Chapter 4 Desperate Situation

Amira's POV

I didn't sleep.

I couldn't.

I lay on the couch, staring at the cracked ceiling, my heart thudding too loudly in the dark. The card with Vincent Castille's name lay on the coffee table like it was watching me. Waiting.

Jace's face haunted every breath I took.

His laughter.

His hugs.

The way he called me "Mira" when he was being sweet.

Gone.

Kidnapped because of a debt we never asked for. Caught in a nightmare left behind by a father who vanished in more ways than one.

I wanted to scream. To cry. To punch something.

But instead, I sat up, numb, my limbs heavy with dread. I picked up the card, stared at the name again.

Vincent Devereux.

That name would change my life.

By morning, I was dressed in my plainest black jeans and an old coat with a loose button. The sleeves were frayed. My boots were scuffed. I didn't care.

I couldn't afford pride anymore.

The Devereux building was nothing like I'd imagined.

Glass. Steel. Sharp corners and security guards who looked like they hadn't smiled in years. I stood out the second I walked in. I felt every eye on me...judging, curious, confused. I could practically hear their thoughts.

I walked to the front desk anyway, holding my chin up like I belonged. "I'm here to see Vincent Devereux," I said. The woman behind the desk blinked. "Do you have an appointment?"

"No," I replied. "But he's expecting me."

She gave me a look-part disbelief, part boredom-and picked up the phone. Her voice dropped to a whisper.

After a minute, she nodded slowly and hung up.

"Top floor," she said, not hiding her surprise. "You'll be escorted."

A tall man in a black suit appeared beside me almost instantly.

He didn't speak.

Just gestured toward the elevator.

I stepped in, heart pounding so loudly I could barely hear the ding as we rose floor after floor. My reflection stared back at me from the metal walls. Pale. Tired. Scared.

But determined.

When the elevator doors slid open, I saw him standing near the window, back turned, hands behind his back. He didn't look surprised to see me.

"Miss Wynters" he said without turning around. "You're either very smart or very desperate."

"Maybe both," I answered quietly.

He turned to face me, nodding once, as if I'd passed some invisible test. "Have you come to accept the arrangement?"

"I have," I said slowly, forcing the words out. "But I have a condition."

His eyes narrowed, curious.

"My brother," I continued. "The loan sharks-he's with them right now. He's just a kid. They won't let him go unless I pay them what my father owed."

"And?"

"I want you to pay them," I said. "That's my condition. You get your bride, your deal, your show. But Jace walks free. Today."

Vincent didn't blink. He stepped closer, studying me like a businessman studies a fragile deal. "And what makes you think I'll agree to that?"

"Because I won't say yes until you do."

For a moment, the room felt colder. Like the temperature had dropped with every second of his silence. But I didn't back down.

He finally exhaled.

"A hundred and twenty thousand," he muttered. "That's what your father owed them."

I nodded, silently thanking the fact that he knew that detail already. It meant he'd done his homework.

"Consider it done," he said.

I froze. "You'll pay them?"

"I'll have someone wire the money within the hour," he said smoothly. "But I want a signed agreement from you. Today. No delays. You will marry my grandson and be the perfect Castille wife in public. For exactly one year."

"One year," I echoed. "And then I walk away?"

He smiled. "Yes. And you'll walk away with five million dollars in your name. Untouched. Tax-free. Enough to start over anywhere you choose."

My mouth was dry. My hands trembled.

"But know this," he added, voice turning sharp, "if you embarrass this family in any way, if you break the contract or try to disappear before the year ends... I will make sure you regret it."

I met his eyes.

"I'm not doing this for your money," I said. "I'm doing this for Jace."

Vincent's smile faded. For a second, something flickered behind his cold eyes. Maybe approval. Maybe pity. I couldn't tell.

"You'll meet Lucien tomorrow," he said. "I'll make the arrangements."

I nodded and turned to leave.

"Miss Wynters."

I paused at the door.

"You're making the right choice," he said.

I didn't respond.

Because I wasn't sure it was right.

It just... was.

*****

Back home, I sat by the window, phone clutched tight in my hand.

The call came just after noon.

Jace was safe.

They dropped him off near the school gates. No bruises. No cuts. Just shaken. Confused. His voice was small and scared when he called.

"Mira? They just let me go. Said something about a rich guy paying everything off..."

Tears flooded my eyes. "You're okay?"

"Yeah... I think so. Where are you? Can I come home?"

"Not yet," I whispered. "Go stay with Mrs. Bennett for now. I'll be home soon."

I hung up and pressed the phone to my chest.

He was safe.

That was all that mattered. But everything else around me had just changed forever. I had just agreed to marry a man I'd never met.

For money.