Chapter 4 Leverage

Adrian's Pov

I wasn't supposed to be here. Just a guy with overdue rent and a sick mom. Yet here I was, shoved into the blinding circle of a billionaire's life.

Soren didn't flinch. His face was marble, his smile controlled, his posture perfect. He tugged me close, like I belonged at his side, even though we both knew I didn't.

A camera nearly smacked my cheek. I shoved it away. "Back off!" I yelled, but my voice was drowned out by more questions.

"This way," Soren muttered, pushing through.

"How the hell do they even know?" I hissed, stumbling to keep up.

He didn't answer. His grip tightened on me. The black car waiting at the curb opened as if on cue.

Soren shoved me inside first. I slid across the leather seat, my heart pounding. He climbed in after me, slammed the door, and silence fell.

My ears rang. My chest heaved.

"What the hell was that?" I demanded.

He didn't look at me. He poured a drink from the car's mini bar. "Welcome to my life."

I slammed my fists against my knees. "I didn't sign up for this!"

His eyes flicked to me, sharp and cold. "You said yes."

"That was a joke! A dare! Not....." My throat caught. "Not this."

Soren didn't argue. He just sipped his drink, staring out the tinted window.

My phone buzzed. I fumbled it out.

Twenty missed calls. All from one name.

Mom.

My stomach dropped.

I answered quickly. "Mom?"

Her voice came in shaky, breathless. "Adrian, what did you do?"

"It's not what it looks like."

"The news is everywhere," she whispered. "You're married to him. To Soren Knight. Tell me it's not true."

I glanced at Soren. He was watching me now, his face unreadable.

"It's complicated," I whispered.

"Complicated?" Her voice broke. "You brought the most powerful, heartless man in the city into our lives. Do you know what that means? What he can do?"

Tears burned, but I blinked them back. "I'll explain. Just, don't worry. I'll fix it."

Her silence hurt worse than her words. Then the line clicked dead.

I lowered the phone, my hands shaking.

Soren didn't speak.

"Don't look at me like that," I snapped.

He tilted his head slightly. "Like what?"

"Like I'm just another problem you have to manage."

His jaw flexed, but he didn't answer.

The car slowed. "We're here, sir," the driver announced.

I glanced out the window and froze.

Towering glass walls. It was the Knight Enterprises building.

"No," I muttered. "No way."

"You are," Soren said, adjusting his cufflinks.

"I'm not your trophy. I'm not part of your PR stunt."

"You're my husband," he said flatly. "Which means you are."

The word twisted in my chest. Husband. It didn't sound real.

The door opened. I didn't move.

Soren leaned close, voice low. "Stay in this car, the press tears you apart. Come inside, I can protect you. Choose."

I hated him, but I hated the cameras more.

So I followed.

The lobby gleamed with marble and gold. People in suits froze as we walked through, whispers trailing us.

"That's him..."

"Is that the husband?"

"Celeste is going to explode."

We reached the elevator. The doors closed, sealing us in silence. My reflection stared back at me, messy hair, wrinkled shirt, sneakers scuffed. A stray dragged into the wrong world.

And beside me stood Soren Knight, untouchable.

The elevator climbed. My stomach dropped with every floor.

When the doors opened, a man was waiting. Tall, sharp suit with a mocking smile.

"Father's waiting," he said to Soren, ignoring me.

I swallowed. "Who's he?"

Soren didn't answer. The man smirked. "Nathan Cross. A friend for now."

We walked past him into a wide office that felt like a throne room. At the far end, behind a massive desk, stood Victor Knight.

His eyes were dark and his presence filled the room.

"So," Victor said, voice heavy. "This is the mess you've made."

I froze. His gaze flicked to me like I was dirt on his shoe.

"This... person," Victor sneered, "is your solution? A stranger? A liability? Do you know what you've done to this family? To this company?"

Soren stood tall. "I know exactly what I've done."

Victor's lips thinned. "Then you'll fix it. You'll annul this farce tonight."

The word annul shot through me like ice. Hearing him call me a farce, like I didn't even matter, burned worse than any insult.

I opened my mouth, but Soren spoke first.

"No."

The room stilled.

"No?" Victor repeated, his voice low.

"There won't be an annulment," Soren said.

My breath caught. Was he serious? This wasn't a stunt anymore, it was a trap.

Victor's fingers tapped once against the desk. "You think you can defy me again."

"I think you don't control me anymore," Soren said.

Nathan chuckled, soft and cruel. "Careful. You know how he gets when someone pushes back."

Victor ignored him. His eyes drilled into me. "And you."

I lifted my chin. "What about me?"

"You have no idea what world you've stepped into," he said. "You think this is a game? A free ride? I could destroy you before the sun comes up."

I believed him.

"I didn't ask for this," I shot back, voice cracking. "I didn't ask to be dragged into your family's circus."

Victor's mouth curled. "Then leave."

Leave.

It should've been simple. Walk away. Pretend it never happened. Go back to being invisible.

But then I felt Soren's eyes on me and somehow, leaving didn't feel possible.

"She's already seen it," Soren said.

Victor narrowed his eyes. "Who?"

"His mother. She called him. If Adrian walks out now, he's finished. Which means you've handed me leverage."

Leverage. My stomach dropped.

Victor's glare snapped back to him. "You dare play this game with me."

"I'm not playing," Soren said. "I'm winning."

Nathan laughed. "Bold words, but even bold men bleed. Especially when their weakness is obvious."

I stiffened. I knew what he meant. I was the weakness.

Victor stepped closer, towering over me. "Listen carefully, boy. If you don't learn to survive in my house, you'll be gone before you realize it and when you're gone, no one will even remember your name."

My heart slammed.

Soren brushed my arm, steady. "That's enough."

Victor straightened. "Then prove it. Prove this isn't a mistake or both of you will regret it."

Silence filled the room with unspoken words.

Nathan finally broke it, smooth and cruel. "Perhaps we give them time. Let the press have their spectacle. If the boy crumbles, the problem solves itself."

Victor turned away, dismissing us with a flick of his hand. "Get out of my sight."

Soren didn't wait. He took my arm and steered me out. My legs felt heavy, my head buzzing.

We passed Nathan. He leaned close, whispering, "Welcome to the family, Vega. Try not to choke."

I shivered, but Soren didn't let go until we were back in the elevator.

The doors slid shut.

I exhaled, pressing against the mirrored wall. My reflection looked pale, wrecked.

"I can't do this," I whispered.

Soren turned to me, unreadable. "You don't have a choice."

Something inside me snapped. I shoved at his chest, anger spilling out. "Don't you dare say that. You're the one who trapped me in this. You kissed me, you dragged me into that chapel, you stood there like I was a pawn in your fight with your father and now I'm supposed to just, survive?"

His eyes burned, but his voice stayed calm. "Yes."

I laughed, bitter. "You're insane."

The elevator dinged. The doors opened to a hallway lined with cold portraits. Knight blood. Knight legacy.

I didn't move. My voice dropped, raw. "This will destroy me."

Soren stepped close, his shadow falling over me. His gaze locked mine.

"No," he said softly. "It will destroy you only if you let it and if you think you're walking away, Adrian..." His jaw tightened. "...then you really don't understand how dangerous my father is."

I swallowed hard. "And what about you?"

He leaned in, his breath brushing my ear, his words slow and deadly.

"Me?" His lips curved in the faintest smile. "I'm worse."