BRoken Destiny

A glass of crystal exploded against the wall, projecting a rain of sparkling bursts on the carpet. Jade stood frozen, shortly breath, while words still echoed in her mind like an echo impossible to silence.

- You are sold.

The voice of his father, dry, without emotion, wore an irrevocable sentence. The air failed in his lungs. Her gaze set himself on the man seated in front of her, the one who had just seal his destiny with a simple financial agreement. Liam Blackwood. Far from being a stranger, he embodied everything she had learned to fear.

His name was traveling in a low voice, always accompanied by a thrill. You did not survive by crossing your journey, even less by engaging in it. And yet, his own father had given him to this man without the slightest hesitation.

She struggled against the panic that went up in her throat.

- I am not a commodity, she whispered, with a tight jaw.

Liam detailed it with an indecipherable look. His dark, impassive eyes seemed to dig to the soul. He had not yet spoken, contenting himself with observing his agitation with patience that only exacerbated the tension.

His father sighed, as if this discussion had no interest.

- You are a debt, Jade. I have no other choice.

Jade's fingers crisp on the edge of the table. A debt. He reduced it to a simple currency, a transaction without going back possible.

- I have a choice, she replied, with a hot look.

Liam straightened up slowly, crossing his arms with a casualness which gave him a contained threat aura.

- No, he replied in a calm voice. You don't have it.

The silence that followed was more freezing than any threat.

Jade felt her heart violently pruning against her rib cage. Each instinct in her howled to flee, to break this absurd and nightmarish situation.

- You are free to refuse, of course, added Liam by slightly tilting your head. But then we will have to adjust this debt differently.

His gaze slid towards his father. He did not specify anything, but the involvement was clear. He didn't only want her for herself. He wanted what she represented, and if she refused, he would not hesitate to recover her bet in another way.

The worst part was that he didn't even need to raise his voice to impose his will.

Jade turned to his father, looking for a trace of remorse. There was none. Just a bitterness of bitterness.

- You lost everything, she whispered, more for herself than for him.

Liam took a step towards her. Its shadow spread over the ground, an undeniable, overwhelming presence.

- We leave now.

- NOW ?!

She was almost laughing. His world had just collapsed and he expected that she follows him without resistance?

- Did you want time? he asked, arming an eyebrow. To say goodbye to a man who sold you?

A thrill ran through it. He was right. His father did not deserve a single second more from his loyalty. But that did not mean that she would accept this exchange without fighting.

She planted herself in front of Liam, defying him.

- If you think I'm going to be obediently folding, you are heavy heavily.

A fleeting smile shained the lips of man. He was neither amused nor mocker. It was something else.

- I would be disappointed if it was.

She then understood that he did not expect an immediate submission. He knew she would fight. And he was counting on that.

The doors of her freedom had just closed, and she was trapped with a man who never abandoned what he had.

She understood one thing with absolute certainty: Liam Blackwood had not bought it to own it.

He had bought it to tame it.

The file flew through the room before violently hitting the ground. Jade, a trembling of rage, refused to give a single look to the man who had just gone the last humiliation.

- You can burn these papers, I will not sign anything.

Liam Blackwood did not move. He was sitting, perfectly motionless, as if his patience was inexhaustible. He stared at it, his insumeable black look absorbing all traces of rebellion to dissect it in silence.

- You are stubborn, he finally conceded, her strangely relaxed tone.

- And you, a tyrant, she spat.

She did not know what irritated her most: her arrogance or her absolute certainty that she would end up folding.

Liam got up slowly, each movement calculated. He didn't need to raise his voice or threaten. He represented an unshakable force, a wall against which she could strike again and again without ever shaking it.

- This contract is already sealed, Jade.

She went back, tight fists.

- This marriage will not be done.

- Yes, it will be done.

Insurance in his voice was breathtaking.

- You can't force me there.

- No. But the alternative would leave you with nothing.

She froze.

- What do you mean?

Liam sighed, as if he needed an effort to explain the evidence.

- Your father is ruined. He no longer has anything. Neither do you. You have no way to defend yourself, no escape. I am the only thing that stands between you and a world that would devour you without hesitation.

- I would still prefer this world to you, she scolded.

- No, you wouldn't prefer.

Her relentless conviction made her shudder.

- I could leave, she whispered, tight throat.

Liam approached a step, reducing space between them into a silent threat.

- Try.

His challenge planted between them like a suspended blade.

Jade hated this feeling, this invisible prison that he woven around her.

- Why are you doing this? she whispered.

Liam did not respond immediately. He lowered his head slightly, as if he weighed his words.

- Because I can.

His stomach was tied. He didn't even try to make up the truth. He had power and he intended to exercise it on her.

But she would not let him do it.

- So prepare for a hell, Liam Blackwood, because I will never be a docile wife.

A smile touched his lips.

- I can't wait to see that. The blade chicks his throat, a warning more than a real threat. Jade did not move, her breath suspended pending the slightest movement of the man who held his destiny between her fingers.

-

- "Only one attempt," whispered Liam in an icy tone, and I'll find you.

-

- Her pulse was furiously beaten against pressure from the knife, but she did not give in to panic. He wouldn't kill her. Not yet.

-

- - Do you really think I'm going to be content to accept your period as an obedient prisoner?

-

- Liam dropped slowly, lowering the weapon before placing it on the table between them. He watched it, his look as sharp as the steel he had just widespread.

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- - This is not a question of choice.

-

- Her calm exacerba the rage that rumbled in her.

-

- -Everything is a question of choice, she replied.

-

- He sketched a smile, cold and calculated.

-

- - GOOD. So let me explain your own.

-

- He moved from the table and advanced towards her, reducing the distance with a deliberate slowness. Jade refused to go back, even if each fiber of his being shouted to do so.

-

- - You can continue to debate yourself, try to run away, brave my period. But know one thing ...

-

- He stopped a few centimeters, close enough to feel the strength of her presence.

-

- - I am not a patient man.

-

- Jade supported his gaze without wounding.

-

- - What if I simply refuse to be yours?

-

- Liam tilted his head, as if his question was amused.

-

- - It's not a story of belonging, Jade. It's a matter of survival.

-

- His tone had no warmth, no attachment. Just a raw and relentless truth.

-

- - Do you want a fight? I offer you a battlefield. But remember ...

-

- He walked away, leaning against the edge of the office.

-

- - Whenever you lose, it will be on my conditions.

-

- She hugged her teeth, feeling her body trembled under the effect of uncontrollable anger.

-

- -So prepare, Liam. Because I don't plan to lose.

-

- A radiance passed in his eyes, almost imperceptible.

-

- - I hope, the words struck Jade as an irrevocable sentence.

-

- - In a week, you will be my wife.

-

- Liam had pronounced these words with an almost insulting neutrality, as if he announced a simple formality. As if everything has already been played.

-

- Jade felt the ground shirk under her. A week. Seven days before his life no longer belongs to him.

-

- -You don't have the right, she said in a breath.

-

- Liam barely shrouded, as if the question did not even deserve to be debated.

-

- - And yet everything is already arranged.

-

- The anger exploded in her. She hit the table against the table, causing a drink that crashed to the ground.

-

- - You can't force me!

-

- He remained impassive in the face of his outlet.

-

- - Do you think it's a negotiation, Jade?

-

- His calm only stated her fury. She wanted him to shout, he gets annoyed, that he loses this freezing control. Instead, he was content to wait for her to get tired.

-

- - You want to get attached to you, right? Do you think a piece of paper will be enough to make me your wife?

-

- Liam sighed slightly, as if this conversation made him waste precious time.

-

- - It's not a piece of paper. It's an alliance. Protection.

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- "A prison," she corrected with aggressiveness.

-

- He stared at it for a moment, before slightly raising his shoulders.

-

- - It all depends on you.

-

- Jade felt her heart bumps brutally against her chest.

-

- - You can't love me.

-

- It was not a supplication, or even an attempted awakening. It was a truth that she had to hear aloud.

-

- Liam does not react immediately. Then, with a calculated slowness, he approached, reducing the space between them until she can feel the warmth of his body.

-

- - Who talked about love?

-

- An icy chill crossed her.

-

- - So why? she whispered.

-

- - Because I decided it.

-

- His throat will be clenched.

-

- - What if I refuse to introduce myself to this masquerade?

-

- Liam smiles, and it was the most terrifying thing she has ever seen.

-

- - Try.

The chains were invisible, but Jade felt them around her wrists, her throat, each beat of her heart.

She was there, at the center of this masquerade, dressed in white as a condemned one awaiting her execution. The dress was sumptuous, of an insulting perfection. Everything here breathed elegance, wealth, power. But nothing belonged to him.

She slowly looked up towards the man who was standing in front of her, the one who had sealed her destiny without giving her the slightest choice. Liam Blackwood, impassive, was waiting. His dark costume gave him the appearance of a merciless king, a statue sculpted in the ice.

Her gaze crossed her without apparent emotion. There was no sweetness, no hesitation. Just an unshakable certainty: she was going to pronounce these wishes, whether he likes it or not.

Jade felt her throat tighten. Each fiber of his being was screaming to flee, to break this moment before it was too late. But where? How ?

The guests observed in silence, known and unknown faces forming a wall around it. They had come to attend the union of a dreaded man and a broken woman.

A cold hand touched his. Liam had just seized her, as if to remind her that everything was under control.

His breath blocked.

She had never hated someone as much as at that moment.

Liam's lips bloomed his ear, a poisoned whisper sliding against his skin.

- You will quickly learn to obey.

Jade froze, the rage beating in her veins like a burning poison. She wanted to free herself, go back, howl, but the weight of her hand on hers would anchor it on the spot. He did not hug, did not forced anything. He didn't need it. The authority he exercised over her was not physical. She was more perverse, more vicious.

She slowly straightened her head, her jaws tense.

- You can force me to be here, but you can never fold me.

A slight and unbearable smile, shouted his lips.

- This is what all those who end up giving in.

The desire to hit him crossed her so hard that she felt his fingers tremble.

- I'm not like them.

- I know.

His voice was strangely soft, almost admiring, and it was worse than everything.

The officiant scraped his throat, a brutal reminder of the role they played before the eyes of a silent assembly.

Jade swallowed her anger, aware of the trap that closed on her.

She no longer had the right to make mistakes. So that the officiant began the sacramental words, a deaf noise resonated, broken by the sound of a sudden movement, a body that was moving too quickly. A silhouette went out in the shadow of the guests, crossing the assembly with supernatural speed, almost imperceptible to the naked eye.

A cry. Lost. A man fell, his hands desperately trying to get up, but he didn't have time. Even before anyone could react, Liam rushed. In a flash, he reached the intruder, grabbing his arm with a relentless precision.

- You will not do it, blowed Liam in a calm voice, a deadly promise disguised as a simple observation.

The petrified guests observed the scene without a word. No cry, no protest. The tension crystallized in the air.

The man, trembling under Liam's grip, tried to speak, but a simple pressure on his neck was blowing his breath. He only had a fraction of a second to understand that it was already too late. A dry movement, then life froze in his eyes. Liam's enemy collapsed, his inert body hitting the ground in a silence of meaning.

The guests did not go, suspended at that moment. Marriage continued, as if nothing had happened. But at the bottom of the eyes of those who were there, Jade could read the same thing as in his own: the law of the strongest, the ruthless domination of the chief of the pack. A man capable of reigning terror with inhuman coldness. A man she had now married.

She hadn't imagined that. She had not realized, not understood. The violence of the scene, the speed with which Liam had acted, all that had left her speechless, frozen, while the soul of the man who had just fallen at his feet went into a deafening silence. It was as if the time itself had stopped breathing for a moment.

Jade felt an icy chill through her. A thrill that had nothing to do with the coldness of the room, but everything with the revelation that was in his mind. She thought he was a simple threat, a powerful, ruthless man, yes, but deep down, she thought there was humanity. She was wrong. There was none. Not for those who dared to stand against him.

Liam's eyes didn't fuck a second. The life of this man had been erased with the same ease that a fly would be crushed. He had shown no remorse, no hesitation. The worst part was that Jade now knew that this act, this brutal and relentless gesture was not an accident. No, it was a warning. A message that she had received in the heart, and that she could not ignore.

He turned to her after giving his orders to other men. A slight movement of the head, as if he asked him to follow him, without a word. And she had followed him. Without asking questions. Without daring to protest. Because everything in his behavior, in the air he gave off, reminded him of one thing: he was capable of worse.

They walked side by side in the corridors of the manor, the silence between them heavier than ever. Jade felt her stomach for each step, as if she was heading straight for a way out that she could not yet see, but which she instinctively knew that she could not escape.

She tried to break the silence, but her voice died almost before reaching her lips.

- For what ?

Liam slowly turned her head towards her, her cold and implacable look at her with the same intensity as in the altar.

- For what ? He asked in a voice which, barely more than a whisper, resounded like an echo in his ears.

She stopped, staring at him, but he did not slow down, did not stop. She had no choice but to follow him.

- Why did you kill him? She asked, her firm voice this time, although trembling.

Liam finally stopped, turning to her. His eyes had hardened, his jaw tightening slightly.

- He was an obstacle. A man who dared to challenge my will. In my world, it does not allow itself.

Jade swallowed hard. She had never seen such a relentless man, so sure of himself, so capable of deciding life and death with such ease. But it was not just her ability to kill who terrified her. That was what he was behind these actions, what he represented.

Liam was much more than she had believed. More than what she had imagined in her worst nightmares. He was not just a mafia chief. He was not just a man with terrifying power. No. Liam was a predator. A wolf in a human world. And Jade, unwittingly, had fallen into his mouth.

She would have liked to go back, to free herself, to rebel. But each step brought her closer to the abyss. Each word pronounced by Liam, every gesture he made, each look he gave him, bound her a little more to him. She was aware of it now. The cage in which she was was not made of iron, but secrets, manipulations, and a power that she could never match.

She closed her eyes for a moment, chasing the images of the lifeless body that he had left behind, empties him in the eyes of this man whom he had eliminated in an instant. When she reopened her eyes, she found herself in front of him, her gaze as an invisible socket that kept her in place.

- You learn quickly, Jade, he whispered.

She blinked, surprised by the coldness of her words. But there was also a touch of ... satisfaction. As if, in one way or another, he was waiting for her to accept this reality. That she accepts her place at her side. But she knew, basically, that this place was not that of a companion. It was that of a subordinate.

Jade clenched his fists. Each fiber of his being shouted to flee, but part of her knew that, in this world, there was no escape. Marriage was just a symbol. A simple contract. She belonged to Liam Blackwood now. A man much more dangerous than she had never believed. A man whose unsuspected nature was deployed, like a wolf ready to devour his prey. And this prey was her.

She loved her or not, she had no choice. He was his master now. And her prisoner.

The lock turned into heavy silence, a metallic noise that seemed to resonate in all its being. Jade froze when he heard the click, the next moment, the door opened to an endless corridor. Each step seemed to move away from his freedom, from his old life a little more. She would never have thought that one day, she would find herself in this situation, in this golden cage, facing the man who controlled everything.

Liam had not left her free to move. No, she was not there by choice, but by constraint, by obligation. Each door of this house seemed one more obstacle, an invisible and relentless wall, behind which the shadows of its future were hiding. No matter how she looked at the windows, feeling the fresh air of the night, she knew at the bottom that there was no leak. No real escape. And yet, her mind, despite the logic of her situation, continued to push her to the insane idea of the flight.

She rushed into the darkness, the breath short, her feet barely striking the ground like a flight spectrum. She didn't know where she was going, but each step made her feel a little more alive. A little more free. The sound of his steps resonated in his ears as a prohibited melody. It was the only thing she heard as she slipped through the manor corridors, looking for the outing, the only way out.

A cry pierced the air, a noise of heavy and regular steps that approached it, making it shiver. Not his. Another. A calculated, relentless step, that of Liam. She should have known. She should have understood that this manor was not a place of freedom, but a prison.

She reached a door, an outing she thought she was hers. She pulled on the handle, but the lock was already in place. A glance behind her, and she saw the dark silhouette of Liam which advanced with an exasperating slowness, as if he wanted to leave her a little hope before breaking him.

She did not have time to react. Before she could not make another movement, a firm hand landed on her shoulder, pulling her back with controlled violence. A feeling of ice grabbed his body. His muscles stretched instantly. Her survival instinct pushed her to struggle, but Liam's embrace was unshakable, as an invisible chain that she could not break.

- Where do you think you go? he whispered, his voice as icy as the air of the night.

She tried to free herself, but he kept her firmly, her piercing gaze piercing her like a laser. No doubt: he knew exactly what she was trying to do.

- You have nothing to fear ... As long as you stay here, in your place, he said in an almost amused tone.

He pushed her gently forward, but she stopped, turning around with challenge, her face marked by the frustration and exhaustion of this inner fight that she could not win.

- It's not your place to decide where I'm going, whispered Jade, a challenge of challenge.

Liam leaned slightly forward, an imperceptible smile on the lips, as if he enjoyed each word pronounced. There was something scary in this attitude, something that was out of the ordinary.

- This is exactly what you don't understand, Jade. It's not you who decide. I am the one who leads the dance here. You would do well to accept it.

She was trying to go back, but he attracted her even closer, so close that she could feel the warmth of her body against hers. Her heart got carried away. She felt trapped in an invisible vice, a catch that she could not undo, as if all, in this situation, had been designed to crush him, to make her lose any notion of control.

- Don't happen to start again, he continued, his voice softening slightly, but his gaze remaining as hard as steel. You can flee as much as you want. But here it is I who decides.

Anger rose in her, a fire burned in her veins, but she knew she was losing. It was like an inexorable fall, a chasm that she could never get out. Each attempt to escape only brought it closer to the trap. And the trap was him. He and his world.

Liam looked at her, her glazed blue eyes scrutinizing every centimeter of her face. A strange shine, both calm and threatening, crossed his gaze.

- Do you want to flee, Jade? he asked, almost gently. So flee. But know one thing: you won't go far. This manor, these walls ... they will never let you go. I will never let you go.

The words, heavy and threatening, resonated in his mind. Reality imposed itself on it with brutality. She could try again, always try. But she knew it now, deep down: her flight was just an ephemeral dream, an illusion that he would destroy as soon as he would like.

Liam shattered her suddenly, forcing her to take a few steps back before turning the heels and disappearing in the shadows. The door, the exit she had hoped, remained closed, locked, just like her heart.

She now knew that she would never escape the golden cage in which he had locked it. The noise of his steps echoed in the corridor, each echo a warning, each vibration a feeling that he was there, that he arrived. Jade had frozen, her body stretched like a rope ready to break, an anger so burning that she had trouble breathing. She had never felt such a rage, such a desire to destroy someone, to make him suffer for what he had taken from him.

Liam entered the room without a word, his eyes immersed in his own with an almost unbearable intensity. He stopped right in front of her, close enough for her warm breath to mix with his, but he did not touch her. He stared at her, a slight smile appeared on his lips. It was not a smile of kindness, of kindness. No, it was a smile of domination, control, a smile that promised him that everything he wanted, he would have it.

- You know, Jade, he started in a calm voice, without haste, as if he were enjoying each word, you can struggle as much as you want. But all you get is additional suffering. So I'm going to ask you a question ... do you accept your place here, with me, in this life that I imposed on you? Or should I remind you once again who holds power?

She felt the warmth of anger invaded her, her body stretching under the effect of humiliation, but also a fierce rage that bubbed in her. Each word he pronounced was just one more blow, one more slap on his face. He wanted her to accept this situation, that she accepts her defeat. He already saw her as a simple piece in her game, a soulless puppet. And this thought ignited him even more.

- I hate you, blowing Jade between her tight teeth, her voice betraying a hatred that she was not even trying to hide. I will never accept your domination. You may have me now, but I'll be paid for everything you've taken me.

Liam smiles more, but something in his gaze was darker, more calculating. He walked by a step, his eyes did not leave her for a second.

- Revenge, Jade, is a weapon that you do not master yet. But you learn quickly, I see. You think you can destroy me, right? But it's you who trapped here, not me.

He leaned slightly forward, as if he whispered a secret, but his voice was nothing sweet, she was frozen, sharp, like a warning that she should never have ignored.

- I am not an easy to destroy man, Jade. You would remember.

Jade clenched his fists, a flash of determination crossing her eyes. She knew that she was cornered, that each movement, every thought she had was a desperate attempt to free herself from this man who only saw her as a possession. But she also knew, deep down, that she would never accept this reality.

Liam had no idea what was hidden behind his facade, anger and resilience that bubbed in his bowels. He thought he could break it, model it in his image, but he had no idea of the strength he had just awakened in her.

- You think you can control me, but you are far from knowing everything about what I am able to do. Your submission will be your last mistake, Liam. I will make you regret every second where you thought you could crush me.

His words were a poison, a silent oath, but with an almost palpable force. The hatred that was in her was not only the expression of the pain he had inflicted on her, but also the promise of a devouring revenge that would come from the inside. Liam had not yet seen the full extent of what she was capable of. She was not that little submissive thing that he thought he had under his grip. She was going to fight, and whatever the violence of the battle, she would not let herself fall without destroying everything in her path.

Liam looked at her, a shiny fun of fun in her eyes, but also a hint of warning. He had seen women trying to challenge him before her, but none of them had the same rage, the same intensity. He knew that he could not break it as easily as he had done with others. But this thought only added to the interest he had in his game. Jade was not a simple victim to manipulate, she was a challenge. And he loved challenges.

He straightened up slowly, his steel gaze not leaving his face. Then, in an almost imperceptible movement, he turned to leave, leaving behind an almost unbearable tension.

- Very well, Jade, he said with implacable coldness. I hope you appreciate every second of your revenge. Because I won't give you any gifts. But know this ... Places in this world are never fixed. You can always fall below.

Liam then walked away, leaving Jade alone, shaken by contradictory feelings. Her rage was stronger than ever, but she knew she had barely started to understand the extent of the war she had just triggered.

She turned to the window, observing the dark night extending to the distance, like a shadow veil that covered her thoughts. The promise of revenge was beating in his heart like a drum. She was going to destroy him. And she was going to do it in a way that he could never anticipate. Because she was much more than he thought. She was ready to sacrifice everything to take what came from right to her: her freedom, her dignity, and her revenge.