Rachel watched the rain slide slowly down the window. The soft glow of the candles danced across her face, but her eyes remained fixed on the storm outside.
"I was nineteen," she finally said.
Lukas stayed quiet, sensing that every word she spoke carried a weight she had hidden for years.
"My grandfather called me into his study."
She paused, taking a slow breath.
"He told me I had six years."
Lukas frowned.
"Six years for what?"
"To prove I deserved everything he built."
Lightning flashed across the sky, briefly illuminating the room.
"If I failed..."
Her voice grew softer.
"The Hawthorne Group... this mansion... every share of the company..."
She looked down.
"...would belong to someone else."
Lukas blinked.
"So this contract..."
"It wasn't just about avoiding an arranged marriage."
Rachel shook her head.
"My grandfather believed that the head of our family should never stand alone."
"He wanted you to get married."
"Yes."
"So you hired me."
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
"I hired someone I believed wouldn't betray me."
Silence settled between them once again.
Outside, the storm continued to rage.
Lukas looked at her carefully.
"Then who's in the photograph?"
Rachel's fingers tightened around the blanket.
For a long moment, she said nothing.
When she finally spoke, her voice was barely above a whisper.
"The person I made the promise to."
Lukas's heart skipped a beat.
"Are they... still alive?"
Rachel slowly closed her eyes.
"I don't know."
Another clap of thunder echoed through the mansion.
Neither of them moved.
Because for the first time since they had signed the contract, Lukas realized Rachel wasn't just protecting a secret.
She was searching for someone she had already lost.