er friends. She felt like Ryker's proposal, with its precise terms and promises of financial stability, had somehow paralyzed h

, the only person who truly knew her, who had witnessed her struggles and her fears, her mo

realizing the weight that weighed on Hope's heart. "It's b

I need to talk to you about an offer that...someone

ore serious. "Of course, I'm he

l marriage and the conditions he had set. She also confided to him her doubts, her fears, but also this almost insane desire to say

"Hope, I know you better than anyone... I know how much you've struggled, and how much you dream of a future without this const

with this money. Two hundred thousand euros. I could... I could finally get out of this miser

han anyone. But... do you feel like you can live with this decision? To be the

esented an opportunity to escape her current life, but she couldn't ignore the fear that k

the time to consider all the consequences, good and bad. And remember what you o

couldn't see her. "Thank you..

d towards the window of her tiny apartment. Outside, the city shone brightly, indifferent to his doubts a

he door of the grocery store, looking at her mother who was meticulously counting every penny to pay for limited groceries. And then, she saw herself again when she was younger, just afte

roposal from Ryker , as unexpected as it is, offers him a chance to break this chain. Two hund

overwhelm her. It was a decision only she could make. No one could understan

d some kind of inner peace, even in the midst of her doubts. She knew that her decision w

in her eyes, only a determination that Ryker seemed to see immediately

our decision? he demanded,

s. " Yes. I accept. I agree to sign

she detected a certain satisfaction, almost rel

ing clear. I want each term detailed in the contract. I want to be sure that, if

ave my word. Each clause will be respected. I

f paper. She knew that this commitment would lead her into an unknown world, populated with rules and responsibilities that she ha

looks, the judgments, and face the expectations of the members of Ryker 's pack. But for the first time in he