud, sliding open to reveal the breakdown of the Sinclair family debt.

"Read the fine print, Elodie." He took a step toward her. The air between them grew thin. "The clause specifies legal marriage. Not an engagement. Not a press release. A legally binding, state-recognized marriage."

Elodie felt the blood drain from her face. She stepped back, the back of her knees hitting the edge of the mattress. "That's... that's semantics. An engagement of this magnitude is a promise of marriage, a material change."

"In a court of law, an engagement is an intention. A marriage is a contract." Braxton closed the distance between them. He towered over her, his shadow swallowing her whole. He reached out and gripped her chin, his fingers firm, forcing her to look up at him. His eyes were dark, devoid of warmth. "And until I sign that marriage license, you belong to me."

"You're engaging to another woman," she whispered, her hands balling into fists at her sides. "How can you..."

"Don't talk to me about morality, Elodie." His thumb brushed her lower lip, a touch that was possessive rather than affectionate. "You're here because your father couldn't manage a ledger. You're here because you needed a savior. Five million?" He let out a short, humorless laugh. He dropped his hand from her face as if she were something soiled. "That wouldn't even cover the interest on what your family lost this quarter."

He walked to the dresser and picked up his platinum cufflinks. He slid them into place, checking his reflection in the mirror. Their eyes met in the glass.

"I can't do this anymore," Elodie said. "The public humiliation... Caroline..."

"You will do it," he said to the mirror. "You will do it until the debt is cleared. Or until I get bored."

He picked up his wallet. He pulled out a black American Express card. He didn't hand it to her. He flicked his wrist, and the card spun through the air, landing on the carpet between her feet.

"Get a dress," he said, grabbing his briefcase. "Something that doesn't make you look like a tragic charity case. The gala is on Saturday."

Elodie stared at the card. The black plastic gleamed against the white carpet. Every fiber of her being screamed to kick it away. To scream. To throw something. But the image of her mother, hooked up to machines in a facility that cost twenty thousand dollars a month, flashed behind her eyes.

Braxton walked to the door. He paused, his hand on the handle. He didn't look back.

"Until I say it ends, Elodie. The game isn't over."

The heavy oak door slammed shut. The sound vibrated through the floorboards, traveling up Elodie's legs.

She collapsed onto the floor. Her knees hit the carpet hard. She stared at the black card. She reached out, her fingers trembling, and picked it up. The edge was sharp. It cut into her skin.

She went to the bathroom and turned on the shower. She stood under the spray, turning the handle until the water was scalding. She scrubbed her skin until it was red, trying to wash away the feeling of his eyes, his words, his ownership.

Twenty minutes later, she walked out of the apartment. She did not leave the black card on the table. It was a lifeline, however hateful. She tucked it deep into the pocket of her old coat, the one with the fraying hem. She stepped into the elevator, the rapid descent making her stomach lurch.

Outside, the city was loud and indifferent. She merged into the crowd of commuters, just another face in New York. But she felt the invisible chain around her neck, heavy and cold.