Under The Wolfe Name

Chapter One: The Bargain

Rain lashed against the windshield as Elara's fingers trembled on the steering wheel. Her heart slammed against her ribcage, the darkness ahead both terrifying and freeing. She didn't know where she was going, only that it had to be anywhere but there.

Headlights flashed in the rearview mirror. She panicked.

No. Not now. Not when she was this close.

The tires skidded briefly on the wet road as she turned off the main street into a narrow path she barely recognized from memory. Her thoughts were racing, outpacing even the storm.

You have to run. You have to leave.

She tightened her grip. Gerald would be furious when he found out. And Adrian Wolfe? She didn't even want to think about him yet.

Elara had never felt truly free. Not in Gerald's estate where the walls felt more like polished cages than shelter. Not in that house where smiles were staged and affection was a tool. Not once in eighteen years since her mum had remarried had she been asked what she wanted.

The flash of blue and red in the distance made her pulse stutter.

Were they looking for her already?

Suddenly, the road ahead blurred and the world spun.

---

Twelve Hours Earlier

She sat rigid at the edge of the dining table. Her dress bunched under her fists, the fabric wrinkled and damp from her palms. Across the room, a grand family portrait loomed on the wall framed in gold. Katherine's sharp beauty, Gerald's smug smirk, Phoebe and Chloe her step sister's bright eyes all pretending to be a family.

She wasn't in it.

She never had been.

Her eyes fell to her lap.

"You're marrying him," Gerald said.

The words were tossed like an order, not a revelation. Elara blinked.

"What?"

"You heard me," Gerald snapped. He paced behind Katherine, who remained seated, sipping wine with lazy indifference. "You're marrying Adrian Wolfe. The ceremony is in two days. It's going to be a simple wedding, just for both families."

A chill spread through her chest.

"You're joking."

Katherine let out a dry laugh. "No one's joking, darling. It's all very formal. He gets what he needs -a bride. And we get what we need. Investment, stability... survival."

Just think of it as a business transaction.

"I'm not a pawn," Elara shouted.

Gerald whirled on her. "Don't be naïve. This is the real world, Elara. Sacrifices must be made."

Tears pressed behind her eyes, but she held them back. "Why me?"

"Because he specifically chose you."

That shut her up. Her stomach turned.

"What?"

Gerald crossed his arms. I offered options. He wanted you. Said something about your 'quiet demeanor' fitting his preferences.

Elara felt like she might be sick.

"He's never even spoken to me."

"You saw him at that gala once, remember?" Katherine chimed in. Apparently that was enough.Katherine gave off one of her signature chuckles. "And besides, you should be grateful he offered. You get to be the wife of such a great man.. honestly, I don't see what he finds in someone like you."

"This is insane." Elara stood, her voice trembling. "You can't just trade me off as though I am some kind of-"

"It's not a trade. It's a solution." Gerald cut her off .His tone was final. "You're lucky. Do you know how many girls would kill to be in your shoes?"

Her voice cracked. What about my life? My studies?

"Your studies?" Katherine scoffed. Be serious, Elara. No one cares about your little acting dream and besides It's securing your future. And ours. Don't be dramatic. It's how businesses work.

Gerald slammed his palm against the table. "It's done. We're out of options. We need Wolfe's money to save the company."

Then find someone else!" Elera couldn't help yelling. "Someone else, anyone else.. just not me!"

"There is no one else," he retorted coldly. "Your sisters are too young, too unruly. And your mother... well, she's not exactly bridal material."

Katherine gave a light laugh, unbothered.

"So sell something else!" she shouted. "Sell the damn company!"

"There's nothing else to sell",Gerald said.

"You.. you didn't even ask me! You never ask me anything! You can't just trade me off like I'm some problem you need to get rid of."

"Everything you've ever eaten, worn, studied for-who do you think paid for it?" Gerald snapped. "Your tuition, your roof, your meals. You owe us, Elara. And this is how you repay us?"Don't be ungrateful Elara.Gerald said, with malice in his tone.

The silence that followed sucked the air from the room. Katherine took another sip of wine like it was just another Tuesday.

"You were always the easy one to discard," she murmured. "You were never really ours, anyway."

Elara stared at her in disbelief. "I'm your daughter."

Katherine's lips twisted. "You were his daughter. Your father's. Not mine."

That broke her.

"You gave birth to me. I never asked to be born," she fired back.

Katherine just sipped her wine, ignoring her.

She backed away, chest heaving, and fled the room. No one followed.

Back in her room-small, dim, forgotten-she packed the little she had. She didn't know where she would go, but anywhere was better. Even the streets.

She found her dad's old jacket in the closet, still faintly smelling like him. She slipped it on. If she couldn't have safety, she'd have memory.

As she zipped the duffel shut,She stopped for a second as her fingers brushed the inside of the jacket pocket and she felt something crinkle. She pulled it out. A faded photo. Her and her dad at the amusement park.

She had been seven. Her father had taken her and her mother-back when they still smiled at each other-to the amusement park by the water. They rode the carousel three times. She'd begged for cotton candy, and her father had caved despite Katherine's eye-roll.

That day, Elara had laughed freely, spinning in her father's arms as he lifted her high above the crowd. She'd worn a yellow sundress, and her father had said she looked like a sunflower.

"You can be anything, my star," he had whispered in her ear.

Her mother had even smiled then-genuinely. She remembered how her mother had kissed her father's cheek when they thought Elara wasn't looking.

That was the last day she remembered them as something close to happy. A flicker of what might've been.

Her dad had passed not long after that, leaving a silence in her life no one ever tried to fill. No one spoke of him. Not Katherine. Not Gerald. It was like he'd been erased-except in Elara's mind, where he lived in color.

By midnight, the sky was crying.

And so was she.

---

Present

Rain battered the roof of the car as Elara finally pulled into a gas station on the outskirts of the city. She didn't know what to do next. Her fingers trembled as she reached for her phone.

No messages.

No one noticed she was gone. Or they had... and just didn't care enough to chase her.

Adrian Wolfe.

What kind of man agrees to marry a stranger?

She hadn't even met him. But she'd heard the stories. How he dismantled companies and left empires in ruins. How he made deals with nothing more than a stare. Some even said he was part of the Mafia-dangerous, powerful, untouchable. And now, he would own her.

Unless she could disappear first.

Her vision blurred again. She wiped her eyes and turned the key in the ignition.

The car sputtered.

No.

"No, no, no..." she whispered.

But it was dead. The storm had gotten to it. Or maybe fate had.

Shit.

She sat in silence, the wipers frozen mid-swipe, the rain like drums on the roof.

And then, headlights.

One pair.

Slow. Approaching.

She held her breath.

Chapter Two: The Man in the Rain

The car rolled to a stop a few feet ahead, its headlights cutting through the downpour like twin blades. Elara's breath caught in her throat as the engine quieted. The world stilled, save for the rain hammering down on the roof of her dead car.

Her hand hovered over the door handle.

Please don't let it be Gerald. Please.

The driver's door of the approaching car opened slowly. A man stepped out, tall, in a dark coat that clung to his frame from the rain. She couldn't see his face through the shadows and storm, but his movements were calm. Unhurried. Deliberate.

He walked toward her, each step echoing with quiet confidence.

Elara debated locking her doors, but something stopped her. Curiosity, maybe. Or exhaustion.

He knocked once on her window. Not loud. Just enough.

She rolled it down an inch, her voice barely above a whisper. "Who are you?"

"I could ask you the same," the man replied, voice deep and smooth, almost cold.

His face came into view. Strong jaw. Sharp features. Eyes that seemed to see too much.

She blinked. Her heart dipped.

No. It couldn't be.

"You're Miss Williams," he said. Not a question. A fact.

She froze. "How do you know that?"

He didn't smile. "Because I came for you."

Her stomach twisted. "Gerald sent you?"

"No," the man replied. "Mr Wolfe did."

The name hit her like a slap. Her fingers gripped the edge of the window. "You're one of his people?"

"I am."

She swallowed. Her escape had lasted less than a night.

"Please," she said, voice cracking. "Don't take me back. Just... let me go."

He tilted his head slightly, studying her. Rain streamed down his coat, glistening like glass.

"You think he'd send someone to drag you back in chains?"

She didn't answer.

"Mr. Wolfe isn't like Mr Gerald. He doesn't force obedience."

She gave a bitter laugh. "Really? Because marrying a stranger doesn't feel like a choice.

Still, no reaction. The rain pressed around them like a curtain.

"You're cold," he said at last. "And your car's dead. You won't get far like this."

Elara hesitated. Her jaw trembled. Every part of her screamed to run, to bolt into the dark, even if she drowned in it.

But she was soaked. Shivering. And utterly alone.

He stepped back, opening his passenger door. "You can choose. Come with me now. Or wait here and hope Mr Gerald doesn't find you first."

She looked at the empty road behind her, then back at the stranger.

Finally, with stiff limbs, she opened her door and stepped out.

The interior of the black car was warm, too warm after the chill outside. She barely noticed the luxury,leather seats, soft lighting, the subtle scent of something expensive. Her hands wouldn't stop shaking.

The man started the engine. "Name's Cain. I drive for Mr. Wolfe."

"You always track runaways in the middle of a storm?"

He didn't glance her way. "Only the ones he personally asks about."

She stared at her lap, that single sentence wrapping around her like a vine.

He asked about me.

"Where are you taking me?"

"Back. But not to Mr Gerald."

"To him?"

"To his estate."

She turned to the window, watching raindrops chase each other across the glass. She didn't ask more. Not yet.

An hour later, the car pulled through towering gates and onto a long driveway lined with trees that shimmered under security lights. The estate that emerged looked like something out of another world. Grand. Silent. Intimidating.

She stepped out, her knees unsteady.

Cain led her up the marble steps, through massive double doors.

Warmth enveloped her immediately. The foyer was vast, the floors dark and gleaming, a chandelier dripping crystals from the ceiling. But it wasn't the house that made her pause.

It was him.

Adrian Wolfe stood near in front of the window overlooking the New York city ,his back to her.., dressed in a black shirt and slacks. His presence filled the room.

Her breath caught.

He looked like a Greek lone god. Just standing there in all his glory,tall and dark and brooding.He held a wine glass in his hand slipping slowly. He looked so dark and dangerous just standing there and she swallowed. And she knew ,just by looking at him– really looking at him– that all the rumors about Adrian Wolfe being cold and ruthless and using any means to get what he wants was true.

This was a man in control. A man used to command.

Slowly he turned to her,his eyes raked over her and she shivered. His eyes were so piercing . Though they had the most beautiful color. A forest green.

He looked like he'd been waiting.

And maybe he had.

Cain gave a slight bow. "She's here."

Adrian nodded, eyes never leaving her. He nodded .

Cain stepped away.

Elara stayed frozen.

Adrian walked closer, each step deliberate. "You ran."

She lifted her chin. "I had to try".

He stopped a few feet away."And yet here you are, in in front of me,despite your attempt to run. "Guess who's plan didn't go as planned".

Well it wasn't by choice,now was it?.

A ghost of a smile touched his lips.Everything is a choice, Elara. Even running. Even returning.

"You thought you could vanish, didn't you? That no one would come looking for you."

"No," she muttered. "I hoped no one would care enough to.

"Why'd you choose me?,She asked.

Because you're different. Quiet. Calculated. Not like the others they tried to offer me. I chose you."

"I'm not a choice. I'm a person."I get to make the decision in my life not you or Gerald.

She wrapped her arms around herself. "What do you want from me?"

He didn't answer right away. He simply watched her, as if seeing something beneath her skin.

Then, quietly, "To give you a life that doesn't hurt."

Her heart stuttered.

She didn't believe him.

He stepped closer, the air between them charged. His mouth tilted into something that wasn't quite a smile. I know you don't believe me and I don't expect you to and just so you know I've done my digging.I know everything about you, Elara. Where you go when you're upset. What you eat when you're anxious. Even the ex-boyfriend you never told your mother about. What was his name again? Caleb, right? The one who called you sunflower?"

Her lips parted. "You... did some digging without permission?. Don't you know that's rude?"

And so is running away 2 days before your wedding."

She opened her mouth, then shut it. Her pulse throbbed.

He arched a brow. "Don't test me, Elara. You won't like me angry."

She narrowed her eyes. "Is that a threat?"

"It's a warning," he said, voice low. "The wedding is in two days. Whether you walk down that aisle with fire in your eyes or fear in your heart is up to you."

She blinked, caught off guard by the chill in his tone.

Just then, a man entered through a side hallway-tall, with a trimmed beard and a tailored suit,his sharp gaze sweeping the room before settling on Elara. He approached with calm precision, removing his gloves slowly as he neared her.

"Miss Williams," he greeted, his voice smooth and clipped. "It's... interesting to finally meet you. Though, I didn't wish to meet you like this-not in this position."

He offered a faint, polite smile.

Surprisingly, the knot in Elara's chest eased a little. There was no cruelty in his tone. No threat. Just quiet observation.

"I'm Julian Ashford," he added. "Legal advisor to Mr. Wolfe and his only friend."

Then, he turned toward Adrian and leaned in to whisper something into his ear. Whatever it was made Adrian's jaw tighten..Adrian's entire expression shifted.

The warmth in his gaze iced over. His jaw clenched. His hand curled slightly at his side.

Julian.

Elara watched the tension roll through him.

Adrian turned back to her. "You'll return to Gerald's estate for now. My driver will take you."

"What? You're sending me back?"

"Temporarily. Until the ceremony. Don't mistake it for mercy."

Her stomach dropped. "You can't be serious."You said I had a choice.

Cry about it to your daddy.Adrian scoffed.

What we have is a business transaction and nothing else,and it's done already.

He stepped even closer. "Don't even think about running, Elara. So behave. Or next time, it won't be Cain picking you up."

She opened her mouth to reply, but he was already turning away, speaking low to Julian.

And just like that, she was dismissed.

Now she was going back .Back to Gerald.

The drive back to Gerald's estate dragged on longer than she could bear.Every minute stretching like a silent punishment.

Elara sat curled in the back seat of the SUV, staring out the rain-slick window.Cain didn't speak a word. He simply drove, eyes forward, fingers loose on the steering wheel like he wasn't returning a girl to her cage.

Elara sat hunched in the backseat, arms crossed, her soaked dress clinging to her skin despite the warmth of the car.Her mind raced with everything that had just happened ,the sting of Adrian's voice, his cold warning, the way he looked at her like he already owned every part of her.

She clenched her fists in her lap, nails digging into her palms. He knew things about her. Personal things. Caleb. Her favorite foods. Her habits. How?

And why did he care enough to find out?

She remembered his words,

"Don't test me."

"Whether you walk down that aisle with fire in your eyes or fear in your heart is up to you."

Was this what her life was now? A game of ownership,traded from one cold, powerful man to another? She didn't know what scared her more,staying, or the fact that some part of her had actually felt safer near Adrian than in her own home.

She pressed her forehead to the cold window, watching the night smear past in streaks of rain and headlights. Every mile closer to Gerald felt like a snake tightening around her neck.

By the time they reached the estate, it was just after 3 a.m. The massive iron gates groaned open as Cain drove through without needing to be buzzed in. Of course they were expecting her.

The mansion loomed ahead, golden lights glowing in its windows like watching eyes. She wanted to scream. To run again. But her body didn't move.

Cain pulled to a stop near the steps and killed the engine.We are here.

"I'll wait until you're inside," he said, the first thing he'd spoken in over an hour.

She glanced at him, surprised. There was no pity in his voice, but there wasn't indifference either. Just duty.

"Thanks," she mumbled, pushing open the door.

Elara stepped out slowly, duffel bag in hand. The rain had deduced to a drizzle, but the cold still crept under her skin. She walked toward the entrance, every step heavier than the last,then the front doors burst open.

Gerald stood there, robe half-tied, a glass of something amber in his hand. With Katherine beside him.Katherine stood there in a silk robe, holding a wine glass as if nothing had happened. Her lips curled into a smirk.

"Look who crawled back."

"You absolute child," Gerald hissed. Do you have any idea what you've done?

Elara's jaw locked.Apparently not enough. You still found me.

He marched down a few steps toward her, his grip tightening on the glass.What were you thinking?Gerald snapped. Running off like a spoiled brat. Do you know how close you came to ruining everything? "You embarrassed me. You embarrassed this family."

"You mean your business deal," she spat.

"Same thing!" he roared. Do you know how lucky you are that Wolfe didn't call this off entirely? He could've ruined us. Do you even realize what that man is capable of?

Elara set her bag down. "I needed air."

"You needed to remember your place," he retorted. You're lucky Mr. Wolfe didn't call the whole thing off.

"He sent me back here," she said. If I'm so important, why didn't he keep me?

Katherine chuckled from behind. "Sweetheart, you were never meant to stay in his world. You're just... part of the deal."

Elara turned to her slowly. Do you enjoy saying things just to hurt me? Or does it come naturally?

Katherine's smile vanished. "Watch your tone."

Or what? You'll trade me to someone worse next time?

Gerald stepped between them. Enough. The wedding is in two days. You'll smile, wear the dress, and say your vows. Then you're his problem.

"And what if I don't?"

Gerald grabbed her arm, not hard, but enough to make her flinch. Cain stepped out of the car like a shadow. Gerald noticed.

He let go of her instantly. "It's done," he snarled. "Go inside. We'll deal with this tomorrow."

"We won't," she said quietly,

Elara looked at him with quiet rage. "You're selling me off like I'm cattle."

"We're giving you a future," he snapped. That man is rich beyond anything you can imagine. You think acting classes and dreams will save you in this world?.

She didn't respond. Her silence said everything.

Gerald exhaled and turned away. "You'll be escorted everywhere until the ceremony. Don't even think about running again. We won't get another chance."

Katherine hissed and then brushed past her without a word.

Elara sniffled and then turned and walked into the house.

The silence inside the mansion was heavy. Too clean. Too perfect. She walked slowly, dragging her feet across the polished marble, heading for her room.

But she didn't make it far.

Phoebe appeared at the top of the stairs, her phone in hand, eyes wide.Wow,"You actually came back."

Still that was pretty sleek you know.Leaving the house without anyone noticing.

Dope.

Chloe, two years younger than Phoebe but somehow sharper with her words, peeked from behind her.Did you see him? Is he as scary as everyone says? Is he really handsome?

Elara ignored them both and continued climbing the stairs without answering.

Oh come on.Don't be a b**ch."Phoebe said with spite...

Chloe added from behind, her tone lighter but her words cutting deeper than she realized. It won't kill you if you just answer us.

You should be grateful you're being given the chance to represent us.Pheobe said with spite.

For once in your life you're actually this lucky.I mean, getting married to a billionaire heir?.

You must have pulled some strings,didn't you?.

Phoebe chuckled from behind.and then gasped,don't tell me you slept with him,just so he could choose you.You stooped that low?.

Elara stopped in her track to give her a reply but turned against it.She wasn't worth the reply anyways it's something she has gotten used to .Instead she just turned and continued up the stairs to her room

Yeah.Keep walking like the b**tch that you are.Phoebe added Making sure She heard her just before she entered her room.

Her room hadn't changed. Still small. Still cold. A corner of the house no one visited. The only difference was the silence inside her. A kind of quiet rage that simmered beneath her skin.

She dropped onto her bed, pulled her knees to her chest, and stared at the cracked ceiling.

She had two days.

Two days before she became Adrian Wolfe's bride.

She imagined the ceremony.cold marble, strangers watching, her in white beside a man who knew everything about her, and yet she knew almost nothing about him. The idea made her stomach twist.

And she didn't know if that terrified her more than staying in this house ever did.

It's not fair," she whispered softly to no one.

She wanted someone, anyone to care.

Tears streamed silently down her face. She cried the way she always had. Quietly. So no one would hear and tell her to stop. So no one could use it against her.

She thought of her sisters, laughing downstairs, her sisters were probably watching TV, laughing like nothing was happening. They'd never be offered to a stranger like this. They were Katherine's true daughters. Pretty, spoiled..

..adored.

Elara had always been the ghost. The placeholder. The name they remembered only when they needed someone to blame or sacrifice.

That was just her fate.

But no matter how much they tried to strip her of her choices, Elara knew one thing for sure.

She couldn't control what they'd taken from her... but she could still choose how to carr