Chapter 2 The Contract that Changed Everything

She had a lump in her throat. "Has he just said to get married?" She thought aloud. Her gaze returned to Damien's face as she looked for any indication that this was a nasty prank or some sort of joke. However, he maintained a stone-carved, unflappable visage, as though her response were just a foreseeable annoyance. Her voice was hardly audible above a whisper as she continued, "You can't be serious." "Miss Whitmore, I don't joke."

Selene's stomach twisted. "You expect me to marry you, to become your wife, because of some debt my father owed?" Damien walked over to his desk, sitting on his executive chair. "I expect you to uphold his obligation, as his heiress." She shook her head, her face heating up. "This is insane!" She said, her voice dying in her throat. "This debt is twenty million dollars." Twenty million? No wonder her father had never spoken about it. He knew there was no way out. Selene got up and retreated a step back towards the door, shaking her head.

"There must be an alternative." "There isn't." Damien spoke in a cool, straightforward, and firm tone. "You lack the funds." There is nothing you can do to stop this. However, I'm giving you an escape route. She screamed, "How in the hell is forced marriage a 'way out'?" "You'll be looked after. No more worrying about money, no more debt, no more fighting to pay the rent. I just need your cooperation." She detested the steady tone of his voice and the way he presented the proposal as though it were a straightforward everyday business deal. Selene gave him a fierce look. "What do you gain from this?" He stood up, walked over to her, and said, "Miss Whitmore, that's not your concern."

A shiver went through her body. She ought to have fled. She had no way out of this situation, yet the reality was like a razor at her throat. She took a deep breath. "I need time to reflect." Damien straightened up and filled the room with his presence. "You have until tomorrow." With a sharp exhale, Selene clutched the contract in her trembling hands. There was no decision made here. It was a sentence.

Leaving Blackwood Tower was hardly a memory for Selene. As she entered the dark sedan, her body moved automatically, her mind still reeling from Damien's demand. The truth of her situation hit her like a crashing wave by the time she arrived at her small flat. Twenty million dollars! No work, no miracle, could take that number out of the world.

Selene hardly remembered how she got home, and by the time she staggered into her small apartment, her hands were still shaking from holding the contract, the words burning into her mind: Twenty million dollars. A marriage proposal. No way out. Panic clawed at her chest as she gripped her phone with trembling fingers and dialled Ava Carter, the only person she could trust. Ava's voice was filled with concern the moment she picked it up and heard Selene say, "Hello," "Selene? What's wrong? Selene"

Selene let out a trembling breath. "I need you." After a little period of silence, Ava firmly stated, "I'm coming over." After fifteen minutes, Selene's door flung open, and Ava rushed in with worried eyes. Her black, curly hair was twisted back in an untidy bun, and she was still wearing her barista costume, which smelt of coffee and vanilla. "What on earth went wrong?" Ava threw her luggage on the couch and demanded. Selene took a deep breath and passed the contract to him. "Go through it." Ava's gaze flitted across the pages. She grew pallid as she continued to read. Her face was a mix of incredulity and rage when she eventually looked up.

"Is this a joke, please?" Selene chuckled dryly. "I hope it is." The contract was smashed upon the table by Ava. "Damien Blackwood desires your marriage? About a debt your dad had? Is this some sort of mediaeval nonsense? Selene's face was buried in her hands. "Ava, I'm not sure! However, I lack the funds. And I'm not sure what he'll do to me if I don't sign this. Ava paced with her arms folded. "We'll figure something else out. There must be an alternative.

Ava reached for her laptop and began typing frantically. "All right, let's be sensible. We'll find him the money he wants. crowdfunding. loans. grants. Anything." That glimmer of hope was all that Selene had left. "All right. Someone must be prepared to assist." They looked for hours, texting former family members and phoning banks. Applications for loans were turned down. Opportunities for grants were months away. Instead of money, family friends sent condolences. Selene's hope was eroded by each dead end until reality struck her. Nobody was there. There was no escape.

Ava slammed the laptop shut. "I detest this. I detest the way he is cornering you." Selene fought back the tears. "I agree with you." Ava took her hands in hers. "This is not necessary for you to do, Sel. There must be another option. We'll come up with something else"- "Ava, nothing else is there!" Selene's tone broke. "No one will give me a twenty-million dollar loan! Furthermore, who can predict what Damien Blackwood will do to me if I don't sign?"

Ava's mouth quivered. Like Selene, she detested this. But the truth was known to both of them. Damien didn't hesitate to ask. With a quiver, Selene exhaled. "I believe I have to do this." Ava tightened her jaw "Then you hold him accountable. You make it through. Don't allow him to break you." Selene took a deep breath. She no longer believed that she could survive and get away from this situation she found herself in. She was about to make a huge choice thats going to turn her life around. She still cant believe its about to happen.

And so, with a trembling hand, she signed the contract. Two days later, she became Mrs. Selene Blackwood.