Chapter 3 A Deal with the Devil

In the luxurious living room of her Upper East Side parents' apartment, Victoria Watson stood still. She always thought of the room-with its soft carpets, vintage pieces of furniture, and expensive paintings-as a museum, beautiful yet distant. Now, it appeared to be shackling her like a jail. She could hear every single one of her pulses, and her heart was racing. Her father had just said something that made her uneasy with every breath. They lingered in the atmosphere heavy.

"Are you joking?" she managed to ask, her voice scarcely audible above a whisper.

Those words seemed strange to her, as though they were said by someone else.

Margaret, her mother and an embodiment of Upper East Side grace in her tailored Chanel suit, nervously wrung her well-manicured hands. "Sweetheart, we-"

"Tell me this is a sick joke!" With a little laugh Victoria looked between her parents and said something. Her sense of urgency was reflected in an uneasy silence.

Robert, in a familiar manner, adjust his silk tie. Victoria has seen her father in formal business meetings on several times. This shaking of anxiety was obvious. He looked from her to the artwork that hung on the other wall. "It's not a joke, Victoria," was his almost clear response. "The agreement was signed before you were born. Now that law school is over, let's fulfil our end of the agreement."

Victoria's thoughts raced as she tried to understand the weight of what she was hearing. In this age, a contract marriage? And to Louis Sebastian, of all people? The arrogant, rude billionaire whose ruthless past precedes him? It all felt too absurd to be real.

She shook her head and said, "No,". "I won't do it." Her comments expressed all the determination and commitment she had cultivated over years of pursuing success in her career and studies.

Robert's face hardened and the lines around his lips enlarged. This was the expression Victoria had seen him make in boardrooms, but it was never directed at her. "You don't have a choice," he said in a voice that didn't sound open to argument. "The Sebastians saved the financial collapse of our family. We owe them this"

His comments had a weight that Victoria could feel on a bodily level. "So you're selling me to pay your debt?" She yelled, her expression changing from disbelief to rage.

Victoria backed away as if she had been burnt by her mother's touch. She raised her voice and asked, "Understand what?" "That my own parents see me as a commodity to be traded?"

"We've given you everything," Robert yelled, losing his own cool. "The best schools, endless opportunities-"

"Except a choice in who I marry!" Victoria fired back, her words hurt as she spoke.

there was silence at this moment, only the vintage grandfather clock in the corner, breaking the silence in the room. Her thoughts raced, trying hard to get her out of this nightmare.

"What if I refuse?" With a low, frightening voice, she asked, It was the voice she had been training to scare her opponents with during the trial. She would never have thought to turn the tables on her own parents.

Robert's expression shifted and his eyes became strict. "The Sebastians will repayment of the debts we owe. Everything will be gone, including our house, our company, and our standing in society. Everything."

Victoria could feel her carefully constructed world crumble around her. She wondered if her hard-earned law degree and her dreams of making a difference in the world would be compromised by her parents' poor financial decisions.

"When?" she said, her voice suddenly free of rage.

"The wedding has been set for next month," Margaret said calmly, as if showing compassion could lessen the suffering.

Victoria's expression changed to one of shock as her head sprang up. "A month? In a month, you expect me to marry a complete stranger?"

Victoria looked surprised as her head sprang up. "A month? In a month, you expect me to marry a complete stranger?" Victoria said, her expression becomes defensive. "He's hardly a stranger," Robert protested. "You've met Louis at charity events-"

"Where he was consistently rude and dismissive!" Victoria interrupted, her voice rising again. A memory flashed through her mind - Louis Sebastian at a gala, barely acknowledging her existence as she tried to engage him in conversation about his company's environmental policies. "Does he even know about this?"

She only needed to look at her parents' guilty expressions to know what she needed to know.

She wondered, running a hand over her beautifully coiffed hair, "Unbelievable." "So I'm the last to know about my own arranged marriage."

Too tired to spend another moment in the living room with her parents, Victoria turned and rushed out the door.

"Where are you going?" Margaret called out, a note of panic in her voice.

Victoria's hand paused on the doorknob. Without turning back, she snapped, "To get some air before I suffocate in here." The door slammed behind her with a satisfying bang.

As she hurried out into the warm New York evening, her mind was racing with ideas and emotions. How could her parents have taken advantage of her? How could they have been allowed to take her future for nothing? And what role was Louis Sebastian involved in all of this? Did he know? Was she the only one shocked or was this all part of a bigger plan?

Victoria's life has entirely shifted from what had seemed to be such a well-organised life. Her feet on the pavement seemed to be trembling as if the very foundations of her world were giving way.

Victoria arrived at a little park and sat down on a bench as her legs gave out.

With shaking hands, Victoria took out her phone and flipped through her contacts. Who could she talk to about this? Her friends wouldn't understand; finding a perfect apartment or securing the perfect job was their top priority. They have no experience with this.

Then she noticed Barry Joe's name, which caused her to halt. her ex-boyfriend even though she had moved on to focus on her career. Barry, with his easy laugh and kind personality. Could he even understand? Could he help?

Victoria took up her phone and gave Barry a call.

The voice of Barry emerged from the speaker. He sounded both curious and a bit unease. Of course, he wouldn't recognise her phone number. After their breakup, she made the adjustment as part of her fresh start approach to move on.

Victoria opened her lips, but nothing came out. She cried as the weight of the situation hit her once more. How could she say anything? She was unsure about what to do.

Barry's reluctant "Hello?" was the only sound to break the prolonged silence. on the other end.

Victoria panicked and hung up the phone. She looked at the phone she was holding. She couldn't recognise her own reflection on the dark screen.

The reality of the situation dawned on her. But she refused to allow a contract she had never accepted control how she lived.