Chapter 3 Father's Final Word

The next day, I stormed into her father's office, slamming the door so hard the walls seemed to shake.

"This is a joke, right?" I snapped, marching up to his desk. "You can't seriously expect me to go through with this farce of a wedding! Call it off. Now."

My father, Vincent Laurent, a tall, built, intimidating looking businessman, barely glanced up from the stack of papers he was reading. "Good afternoon to you too, Celeste."

I planted my hands on his desk and leaned forward. "I'm not playing, Dad. I am not marrying Leonidas Astor."

He sighed, setting his pen down with deliberate patience and combing through his ash-black hair with his hand. "We've been through this. The deal is done."

"Then undo it! I'll marry someone else-anyone else! Just not him!"

Vincent's expression hardened. "We are not 'undoing' anything. You know exactly why this is happening. The Laurents and the Astors have been intertwined for decades. This isn't just about you, Celeste. It's about our legacy."

"Legacy?" I scoffed. "You want to talk about legacy? What about my life? My future? What about the fact that the person you're forcing me to marry made my high school years a living nightmare?"

Vincent's eyes flickered with mild irritation. "You and Leo were best friends once."

I let out a bitter laugh. "Yeah, when we were ten! Do you not remember what happened after that? Do you not remember the endless days where he made my life a misery? The pranks? The public humiliation? The way he turned the entire school against me?"

Vincent exhaled heavily. "You were kids. He was a boy figuring out his own place in the world."

My hands curled into fists. "He slept with my sister."

Silence blanketed the office. A tense, suffocating silence.

Vincent finally looked at me, his expression unreadable. Then he shrugged. "So we're keeping it in the family. Big deal."

I felt the air rush from her lungs. "Are you serious? Are you actually serious right now? He humiliated me, Dad! Every single day of high school! Do you even remember how many nights I came home in tears because of him? How close I was to-"

"STOP!"

Vincent's voice cracked like a whip, his entire demeanor shifting. His eyes bore into hers, cold and unyielding. "Not another word. This marriage is happening. End of discussion."

I clenched her jaw, my entire body trembling with rage. "You really don't care, do you? Not about me. Not about what I want."

"I care about this family. And if you were thinking rationally instead of throwing a tantrum, you would too. It's five years, Celeste. Five years, one heir, and then you can do whatever you want."

I shook my head. "You act like I'm signing up for a gym membership. Five years is a long time! And what's this about an heir?"

Vincent leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temples as if I were exhausting him. "The Astors want a child. It was added into the contract."

My heart nearly stopped. "A CHILD?! I don't remember agreeing to that."

"Because you didn't have a choice."

I stared at him in horror. "Then tell them to adopt."

My father gave her a pointed look, amused at my apparent naivety. "Celeste, be serious. We don't let outsiders inherit billions. This is about our bloodlines."

I let out a sharp, humorless laugh. "We are not royals, Dad. This isn't some medieval empire. This is my life."

Vincent's patience had clearly reached its limit. He waved a dismissive hand. "I have work to do, and frankly, I've heard enough of this tantrum. You can stomp your feet all you want, but it won't change a damn thing. Now, get out."

I just stood there, my breathing heavy, my vision swimming with rage.

I turned on my heel and stormed out, slamming the door behind me. If I had been furious at the engagement party, it was nothing compared to this.

They wanted me to be a pawn in their perfect little game? Fine.

Let the games begin.