"Marry me Elara, or watch everything you love crumbles into dust."
Elara Carter's breath hitched.
The word has hit her hard, sharp and unforgiving. It left a deep ache deep in her heart,touching a part of her she hadn't even known could hurt. She swallowed, but the lump in her throat wouldn't go away.
Killian Hayes sat behind his obsidian desk in the vast , dimly lit office.He was the picture of cold, ruthless CEO ,who effortless controlled everyone and everything.His Fingers drummed lazily against the armrest, his unreadable—bored, even. As if this was just another business deal.
But for her?
This was a death sentence.
She swallowed against the dryness in her throat, her pulse hammering vigorously.His presence was suffocating—dark spice and something unmistakably masculine filled the air, clouding her thoughts.
"Excuse me?" she croaked.
Killian's icy blue eyes gleamed with amusement. "If you din't know yet,I don't repeat myself."
Her fingers curled into fists. She had heard him perfectly, but her brain refused to process it.
This couldn't be real.
Men like Killian Hayes,that are untouchable, ruthless billionaires—didn't just appear out of nowhere, demanding marriage.
"You must be joking," she said, with her voice hoarse.
He arched a brow. "Do I look like a man who jokes?"
No.
Not at all.
Everything about him—from the precision-cut suit to the sheer dominance in his posture—screamed power. A man who moved the world at his command.
And right now, all that power was aimed at her.
"Why me?" she demanded, her voice rising. "I don't even know you! Why the hell would you want to marry me?"
A slow, wicked smirk curved his lips. "Because you're desperate enough to say yes."
Her stomach twisted.
He knew.
Somehow, he knew.
"I don't know what you're talking about—"
"Oh, but you do."
Killian leaned back, utterly at ease, as if he wasn't about to dismantle her life. "Shall I list the reasons?"
Elara clutched the strap of her purse, her sharp nails digging into her palm.
"Run," her mind screamed. "Get out of here."
But her feet refused to move.
"Thirty-seven dollars," Killian drawled in mockery. "That's all you have left in your account. You've been skipping meals—not because you're dieting, but because you had to choose between eating and buying your mother's painkillers."
Her breath hitched.
"Your rent?" His tone was mockingly sympathetic. "Eviction notice was filed this morning. You have five days before you're thrown out on the streets like a trash."
The walls seemed to close in.
"Ivy's school fees?" He sighed, shaking his head. "The deadline is this Friday. You don't pay? She gets expelled."
Elara's vision blurred.
How did he know this?
"How do you know all this?" she croaked.
Killian smirked, his gaze razor-sharp. "I make it my business to know everything about the people I own."
Owned.
The word hit her like a slap.
"I don't belong to you, you don't own me" she spat.
Killian chuckled, low and dark. "No? Then tell me, Elara… What exactly do you have left?"
Nothing.
She had nothing.
She turned away,her breath sharp,her eyes fixed on the towering glass windows.
There had to be another way.
She could borrow money—no. No one would lend her anything. Her landlord? Merciless. Ivy's school? They didn't even care about excuses.
And her mother…
Elara bit her lip, her vision stinging.
Her mother's condition was getting worse. The doctors had warned her—without continued the treatment, she wouldn't last the year.
A fresh wave of panic clawed up her throat.
She couldn't lose her.
But selling herself to Killian Hayes?
The man was dangerous.
The kind of dangerous man that smiled as he tore people apart.As he ripped them into pieces.
Her voice barely rose above a whisper. "And if I refuse?"
Killian's expression darkened.
"Then I make sure you never crawl out of the hole you're in."
His voice was calm—too calm—like he was discussing a business acquisition, not destroying her life.
"Your mother's treatment stops. Your sister gets expelled. You lose your apartment. And as for you?" He leaned forward, his gaze cold, cutting and sharp. "I could have any woman in this city," he murmured. Then, softer—more lethal—"But none of them are desperate enough to obey."
Elara staggered back,her heart hammering.
This wasn't a proposal.
It was an execution.
Her gaze dropped to the sleek black contract lying on the desk. Her ticket to survival.
Her hands trembled as she reached for it—only to stop inches away.
Her entire body shook.
"You're hesitating," Killian observed coolly.
Elara's fists clenched. "Because this is insane."
Killian sighed. "Fine. Let me make it easier for you."
He stood, rounding the desk in slow, deliberate steps until he was right there, towering over her.
"You want to know what I stand to gain?" His voice was soft, deceptively gentle. "You're not the only one with a deadline, sweetheart. If I don't marry before my thirtieth birthday, I lose everything."
Elara blinked. "Lose?"
"The inheritance. The company. The empire my grandfather built." Killian's lips curled. "And I'm not in the mood to let greedy board members sink their claws into what's mine."
The realization slammed into her.
This wasn't just about her desperation.
Killian needed this marriage just as much as she did.
And yet, he was still in control.
A flicker of something unreadable crossed his face, gone in an instant.
"You're still hesitating," he noted.
Elara's breathing was ragged.
Once she signed this contract, she would belong to him.
Could she do this?
Could she really shackle herself to a like Killian Hayes?
She thought of her mother—frail, suffering.
She thought of Ivy—bright, hopeful.
And then she thought of the alternative.
Homeless. Helpless. Hopeless.
Her fingers trembled violently as she picked up the pen.
Her heart was pounding heavily.
Her pulse roared uncontrollably.
And then—
She signed.
The ink was still drying when Killian's voice curled around her like smoke.
"Good girl."
And just like that—
She became Killian Hayes' wife.