Chapter 3 THREE

As Amber opened her eyes, she couldn't help but feel disoriented. "Mm...where am I?" she murmured, as she stretched her stiff limbs. The soft bedding was unfamiliar, and the light in the room was different.

She sat up and blinked a few times, trying to bring her surroundings into focus. The floor-to-ceiling window revealed that she was high up in a condominium. The view was stunning, and she could see the downtown skyline glittering in the distance.

"This place is incredible." She murmured.

The last thing she remembered was standing in a courtroom, but after that, everything was a blur.

Suddenly, her phone began to buzz incessantly. She picked it up and saw a flurry of messages and notifications from her social media handles.

Each one was more urgent than the last. Thankfully, the photo had been taken down, but the damage was already done.

She had gotten emails from various brands canceling her endorsements, directors informing her she had lost her roles in the upcoming movies, and even her agency had its threats.

"No, this can't be." She croaked. She quickly picked up her phone and called her assistant, who didn't pick up, so she called her manager instead.

"Hello?" he answered, his voice calm and collected, as if this were a normal business call. But for Amber, it felt like the walls were closing in around her.

"Mr Lu," she began, her voice shaking. "I - I need your help." There was a pause on the other end of the line, and she could feel her heart pounding in her chest.

"It's my endorsements and my movie roles. I got an email from Zola - they're canceling my endorsement," she said, her voice faltering. "And the agent called and said that I've been dropped from the two movies I was-"

"That's enough!" Mr Lu snapped, "I don't know what you want me to do about it," he said, his voice sounding exasperated. "You're a C-list actress, these things happen, infact you brought this on yourself." She felt like she'd been punched in the gut, the words hitting her like a physical blow.

"What are you talking about, Mr Lu?" Her heart sank,

"Over the past few years, you've been nothing but trouble to Han Entertainment, all those petty scandals." She could hear the frown in his voice.

"You know none of them was true! I was framed, and it was-"

"The drunk driving, you almost killed a person, and now this?!" He let out an exasperated sigh. "Pierce Astor released a statement saying he wasn't the one in the photo. you cheated on him, Amber-"

"No, he set me up!" She snapped,

"That was the line, Amber-"

"Wh-what are you talking about?" She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, her breathing shallow and ragged. "There has to be something I can do to fix this! I'll do anything!" Her voice pleaded,

"I'm sorry, Amber, but it's too late," he said, his voice like a death sentence. "Han Entertainment is ending your contract."

A wave of anger washed over her. "You can't do this!" she hissed, her voice dripping with betrayal. "You can't just throw away everything we've worked for over one stupid mistake!" Her mind raced, trying to figure out a solution.

"There has to be something I can do to fix this! I'll do anything!" But Mr Lu was unmoved. "I'm sorry, Amber, but it's too late," he said again, his tone as cold as ice. "You're expected to be at the agency tomorrow. Mr Han wants to see you." And with that, he hung up.

Amber pursed her lips as she fought back tears,

"In just a day, I've lost everything I've worked for," she choked out, her voice quivering.

Just then, she got a notification on a recent Instagram post. She had been avoiding social media, but it all seemed inevitable.

So she decided to take a peek, and as expected, the comments cut her deeper than the news she had just gotten.

"She cheated on her boyfriend?! Such a slut! A C-list actress with no basic acting skills...She just ended her career with her own hands...Why would any sane person cheat on Pierce Astor?! I never really liked her, with her ugly and fake smile....I heard she had plastic surgery, but she never made it past the C-list."

As Amber stared at the comments, she felt her lips press together tightly, and her nails dug into her palms as she clenched her fists. She blinked rapidly as the words blurred together, her eyes stinging as the tears threatened to spill over. She tried to take a deep breath, but it felt like she was suffocating.

Xavier walked into the room and quickly took the phone out of Amber's hands. He had noticed how tightly she was gripping it, her knuckles white with tension. Her whole body was tense, as if she was bracing herself for a blow.

"That's enough of that negativity," he said, putting the phone down and sitting down across from her.

"It's good to see you awake," he said, with a hint of sarcasm. "I thought you were upset about having to kiss me in front of the judge, but the doctor said you collapsed from shock and stress."

"What are you doing here?" Amber sobbed,

He scoffed,

"This is my place," he said casually. "It was the closest to the courthouse, so I figured it would be convenient."

Her eyes widened in surprise.

"You own this place?" she asked. The words were barely out of her mouth when she regretted them. The intensity of his blue-eyed gaze made her feel worse.

"What? You thought I was some homeless, illegitimate son?" he snapped. She didn't know what to say and couldn't bear to look at him.

"What other nasty things did you hear about me?" he demanded. "That I'm poor, old, and broke?" She lowered her eyes.

He paused then continued, "I built my business empire from scratch," he continued, his voice still cold and hard. "No one handed me a fortune, and I didn't steal from anyone to get where I am. I earned every penny of my success!"

There was a cold silence in the room before she finally asked,

"Then why did you ask me to marry you?" She asked, her tone serious.

"Because my father wanted me to marry into the Hamilton family." He replied, his tone nonchalant.

"But your nephew-"

"I'm not my nephew, Miss Hamilton." He told her flatly.

It was clear they had a rift between them, but she was confused and needed answers,

"But still-"

"But still, I won't let him have the last laugh, Miss Hamilton." He said with a small frown.

Realization immediately dawned on Amber,

"So this is all a game to you?

"No, Miss Hamilton...I'd prefer to call it business." He replied as he handed her the paperwork he came with.

"What's this?" Amber frowned,

"The prenuptial agreement we were supposed to sign before getting into this contract marriage...Is in there."

"I don't understand..." She shook her head,

"I come from a family of very selfish people. My father, William, is selfish to his sons, and so my step brother, Charles, is selfish to his father.

The Hamilton family is one of the most powerful and wealthy in the country," Xavier said. "You and your sister have assets, stocks, and bonds in your names."

His voice was calm, but there was a sternness to it that made her uneasy.

"And what would have happened if I had married your sister?" he continued. "All those assets would have been transferred to me. And since I do not need them, I would have simply given them to my father."

The implications of his words were unsettling, but it was all starting to make sense a bit,

"But I don't have those things...My stepmother took everything, and my weak father didn't say anything.

"Well, Charles caught in on this, and that's why Pierce had to find a way to dump you for the main target, Sophia."

"If you didn't need all of that, then why-"

"Oh! Just because." He shrugged; his confidence irritated her a little,

"Father wanted a Hamilton bride; a Hamilton bride he will get." He told her.

"So sign that. This marriage is all on paper; in the eyes of the Astor family, we're a happy couple. But here, we mind our own business." He stated as she read through,

"No sexual relations whatsoever. " She looked up at him.

"That night was an accident. It's not valid... And besides," He paused and cleared his throat, "You're not my type." He handed her a pen.

"Not his type?!" Amber thought. "So he doesn't even find me attractive; he's simply getting back at his father by marrying me because I don't have anything!" She screamed in her head as she signed the papers.

"You said I was going to benefit from all of this, but in the last few hours, things have only gotten worse. I've lost everything." She shook her head, tears streaming down her face.

"You have me." He said, his tone flat. "And if you cooperate with me, in return, I'll give you all you deserve as long as you stay clear from me. Do you understand?"

"No, I don't. I have you, but I'm supposed to stay clear from you?" Her brows furrowed,

"You'll figure it out." He got on his feet,

"I have to go-"

"The butler will be around till noon; ask him if you need anything." He reached the door, then turned in her direction,

"Welcome to the family, Miss Hamilton."