Chapter 4

The sterile smell of antiseptic was the first thing Chloe registered. The second was the soft, crisp sheets against her skin and the dull ache of an IV needle in the back of her hand.

She opened her eyes.

A man was sitting in a chair beside the bed, watching her. He was handsome, with sharp, aristocratic features, but his skin had a translucent pallor, as if he were carved from marble. It was the man from the lawn.

He saw she was awake and leaned forward, offering her a glass of water. His voice was gentle, yet it held an undercurrent of steel. "How are you feeling?"

Chloe ignored the water. Her eyes studied his face, piecing together the fragments of memory from last night. "You're Aurelio Finley," she said. It wasn't a question.

He inclined his head. "And you saved my life last night. Then you collapsed. I brought you to the hospital."

Finley.

The name landed in her stomach like a lead weight. So this was him. Her intended. The dying heir.

Aurelio watched her, his gaze analytical. This girl was a puzzle. She woke up in a strange place, a needle in her arm, and showed no fear. Only a guarded, unnerving calm.

Before their conversation could continue, the door to the room was thrust open with a loud bang.

Their arrival was not a coincidence. A well-meaning nurse, having heard Mr. Finley mention a "Miss Sharp" during admission and knowing the other Miss Sharp was being treated nearby, had seen fit to inform the family of their "reunion."

Jaleel, Damarion, and Seraphina stormed in.

Seraphina, the picture of wronged innocence, immediately burst into tears. "Brother, it's her! That's the one who cursed me! She made me faint with her black magic!"

Damarion pointed an accusing finger at Chloe. "You! You disaster! What are you doing here? This room was prepared for Mr. Finley's fiancée-but you don't belong in it! Get out!"

Jaleel turned to Aurelio, his face a mask of feigned apology. "Mr. Finley, I am so sorry you had to see this. This is our... difficult older sister. She's caused you enough trouble."

Damarion's bravado faltered for only a second before he added, "You can't mean to marry her. She's nothing but a curse herself. Seraphina was the one meant for you-the one our family offered!"

Chloe watched their performance with a detached, almost clinical curiosity.

Then, Aurelio slowly rose to his feet. He wasn't tall, and his frame was slender, but as he stood, an aura of immense power seemed to fill the room, chilling the air.

He moved to stand beside Chloe's bed, a silent, protective barrier. He looked at the three Sharp siblings, his eyes devoid of warmth.

"I believe you are mistaken," he said, his quiet voice cutting through their noise. He looked at Jaleel. "First, I arranged this room. For her."

His gaze shifted to Damarion. "Second, I brought her to this hospital."

Finally, his cold, piercing eyes landed on a trembling Seraphina. "And third, and most importantly, from this moment on, she is my fiancée. I will not have anyone speak to her with disrespect. Ever again."

The three of them froze, their mouths agape. They stared at the man they had written off as a walking corpse, now radiating an authority more potent than any of them had ever witnessed.

Damarion stammered, his earlier accusation crumbling. "But... but she's not-this isn't how it was supposed to-"

Aurelio's voice dropped, becoming a silken threat. "Do you have a problem with my choice? Or shall I call your father and explain how you're interfering with a Finley marriage contract-one your family begged for?"

The look in his eyes was not that of a sick man. It was the look of a predator. Damarion snapped his mouth shut.

Jaleel, ever the opportunist, recovered first. He grabbed his siblings. "Of course not, Mr. Finley. We were just... worried. Chloe is our sister, after all. We only want what's best for everyone."

Aurelio didn't even glance at them. "Then take your worry, and get out of my sight."

Jaleel practically dragged his stunned, resentful siblings out of the room, closing the door behind them.

Silence descended. Chloe stared at the back of the man standing guard by her bed. A strange, unfamiliar warmth bloomed in her chest. For the first time in her life, someone had stood up for her. Someone had protected her.

Aurelio turned back to her, the intimidating aura vanishing as if it had never been there. He was once again the pale, gentle man from before.

"I apologize for that," he said softly. "I hope they didn't frighten you."

Chloe shook her head, her eyes never leaving his. This man, this contract, this marriage... it was all becoming far more complicated than she had ever imagined.