Chapter 1 Prologue: A Devil's Contract & Chapter 1: Worst Mistake

Knock. Knock.

"Come in," Vincent Laurent's voice echoed through the dimly lit office, gravelled with exhaustion and barely concealed irritation.

The door creaked open with purpose. A tall, sharply dressed woman stepped inside, her heels silent on the polished floors. The light caught her figure just right - tailored ivory coat, diamond drop earrings, posture like she owned the damn room.

Vincent didn't need to look up. He already knew.

"I take it you came in at this time of night because my assistant clocks out at six. She would've turned you away."

"Always so astute," the woman replied smoothly. "You know me too well, Vincent Laurent."

He sighed and finally glanced up. "What do you want, Josie?"

Her lips curled, slow and knowing. "Josie. I haven't heard that name since John died. I'd say only friends call me that, but we both know better. There's an old saying that fits us, don't you think? Keep your friends close... and the ones you despise even closer."

Vincent snorted, but said nothing. He leaned back, eyeing her like she was something venomous slithering over his carpet. The silence pressed in, dense as fog.

She smiled - the kind that told you not to turn your back.

"Let's not waste time. I want your daughter to marry my son."

Vincent blinked. Then... he laughed. A short burst, deep from the chest, rich with disbelief.

Josephine remained still, arms folded, watching him with that arctic calm she wore like perfume.

"I'm sorry," Vincent said once he caught his breath. "You want who to marry?"

"I said Leo and Celeste."

That silenced him.

He stared, jaw tense, eyes calculating. "Absolutely not."

Her brows lifted delicately. "Pardon?"

"No. It's not happening. Your son is a manipulative, entitled prick, and Celeste would rather set herself on fire than walk down the aisle with him."

Josephine's voice was silk on steel. "This marriage benefits both families. Legacy, consolidation, reputation. With our companies aligned, we'd monopolize three industries by Q4. You're drowning in quiet legal fires and you know it. Your stock's been fluttering for months-"

"I don't need you to recite my quarterly reports, Josephine," he cut in sharply. "My business is stable. I've survived worse."

"And yet," she murmured, glancing at his half-drunk glass of scotch, "you don't sleep at night."

He stood, pacing slowly, jaw grinding. "You already have more money than God. Why the obsession with mine?"

"Because I don't want the money, Vincent. I want the control. The leverage. The future." She paused. "And your daughter is the key."

"My daughter is not a pawn."

"No, she's a golden ticket."

He turned sharply, face reddening. "She's not some little piece you get to move around for your amusement!"

"I'm not amused," Josephine said coolly. "I'm strategic. And so are you. So drop the righteous indignation and listen carefully."

He walked back to his desk, slow and stiff. "Even if I agreed, she'd never go along with it. Celeste and I barely speak as it is. And Leo? You think I'd feed my daughter to the same brat who bullied both my girls when they were teenagers?"

"You will make her," Josephine replied softly, tone razor-sharp. "Because you don't have a choice."

Vincent narrowed his eyes. "You're bluffing."

Josephine stepped closer, pulling a slim folder from her purse and sliding it across the desk.

"I'm not," she said.

He opened the folder - one glance was enough. His expression froze.

"You wouldn't," he whispered.

"Try me."

"You're threatening to expose Celine's affair?" he asked, voice suddenly hollow. "After all these years?"

"Not just the affair," Josephine said with a glint in her eye. "The cover-up of the trial. The money that changed hands. The false reports. You went to great lengths to protect your wife's image. You falsified police documents to protect your family from disgrace."

Vincent's hands curled into fists, blood draining from his face.

"You think the media won't touch it because it's old news? Please. They'd feast on this. And your precious daughters would be crucified by public opinion."

"You'd ruin them just to get what you want?"

"I'd ruin anyone who stands in my way," she said with perfect poise. "The difference is, you actually have something to lose and not just Celine's precious reputation."

He stood so abruptly his chair nearly toppled. "Don't. You dare. Utter. My wife's name again."

Josephine didn't flinch. "You think you can protect them from this storm, Vincent? There's no version of this where your family walks away unscathed - unless Celeste marries Leo. Quietly. Legally. Cleanly. We both win, no one bleeds."

His nostrils flared. "You're an evil bitch. Anyone ever told you that?"

"Perhaps. But I'm also effective."

A long silence stretched between them.

Finally, Vincent muttered through clenched teeth, "Fine. I'll make sure Celeste marries Leonardis. But the contract must include a clause - none of this comes out. Ever."

Josephine's smile returned, slow and vicious. "Of course."

"And how the hell do you plan on convincing Leo?"

She retrieved another folder, thicker, heavier, and dropped it on the desk like a judge's gavel.

"I'm letting it seem like an old family agreement. Tied to the merger. He believes it's the only way to shield the company from a hostile takeover. You businessmen are so easy to manipulate when you think you're doing the noble thing."

Vincent's shoulders dropped. He looked ten years older.

Josephine tapped the folder once. "Sign it."

He didn't move.

"I said-" she leaned in, eyes gleaming- "sign it."

And with a shaking hand, Vincent Laurent picked up the pen.

_______

Chapter 1 - Worst Mistake

I should have run when I had the chance.

I stood at the entrance of the Astor estate, my heels sinking into the gravel driveway as my fingers clenched around the Engagement Dinner invitation-more like a death sentence written in gold foil. Inside, chandeliers dripped from cathedral ceilings, and guests draped in designer labels sipped champagne as if this was some fairytale union rather than a cold-blooded contract. I didn't belong here. Not in this world of ruthless billionaires and backroom deals. Not beside him.

Leonidas Astor.

The man I was being forced to marry.

He stood at the far end of the room, a glass of whiskey hanging from his fingertips, looking like the devil himself had sculpted him-sharp suit, sharper jawline, and eyes so dark they could swallow you whole. He was watching me, amused, like he knew I was on the verge of bolting.

Like he wanted me to try.

I hated him.

I hated that he had power over me. That he could snap his fingers, and my entire life would be rewritten. My family had sold me to the highest bidder, and I didn't even know the price until they told me I was to marry Leo.

A waiter brushed past me, offering a tray of champagne, but my throat was too tight, my pulse hammering so fast I could barely breathe. This wasn't happening. I was supposed to have a choice. I was supposed to live a life on my own terms. But instead, I was being thrown into a marriage designed to keep the empire from collapsing, bound to a man who had no intention of loving me. I had no intention of loving him either.

His family needed this merger. My family needed to save face. And I... I was collateral damage.

"Celeste."

My father's voice sent a shiver down my spine. Cold. Commanding. The same tone he used when I was a child, when I dared to dream of a life outside of the one he'd chosen for me. I turned slowly, schooling my face into blank indifference.

He nodded toward the front of the ballroom, where a podium stood waiting. "Time to make the announcement."

No.

I turned back to Leo, who was still watching me, one eyebrow arched like he was daring me to defy him. To defy them all. And God, I wanted to. I wanted to grab one of those champagne flutes and launch it at his perfect, infuriating face. I wanted to tell the entire room that I was not some pawn to be moved across a chessboard for their benefit.

But I couldn't. Because if I didn't go through with this, my family would lose everything.

The next thing I knew, I was being ushered onto the stage, my father's hand pressing into the small of my back, a silent warning in his grip. I could feel every eye in the room on me. Waiting. Judging. Smiling with feigned delight as my life was signed away in front of them.

Leo stepped onto the stage beside me, his presence an unmovable force. He took the microphone from the announcer, his deep, measured voice filling the space. "It's my pleasure to announce my engagement to Celeste Laurent."

A wave of polite applause. A few whispers. My stomach turned.

Then he turned to me, his dark gaze locking onto mine with something unreadable. A challenge? A warning? I wasn't sure.

He reached for my hand, and instinctively, I pulled away. A flicker of something dangerous passed through his eyes, gone before I could name it. Then, he smirked, leaned down, and whispered, "Run if you want, Celeste. But there's nowhere in the world I won't find you."

My blood ran cold.

The crowd was still clapping, still watching, but all I could see was him. The man who now held my fate in his hands.

And I had just made the worst mistake of my life.

_____

Hours later, after the crowd had dwindled and the last of the guests had left, I found myself standing on the balcony of the Astor estate, staring out at the darkened city skyline. The crisp night air did little to cool the fire burning in my veins.

I had to get out of this.

Running wasn't an option-not yet. But if I could find a way to convince my father, to make him see that this was a mistake, maybe there was a way out.

The sound of footsteps behind me made my shoulders tense.

"I was wondering when you'd try to escape."

Leo's voice was smooth, rich with amusement. I turned, my pulse kicking up as he stepped closer. The glow from the balcony lights cast shadows across his sharp cheekbones, making him look even more dangerous.

"I wasn't trying to escape," I lied.

His lips curved. "No? Then what are you doing out here all alone?"

I lifted my chin, refusing to let him intimidate me. "Thinking."

"Thinking about what?" He stepped closer, crowding me against the railing. "About how you're going to pretend to be a good little fiancée? Or about how you're going to run the first chance you get?"

I swallowed hard, hating that he saw right through me.

His hand came up, brushing a stray lock of hair from my face. "Let me give you some advice, Celeste." His voice dropped, turning almost... possessive. "You can fight this all you want. You can hate me. You can even try to run. But it won't change the fact that we're going to married whether you or I like it or not."

I shivered, not from the cold but from the weight of his words. From the terrifying truth of them.

Because as much as I wanted to deny it, I knew one thing for sure:

The Astors always got what they wanted.

And right now, what they wanted-was me.

I glared at him and turned on my heel, walking away without another word.

He grabbed my arm, yanking me back towards him so roughly I nearly lost my footing.

Oh no he didn't!