Chapter 3 An offer she can't refuse

Seraphina had barely returned to her ordinary life when her past came knocking, literally.

She sat at the small wooden desk in her cramped apartment, unpaid bills stacked in front of her like a reminder of everything she was trying to outrun. The wall felt closer today, the space suffocating in a way it never had before.

Maybe because last night opened the world she would never unsee-a world of silk sheets, city lights, whispered promise and a man who made her forget,if only for a moment,just how exhausting it is to keep her world from crumbling.

But that was over now.

The ache in her chest was not disappointment. It was just the fact about her.

A sharp knock at the door startled her, making her heart to lurch. She frozen.

. No one ever visited her.No friends,no family.The only person who ever knocked was her llandlord, and she wasn't in the mood for that conversation.

Still, she felt that this wasn't about rent.

Swallowing hard, she wiped her damp palms on her skirt, inhaled deeply, and opened the door.

And there he stood

Lysander Duvall.

Standing in the dimly lit hallway of her run-down apartment building, he looked like he had stepped out of a different reality that it was almost laughable. His tailored suit, perfectly pressed,exuded wealth and control.The faint scent of expensive cologne clung to him,a reminder of last night reckless choice.

The sight of him sent a jolt through her stomach–part shocked,part something she dint want to name.

Her fingers tightened around the door.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded.

His sharp gaze swept over her-not with mockery or disdain, but as if he were studying her–taking in every details.

"We need to talk," Lysander stated,his voice calm yet firm.

Seraphina fold her arms across her chest,her expression unimpressed "I believed you made yourself perfectly clear when you walked away this morning."

"That was unavoidable. Business,"he replied evenly.

She arched an eyebrow,"And now you're here because...?"

A brief silence stretched between them before he spoke again"I have a proposition for you."

Seraphina blinked then let out a short incredulous laugh"You must be delusional if you think I'd entertain any offer from you after last night."

Lysander remained unbothered.He didn't even look offended. If anything, he looked even more resolute.

"I need a wife," he replied.

The air between them thickened.

Seraphina frowned,her mind struggling to process the words"I beg your pardon?"

His gaze never wavered."Velmoria's sovereign matrimonial clause has just been enacted.Without a wife my business will suffer a significant losses.My investors demand stability,and, unfortunately, remaining unmarried makes me appear...vulnerable."

She searched his face, waiting for some sign that this was a joke.There was none.

"So let me get this straight," she said slowly."You required a wife".

He gave a single nod. "And you require financial security."

A chill ran through her.

"I do not need your money," she retorted,her voice sharp.

Lysander 's expression remain unmoved.Instead he arched a brow,his tone measured."You are behind on rent.Your debt are pilling up.Your business is struggling to gain traction.

Her breath hitched. How the hell did he got to know all that?

"You got me investigated ?"

"I make a habit to gather information before entering into agreement,"he said simply,as if discussing a routine business merger rather than the details of her life.A heavy silence stretched between them. Seraphina's nails dug into her palms as she weighed the insanity of his offer against the harsh reality of her situation.

She inhaled sharply. He spoke so matter-of-factly, as if proposing a contract rather than a lifelong commitment.

"And after a year?" she asked, her voice quieter now.

"We part ways," he said smoothly. "You will be wealthy, independent, and completely free. No attachments, no complications."

Her heart pounded, uncertainty tangling with the cold reality of her circumstances. It was absurd. Unthinkable.

And yet, her mind betrayed her, replaying the eviction notice taped to her refrigerator, the endless rejection emails cluttering her inbox, the sinking feeling of dreams slipping through her fingers.

Lysander was offering her a way out.

A lifeline.

"Why me?" she whispered.

For the first time, his expression flickered-something unreadable, almost hesitant, crossed his features. Then, just as quickly, it was gone.

"Because you don't belong in my world," he said at last.

The words should have stung, but strangely, they didn't. They made a twisted kind of sense.

She wasn't a scheming socialite. She had no interest in his wealth, his power, or his name. She was safe. Convenient.

And yet... something in his gaze told her that last night had lingered with him, just as much as it had with her.

Seraphina exhaled, gripping the fabric of her skirt. "Marriage isn't a joke, Lysander."

"I never said it was," he countered. "Which is why I'm treating this exactly as it should be-a contract. Nothing more."

The words cut deeper than they should have.

Nothing more.

She hesitated, her mind warring with itself.

"And if I refuse?" she challenged.

Lysander's expression remained unreadable, but something in his eyes hardened, his voice cool and firm. "Then I walk away. And you continue fighting a battle you are already losing."

Her stomach twisted at the cruel honesty of his words.

A heavy silence stretched between them. Seraphina's nails dug into her palms as she weighed the insanity of his offer against the harsh reality of her situation.

One year. Just twelve months of pretending.

In exchange, she would have security, freedom, and the chance to finally build the life she had always dreamed of.

And all she had to do was marry a man who didn't believe in love.

Her instincts screamed at her to walk away. To reject him. To keep whatever shred of dignity she had left.

But survival wasn't about dignity. It was about making the best possible choice when all the options were terrible.

She swallowed hard. "When do we sign?"

For the first time since she had met him, Lysander Duvall smiled.

And just like that, her fate was sealed.