Chapter 1 The Mistake Of The Little Woman

Inside the sprawling Madrid Hotel, a chill lingered in the air, the kind that came from dread and unspoken fears.

Catalina sat with her hands clenched, her voice trembling as she admitted, "I didn't want to go through with this, Sofia." Her eyes shimmered with pain and something close to panic.

Sofia's words came out hushed and strained. "If there had been any way for me to help you, I would have done it, you know that."

Everyone in the city knew Catalina De La Cruz had been chosen-picked out like an object-to marry a man whose reputation for cruelty and arrogance stretched all the way from Germany to Spain. Sofia Morgan stood near the grand window, her heart aching as she watched her dearest friend grapple with the weight of her fate.

"I knew, Sof. But let's be honest, there was nothing either of us could do. I couldn't run, not from this. The only thing left was to accept what was coming."

"How could your family have just handed you off like some kind of property?"

"When you grew up without parents, things like this happened. You were lucky, Sofia. You had your parents, your siblings, your little nieces and nephews. You had always been the light of your family."

Sofia had heard about Harry Meyer. The rumors were all true-he was as harsh and heartless as they said, and older by far.

Catalina looked at the contract in her hands, disgust written on her face. "Some of these rules were sickening. They wanted me locked up in this room for twenty-four hours."

"Catalina, believe me, if I could have changed this for you, I would have in a heartbeat."

"You were already doing so much just by staying with me, Sofia. But you had your exam coming up. Maybe it was time to say goodbye for now."

"Of course, it's my last exam before I defend my thesis, but as soon as I finish, I'll come straight back here." Sofia reassured, trying her best to comfort her friend.

"You don't need to do that, Sofia. Maybe after your exam, you should talk with your family-find your own happiness for a change. I don't want to drag you down."

"I'll talk to my parents, and I'll catch up with my siblings and my nephews. But you're family to me, too. You know that. They have their own lives, and I'm just trying to build mine. You're like a sister, Catalina. I'll see you as soon as I can."

Catalina rose from her seat and wrapped Sofia in a tight hug. "I'll be here waiting for you."

A moment later, Sofia left the suite and stepped into the elevator. When the doors slid open, she paused just outside, Catalina's words echoing in her mind and a helpless ache gnawing at her. She couldn't let Catalina become a sacrifice for that monstrous man.

Just then, voices from around the corner caught her ear.

"Mr. Meyer will arrive any minute. Everything needs to be set in Suite 701."

"No one is to disturb him. You know what he's like," one staff member whispered urgently.

Sofia's heart pounded. Was Harry Meyer really in this very hotel? Fate had handed her a rare opportunity-one she couldn't waste.

Without another thought, she pressed the elevator button, rode to the seventh floor, and strode down the plush hallway. She found herself outside Suite 701, drew a deep breath, and knocked firmly on the door.

The door eased open with deliberate slowness.

A man dressed in a crisp, dark suit gave her a silent nod, motioning for her to step inside. Not a word passed his lips. Sofia wondered if perhaps Harry was expecting someone else, and they'd mistaken her for that person.

Inside, the suite outshone even Catalina's-every detail exuded wealth and power. The air carried hints of fine leather and the smoky sweetness of aged whiskey. At the far end of the room, a man sat with his back to her, silhouetted against the window, posture composed and commanding. His face was hidden from view.

"Mr. Meyer," Sofia called out, her voice trembling despite her resolve. "I realize this must seem impulsive-maybe even disrespectful-but I'm begging you, please don't make Catalina marry you. She wants nothing to do with this arrangement. There has to be another solution. Maybe you already know this, but it isn't right for her family to just trade her away like a possession."

An uneasy silence settled over the room, as if the very walls were holding their breath.

The man in the chair slowly swiveled to face her.

Sofia felt her heart skip a beat.

The man who regarded her was nothing like the infamous Harry Meyer in all those grainy photographs. He was younger, strikingly handsome, and yet his eyes held a piercing sharpness-a gaze that could unravel secrets without mercy.

"Catalina?" he said, arching a brow as if rolling the name across his tongue, testing its taste. "I'm afraid I haven't the slightest idea who you are. But your request-now that is quite intriguing."

"You're not Harry Meyer?"

A hint of a smile played at the corners of his lips. "No. The name's Naven Fort. And it seems you've just burst into my room, asking a stranger for a very unusual favor."

Sofia's breath caught in her throat.

"I... I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have come here-I made a mistake-"

He cut her off, his voice colder than stone. "No one walks into my suite asking favors without understanding there's a price."

She instinctively stepped back, unease prickling along her skin.

"W-what exactly are you saying?"

Naven stood, unfolding from his chair with a grace that was both elegant and intimidating. He was taller than she'd anticipated, his presence filling the room until it felt like the air had thickened.

"You said your friend wants nothing to do with Meyer. I can put a stop to it. I have pull, connections-and a direct line to Meyer himself."

A flicker of hope mingled with suspicion in Sofia's eyes.

"What would you want in return?"

He met her gaze, unwavering. "You'll marry me. That's the bargain. I need a wife-someone willing to enter into a marriage contract."

Sofia went still, her thoughts tumbling in her mind, unable to process the words that seemed to freeze time itself.

"Become my wife, and your friend's problem disappears." He repeated himself, leaving no room for misunderstanding.

Sofia's lungs forgot how to work for a moment.

"W-what are you even saying?" she whispered, her voice unsteady and thin.

Naven began to close the distance between them, his movements calm, almost refined, as if he hadn't just turned her world upside down.

"You walked into my private suite uninvited, and started speaking about people and problems that have nothing to do with me. And yet, I happen to be someone who could fix them." He stopped just a step away, his gaze unwavering. "So tell me. Would it not make sense for me to ask for something in return?"

Sofia backed away, her heel catching the edge of the glass table behind her.

"I only came because I was desperate. I thought you were Harry Meyer. I just wanted to protect my friend."

"I'm not Meyer," he replied quietly, never breaking eye contact. "But depending on what you decide, I could be far worse... or far better."

A chill crept up Sofia's spine. She suddenly felt as though she'd wandered into something she couldn't undo. Not because he had trapped her, but because she had stepped into the wrong place at the wrong time.

"I can't marry a stranger. I don't know you. I don't know what you truly want."

"I'm offering you a contract. Plain and simple. Marry me, and I'll put an end to Catalina's engagement to Meyer." Naven inched closer, his gaze cool and impossible to decipher. "It's up to you whether you see this as a sacrifice or a chance to change everything."

Sofia dropped her eyes to the polished floor. Her breath grew shallow, chest tight as thoughts spun wildly through her mind.

Could she really do it? Hand herself over to a man she knew nothing about, a man whose voice never wavered with warmth or anger, just to pull Catalina out of a nightmare?

Her mind filled with memories-her friend's broken smile, the quiet tremble in Catalina's voice, the sorrow she tried to keep hidden. The fear that was all too real.

She remembered her own responsibilities, the looming exam, her family waiting at home, her little nephews who always believed she was the boldest of them all.

Finally, with a shaky breath, Sofia lifted her head and met Naven's gaze.