In the Hawke's Manor,

Lily's pulse raced as she entered the sleek, modern office. The cold glass walls overlooked a sprawling city skyline that seemed impossibly far from her current reality. 

The room itself reeked of power—dark wood, minimalist furnishings, and the overwhelming presence of Damien Hawke.

She stood by the door, her thoughts scattered. Her mind kept trying to make sense of everything, but the pieces wouldn’t fit. She had been snatched from the hospital, her life turned upside down by a man who had so many secrets, she didn’t know where to begin. And now, she was about to hear him explain his motives. She had no idea if she should be angry or terrified.

Damien was seated behind a massive desk, his gaze fixed on something in the distance, as if he had been expecting her all along. His ever faithful PA was standing behind him. The air between them crackled with unspoken tension. 

“You wanted to see me?” 

Lily’s voice was colder than she’d intended, but she couldn’t help it. She needed to be in control, even if it was the only thing she could hold onto.

Damien’s head turned slowly, his dark eyes locking onto hers. His lips twitched into the slightest of smiles, but there was nothing warm about it.

“Sit down,” he said, his voice low and commanding.

Lily hesitated for a moment before crossing the room and lowering herself into the chair across from his. Her hands were clenched in her lap, and her heart beat erratically in her chest. She couldn’t shake the feeling that this meeting would change everything.

“Don’t look so tense,” Damien continued, his voice dangerously smooth. “You’re safe here, for now. I’m not in the habit of letting people out of my grasp once they’re useful to me.”

Lily’s breath hitched. 

Useful to him? 

The words sent a cold shiver down her spine. She had never been anyone’s pawn, but now... she wasn’t sure.

“Why did you save me?” she demanded, her voice shaking despite her best efforts to remain calm.

Damien’s eyes narrowed, his lips curling into a smirk. 

“I saved you because I can offer you something that no one else can.”

“What, exactly?” Lily raised an eyebrow, skeptical.

He reached for a sleek, black envelope sitting on the desk in front of him. Without saying a word, he slid it across the table, his fingers lingering on the edge. 

Lily’s gaze flicked to the envelope, but she didn’t touch it yet.

“I’m offering you a chance for revenge, Lily. A chance to get back at those who ruined your life.”

The words hung in the air, thick with the promise of power. 

Revenge. 

The very thing Lily had fantasized about in the hospital bed as she drifted in and out of consciousness.

“You want to use me to get revenge?”

Lily's voice was sharp, her suspicion rising. “I don’t need your help. I can do it on my own.”

Damien leaned forward, his eyes glinting with a knowing look. 

“You think you can? You’re not in a position to make demands. You don’t have the power you think you do, not without someone like me on your side.”

His words cut deeper than she cared to admit. But she wasn’t going to back down.

“What’s the catch?” she asked, her tone steady despite the storm swirling inside her.

Damien leaned back in his chair, studying her with that unreadable expression. For a moment, the silence in the room felt suffocating. 

“The catch,” he said slowly, “is simple. I’ll help you destroy them. I’ll make sure you get your revenge, and more. But in return, you’ll do something for me. It's nothing much just a small, business arrangement.”

Lily’s heart skipped a beat. “Business arrangement?” 

She couldn’t stop the skepticism from seeping into her voice.

Damien’s lips curled into a dangerous smile. 

"I’m offering you protection. A chance to stand on equal footing with the people who have wronged you. All you have to do is marry me. For three years.”

Lily’s breath caught in her throat, her mind racing to process his words. 

Marry him? 

For three years?

“No,” she breathed out, shaking her head in disbelief. “I don’t know who you think you are, but I’m not marrying you.”

Damien’s eyes darkened, his expression hardening. 

"Don’t be naïve, Lily. This is the best offer you’re going to get. I can’t make it any clearer than that.”

“Marrying you? For revenge?” she echoed, still trying to wrap her head around what he was saying. “And you expect me to just what? Walk down the aisle tomorrow like it’s nothing? Marriage is a sacred bond... a covenant! Once our signatures are penned down on that certificate, we are bound in soul for eternity.”

Damien’s voice remained calm, but there was a coldness to it that made Lily’s skin prickle. 

“Exactly. We’ll sign the contract now, and tomorrow you’ll wear a ring and take your place by my side. Your enemies will never see it coming.”

Lily’s mind whirled as she processed his words. The thought of marrying Damien — of tying herself to him in such a permanent way - felt like a noose tightening around her neck. But her desire for revenge was stronger than her fear. 

She needed to fight back, to claw her way out of the hole her family had dug for her. And Damien, for all his cruelty, was offering her a way out.

But she didn’t trust him. 

Not one bit.

“You want me to sign this?” she asked, her voice shaking as she gestured to the contract Damien had placed before her. “To marry you?”

Damien didn’t respond immediately. He merely slid the pen across the table. 

“If you want your revenge,” he said quietly, “then you’ll do what I ask. No more games. No more hesitation. This is your chance. Take it, or leave it.”

Lily stared at the pen for a long moment. The weight of the decision pressed down on her chest, suffocating her. 

“You have no idea what you’re asking,” she muttered under her breath.

But her hands reached for the pen, the ink filling her veins like fire. 

Jin, who had been silent up until now, watched her with a stoic expression.

“Remember, Miss Ashton, this is business. Nothing personal.”

With a shaky hand, Lily signed the contract.

The moment the ink dried, Damien’s gaze darkened further. He stood from his chair with predatory grace and leaned in close enough that Lily could feel the heat radiating from his body.

“Now,” he said in a voice so soft, so dangerous, that it sent a chill down her spine, “You’re mine.”

Lily stood frozen, the reality of her decision crashing over her. This wasn’t a marriage. 

This wasn’t a partnership. 

This was a prison.

And yet, she had no choice. She had made her bed, and now she had to lie in it.

The door opened behind them as a man in a crisp dark and shades nodded at them, and Jin stepped forward. 

“It’s time,” he said, his eyes flicking toward Damien with silent understanding.

Lily looked up, her stomach turning in knots.

“Time for what?” she asked, dread creeping up her spine.

Damien’s cold smile was the only answer she got as he lead her out of the study.