Chapter 2 A DEAL WITH NO HEART

The days leading up to his wedding felt like an endless blur to Sebastian. He went through the motions..meetings, calls, business deals, and superficial conversations that all seemed to fade into the background. The only constant was the pressure, the weight of expectations pressing on his chest like a vice. His marriage to Adriana Verne was just days away, and despite all the planning, it felt like an inevitability. A responsibility he had no choice but to fulfill.

He sat in his private office, the blinds drawn tightly, the harsh glow of his desk lamp casting long shadows across the room. He should have been reviewing the final details for the wedding-confirming the guest list, approving the venue arrangements-but instead, his mind kept wandering to a different place, a place he didn't want to acknowledge.

He thought about Scarlett Hayes.

It had been weeks since their first meeting. He had told himself it was nothing-a fleeting distraction. She was just a woman who knew how to press his buttons, a woman who dared to speak her mind without fear of his status. But there was something about her. The way she carried herself, the way she spoke her truth without hesitation, the way her eyes sparked with defiance. It wasn't just her beauty-it was her fire. And it unsettled him more than he cared to admit.

"Focus, Sebastian," he muttered under his breath, gripping the edge of his desk with white knuckles. "She's nothing but a fleeting thought. You can't afford this."

He ran a hand through his jet-black hair, frustration building. It was ridiculous. Scarlett Hayes was nothing more than a brief moment in his life, a woman whose presence had unsettled him more than it should have. But try as he might, he couldn't shake the image of her-her laugh, her eyes, the way she stood so boldly before him.

Another knock at the door broke his thoughts.

"Mr. Hale?" came the voice of his assistant, breaking through the tension in his chest.

"Come in," Sebastian responded, his voice clipped. He couldn't afford to be distracted. Not now. Not with everything on the line.

She entered with a stack of papers, placing them on his desk. "The final wedding documents. Everything is ready for Friday. The guest list, the contracts-your approval is all that's left."

Sebastian's eyes skimmed over the documents without really seeing them. He could feel his assistant's gaze lingering on him, her concern palpable. She had been working with him for years, and she knew him too well. She'd sensed his change in mood, his distant behavior. But he couldn't afford to indulge in these emotions.

"Is something wrong, Mr. Hale?" she asked softly, hesitating as she caught the look in his eyes. "You seem... distracted."

Sebastian's jaw clenched. He didn't want to explain. He couldn't explain. No one understood. His father's voice echoed in his mind: Emotions are a weakness. Get rid of them, and you'll be unstoppable.

"I'm fine," he said, his voice devoid of warmth, the walls he'd built around himself hardening once again. "Just leave them on the desk. I'll go over them later."

The assistant nodded, but there was still a hesitation in her step as she backed out of the room. "Of course, Mr. Hale. Let me know if you need anything."

The door clicked shut, and the room felt colder, emptier. Sebastian stared at the papers, but all he could see was Scarlett's face. Her words, her laugh, her fierce determination. Why couldn't he get her out of his head?

He gritted his teeth, standing up abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor. He had worked too hard for this empire, too long to let something-or someone-derail him now.

His fingers hovered over the wedding documents, his mind swirling with doubt. This marriage to Adriana is what I need. It's what's best for business, for my future. Yet, deep down, the gnawing sense of dissatisfaction clawed at him.

Then, his phone buzzed on the desk.

A message. From Damien.

"Meeting tonight. You in?"

Sebastian stared at the message, his finger hovering over the screen. He had been avoiding Damien for days, burying himself in work to avoid the discussions that always came with those meetings. Damien knew him too well. He knew when something was off, when Sebastian's walls were beginning to crack.

"I'll be there," Sebastian typed, the words feeling final, almost like a resignation.

He dropped the phone back onto the desk, standing by the window, looking down at the city lights. The bustling streets below seemed a world away from the cold, lonely space he stood in.

For years, he had shielded himself from any feelings. He had built an empire, a fortress. But now, as the night pressed on and the wedding loomed closer, he felt something shifting inside him-something he couldn't control.

What if this is all a lie?

His mind screamed to push those thoughts aside, to focus on what mattered: power, control, legacy. He had to marry Adriana. He couldn't let anything-especially a woman like Scarlett-get in the way.

But as he gazed out into the night, something gnawed at his soul. The question lingered, unanswered and dangerous.

Was he willing to sacrifice everything he had built just to feel something real?