Chapter 2 Meeting my husband

★★★★★

The study room was quiet and spotless.

The only sound came from the soft flipping of papers as the man worked, his focus unbroken-until a knock on the door interrupted him. He paused, raising his head slightly.

The valet entered, bowing his head respectfully.

"Mrs. Knight is here, sir," the valet announced.

The man's cold, sharp eyes lifted briefly. His presence alone could make anyone freeze in place.

"Have you given her the contract and the rules? Make sure she knows why she's here," he asked his eyes back to the document.

"She... looks different, sir," the valet hesitated.

The man's brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"She looks young and innocent-different from the previous wives," the valet replied cautiously.

The man leaned back in his chair, his expression unreadable. "Looks don't matter. They're all the same. They pretend to be innocent and gentle to get what they want."

He stood, his movements deliberate and precise. "I'll deal with her myself. She needs to understand the contract and the rules of this house."

The valet stepped aside to open the door for him, bowing as the man strode out. His presence radiated authority, every step echoing power.

The staff who crossed his path immediately dropped to their knees, bowing in greeting. He didn't acknowledge them, his focus unbroken. They were used to his indifference.

Meanwhile, in the pavilion where Chloe waited, she felt uneasy.

She hadn't yet met Mr. Knight, and until he summoned her, she wasn't allowed to step foot inside the main mansion. No one dared to break the rules here unless they wanted to face the severe consequences.

Chloe sat in silence, lost in thought. She was still shaken from her earlier encounter with the children, especially the girl's harsh words: "You can never be my mom!"

She had signed up for this, but she hadn't expected it to be this hard. Whispers about the Knight family swirled in her mind-rumors of cruelty, maltreatment, and wives who mysteriously disappeared every seven days.

Was any of it true?

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps.

Her body tensed. Who is it now? she wondered, her heart pounding as she raised her head, waiting for the door to open.

The door creaked open, and a man stepped in.

He was dressed in a sharp black suit, his features strikingly handsome. No, handsome was an understatement-he looked almost otherworldly, like a fallen angel. But his eyes... his eyes held something dark. Hatred. A hatred she couldn't understand.

He shut the door behind him, the soft click making Chloe's unease grow.

As he began walking toward her, Chloe instinctively stepped back. Each step he took forward, she took one backward.

She couldn't explain why she was so afraid of him. Though she knows she is afraid of men but his face alone sent shivers down her spine.

He stopped a few feet away, staring at her in silence. The tension in the room was suffocating.

"You know why you're here, don't you?" he finally asked, his voice low and commanding.

Chloe nodded quickly.

"Words," he demanded. His tone was sharp, cutting through the air like a blade.

Chloe hesitated, confused.

"Don't nod when I ask a question. Speak. I want words," he said, his cold eyes locking onto hers.

Chloe stared at the man before her, her mind racing. Could this really be Mr. Knight? He didn't look anything like the monster the rumors had painted him to be-but the way he looked at her made her blood run cold.

Chloe's lips trembled as she finally found her voice. "Y-yes, I know why I'm here, I have signed a contract to marry into Knight's family to settle my family debt., she stammered, her voice barely above a whisper.

That's not the contract," the man said coldly, making Chloe lift her head slightly. She dared not meet his piercing gaze.

"This one you signed," he continued, holding up the document, "is merely an agreement to settle your family's debts. That's only the first part of the arrangement. The second reason you're here is to be my wife-fulfilling my needs and taking care of my children without complaints."

Chloe's fists clenched tightly at her sides, anger bubbling beneath the surface. She had never imagined things would take such a humiliating turn.

The man extended a new set of documents toward her. "Sign this," he demanded, his tone leaving no room for negotiation.

Chloe hesitated but finally reached out to take the papers. Her hands trembled as she skimmed the text, her stomach twisting with dread. The words blurred in her teary vision, but she knew there was no escaping this.

She glanced at the pen he offered her, then back at the document. Her heart sank as she realized she had no choice. With a deep breath, she took the pen, her hand shaking as she scrawled her name on the line.

The man watched her intently, his expression unreadable. Once she finished, he took the papers from her, his lips curling into a faint smirk.

The man took another step forward, his cold gaze pinning her in place. "Good," he said, his tone devoid of warmth. "Then you must also understand the rules you've agreed to follow."

Chloe swallowed hard, her hands trembling as she clasped them together. "I... I read the contract," she said softly.

"Reading it and abiding by it are two different things," he replied sharply, his eyes narrowing. "You are here to fulfill an agreement, nothing more. Do you understand what that means?"

Chloe nodded instinctively, then froze when she remembered his earlier command. She quickly corrected herself, her voice shaking. "Yes... I understand."

He tilted his head slightly, studying her. "I doubt that you do. So let me make it very clear."

He took another deliberate step closer, and Chloe felt her back press against the wall. There was nowhere left to go.

"You are not here to play house, nor are you here to seek sympathy," he continued, his voice low but firm. "Your role is simple: you will stay out of my way, you will follow every rule without question, behave like a perfect wife in front of other and you will not embarrass this family. If you fail..."

He let the sentence hang in the air, the weight of his words suffocating.

Chloe's chest rose and fell rapidly as she struggled to keep her composure. "I won't fail," she whispered, though even she didn't believe the words.

The man's expression didn't soften. If anything, it hardened. "We'll see," he said, his tone laced with doubt.

For a moment, silence filled the room. Chloe's heart pounded in her chest, the sound deafening in her ears.

"Tomorrow, you will meet the rest of the family," he said finally. "They will not make this easy for you. Don't expect kindness."

Chloe nodded-then quickly corrected herself again. "I... I understand."

"Good," he said curtly. He turned to leave, his footsteps echoing against the floor.

Just as he reached the door, he paused and glanced back at her. "One last thing," he said. "You will address me as 'Mr. Knight' or 'sir.' Nothing else. Understood?"

"Yes... sir," Chloe said, her voice trembling.

Without another word, he opened the door and left, leaving Chloe alone in the suffocating silence of the room.

As the door clicked shut, Chloe let out a shaky breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. She sank to the floor, her hands gripping the fabric of her dress.

Her mind raced. She had entered this arrangement thinking she could handle it, thinking she could endure whatever came her way. But after meeting Mr. Knight for the first time, she wasn't so sure anymore.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she whispered to herself, "What have I gotten myself into?"