Chapter 3 3. Loophole

MAYA

The world was a blur as my feet moved, but I didn't feel them. My brain kept playing the same image over and over, my spineless father, staring at the floor while a stranger bought me for five hundred million dollars.

He sold me. The man who was supposed to protect me had put a price tag on my head and handed the leash to a man who looked like he'd never felt a shred of mercy in his life.

"Get in the car."

Silas's voice snapped me back to reality, sharp and cold as the Bay York wind hit my face. We were at the curb, and three massive, black SUVs were waiting, their engines humming as if they were impatient to haul away the day's latest purchase.

I looked at the open door of the middle car, then back at Silas. I shook my head, taking a staggering step backward. "No. No, I'm not getting in there. This isn't real. You can't just collect people."

Silas looked at his watch, his jaw tight. "You're wasting my time, Maya. I have a board meeting at six. Get in."

I stood my ground, though my brain was screaming at my legs to run. "I don't care how many zeros were on that cheque, Mr. Blackwood. I am a human being, not a business acquisition. You don't get to command me just because my father decided that selling me was cheaper than therapy for his gambling habit!"

Silas closed the distance, his frame blocking out the sun and pinning me in his shadow. There was an amused glint in his gaze, a look that told me my defiance wasn't a threat. It was entertainment.

"That mouth of yours really doesn't stop moving, does it? I wonder if it'll be quite as chatty when you're saying your vows."

Vows? The word hit me like a physical blow. This wasn't just a debt but this was a life sentence. My pride finally took a backseat to my survival instincts. I panicked. I spun around to run, my heels clicking frantically on the sidewalk, but I didn't make it three steps.

Before I could even draw a breath to scream, Silas's arms were around me. He scooped me up effortlessly, hoisting me against his chest in a bridal carry that felt more like a kidnapping.

I gasped as the world tilted, my hands instinctively flying up to grab his shoulders for balance before I remembered I was supposed to be fighting him. My heart was beating fast, but it wasn't just from the fear. It was the way he held me, as if I weighed nothing at all.

"Put me down! You asshole! Let me go!" I screamed, finally finding my voice. I hammered my fists against his chest, but it was like hitting a brick wall. He didn't even flinch. His grip only tightened, his fingers digging into the back of my knees and my waist.

"Are you insane? We just met ten minutes ago!" I yelled into the crook of his neck. "You don't just kidnap and marry people because you have a high credit limit!"

He didn't say a word. He didn't even look at me. He just carried me toward the SUV calmly, while I swung my feet in defiance, feeling small and pathetic.

He tossed me into the backseat like a piece of luggage and climbed in after me, his large frame making the spacious SUV feel suddenly cramped. The door slammed shut with a heavy, final thud.

"Drive," he muttered to the driver, not even glancing at me as he adjusted his suit jacket.

I scrambled to the opposite door, pulling the handle until my fingers hurt, but it was useless. It was locked.

I turned to him, my voice trembling. "I need to go home. Please. I have things. I can't just leave."

Silas turned his head slowly. He looked at my tear-filled eyes, his expression unreadable. For a long second, those ocean-blue eyes searched mine, looking for the lie, for the manipulation, for the sarcasm I usually used as a shield. But there was nothing left but the truth.

"My mother's things," I whispered, the words catching in my throat. "I have a box, photos, her jewelry, a scarf that still smells like her perfume. If I'm never coming back to that apartment, I can't leave them behind. They're all I have left of her."

The silence in the car became heavy. I watched his jaw work, a small muscle jumping in his cheek. For a second, I thought he was going to mock me and tell me he'd buy me a diamond for every photograph I lost. But then he looked away, staring out the tinted window at the blurring city.

"Five minutes," he didn't look at me, but he gave a curt, sharp nod to the driver. "Make a stop at her apartment. Five minutes. And If she isn't back in the car by the sixth minute, I'll go in and get her. I don't care what she's wearing or what she's holding."

When we arrived at my building, Silas didn't let me out of his sight. He followed me up the narrow stairs, his presence making the hallway feel suffocatingly small.

"I need privacy. I thought you'd wait in the car," I said, my hand trembling as I gripped my bedroom door handle. My heart was racing so hard I thought it might burst through my chest. "It's my last time here. Give me time to say goodbye to my life in peace."

He hesitated, his ocean-blue eyes scanning the room behind me, checking for second exits or hidden windows with the precision of a soldier. Finally, he stepped back, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I changed my mind. Five minutes, Maya. If you aren't out by then, I'm coming in to get you."

I slammed the door. I didn't go for my clothes. I didn't go for my mother's jewelry. I grabbed my passport from the nightstand and pulled out my phone, my fingers shaking as I typed a one-word message to Liam: HELP.

I kicked off my heels, shoving my feet into a pair of worn sneakers.

A heavy, authoritative knock hit the door, making me jump. "One minute, Maya."

"I'm coming! I'm just grabbing a photo!" I yelled back, already swinging my leg out the window.

The fire escape was cold against my palms as I climbed down like a woman possessed. I hit the pavement of the alley and ran. I didn't look back. I didn't stop until I hailed a taxi three blocks away, screaming Liam's address at the driver as I collapsed into the backseat.

When I saw Liam, the dam finally broke. I fell into his arms, sobbing out the story of the contract, the $500 million, and the man who was currently waiting outside my empty bedroom.

Liam's face went deathly pale. "He thinks he bought you? Like you're a piece of property?" He grabbed his car keys, his jaw set in a line of pure defiance. "There's a loophole, Maya. If we get married right now before he can force you into anything his contract with Arthur becomes legally void. He can't claim a married woman as a debt settlement."

"You want to marry me? Now?" I asked, breathless.

"I love you, and I won't let a man like Silas Blackwood have you," Liam said, pulling me toward the door with a desperate urgency. "Come on. We're going to the Marriage Bureau. We do this now, or you're his forever."