versations that all seemed to fade into the background. The only constant was the pressure, the weight of expectations pressing on his chest like a vice. Hi

the room. He should have been reviewing the final details for the wedding-confirming the guest list, approving the

about Sca

ns, a woman who dared to speak her mind without fear of his status. But there was something about her. The way she carried herself, the way she spoke her tr

ping the edge of his desk with white knuckles. "She's

more than a brief moment in his life, a woman whose presence had unsettled him more than it should have. But t

t the door brok

his assistant, breaking thro

lipped. He couldn't afford to be distracted

"The final wedding documents. Everything is ready for Friday.

lingering on him, her concern palpable. She had been working with him for years, and she knew him too well.

d softly, hesitating as she caught the l

xplain. No one understood. His father's voice echoed in his mind:

alls he'd built around himself hardening once again. "

ion in her step as she backed out of the room. "Of

d at the papers, but all he could see was Scarlett's face. Her words, her

ping against the floor. He had worked too hard for this em

This marriage to Adriana is what I need. It's what's best for business, for

hone buzzed

ge. Fro

tonight

r days, burying himself in work to avoid the discussions that always came with those meetings. Damie

yped, the words feeling fina

ow, looking down at the city lights. The bustling streets bel

re, a fortress. But now, as the night pressed on and the wedding loomed cl

this is

mattered: power, control, legacy. He had to marry Adriana. He cou

mething gnawed at his soul. The questi

e everything he had built