Chapter 2

The memory of Liam' s parents came to me unbidden, their smiling faces at a family dinner just a few weeks ago. His mother, a woman with a deceptively soft voice, had taken my hand.

"Ava, dear," she had said, her eyes twinkling. "We just love you so much. We see how happy you make our Liam. We already think of you as a daughter. When are you two going to make it official?"

Liam had blushed, playing the part of the bashful boyfriend perfectly. "Mom, we're taking our time."

But his eyes had met mine across the table, and they held a silent question, a hopeful pressure. I had felt a rush of affection then, thinking how much he and his family wanted me to be a part of their lives. Now, the memory made my skin crawl. They weren't welcoming me; they were trying to lock me down, to get their hands on what was mine.

My own family had been more cautious. My father, a man who had built his business empire on shrewd decisions and an uncanny ability to read people, had never fully trusted Liam. He was always polite, always civil, but I could feel his reservation.

I remembered the conversation in his study, the smell of old books and leather filling the air.

"Ava," he said, his voice gentle but firm. "I love that you're in love. But love doesn't pay the bills, and it certainly doesn't protect a legacy. Before you two even think about moving in together, let alone marriage, I'm having my lawyers draft a prenuptial agreement. A comprehensive one."

"Dad, that's so cynical," I had argued. "Liam isn't like that. He has his own ambitions."

"I hope you're right," my father had replied, his gaze unwavering. "And if he isn't like that, he won't have any problem signing it. This is non-negotiable. It protects you, and it protects this family."

I had been annoyed at the time, but I agreed. When I presented the idea to Liam, I did it carefully, framing it as a formality my father insisted upon.

For a split second, just a flicker, I saw something in his eyes. A flash of cold, hard fury. It was there and then it was gone, replaced by a wounded look.

"Of course, Ava," he had said, his voice quiet. "If it makes your father feel better. I'm with you for you, not for your money. You know that. It just... it hurts a little that he thinks I'm some kind of gold digger."

He had played it so well. He made me feel guilty for my father's caution. He signed the papers without another word, his performance of the hurt but understanding partner absolutely flawless.

Now, sitting in the silence of our apartment, I understood. That prenup, the one my father had insisted on, was the wall he couldn't climb. It had cut off his easy access to my family's wealth. He couldn't just marry me and wait. He had to find another way.

That agreement wasn't just a legal document. It was the trigger. It was the reason he and Chloe had escalated their plan from simple manipulation to something far more dangerous. They weren't just trying to get a piece of the pie. They wanted to take everything. They wanted to ruin me, to stage an "accident," and have him, the grieving boyfriend, inherit my personal assets, the fortune that wasn't tied up in the family trust.

The sheer, venomous greed of it all was breathtaking. They weren't just after my money. They were after my life.

A cold, hard resolve settled in my chest, replacing the fear and the heartbreak. It was a feeling I recognized from the boardroom, from the toughest negotiations of my career. It was the feeling of a fight I had to win.

They thought I was just a lovestruck girl, a walking bank account. They had miscalculated. They had no idea who they were dealing with.

Liam Parker wanted a war. I would give him one. And I would make damn sure he and his accomplices would never forget it.