to her ordinary life when her

ed in front of her like a reminder of everything she was trying to outrun. Th

ilk sheets, city lights, whispered promise and a man who made her forget,if

t was o

not disappointment. It w

oor startled her, maki

fr

e only person who ever knocked was her llandlord,

t that this wa

damp palms on her skirt, inha

ere he

der D

of a different reality that it was almost laughable. His tailored suit, perfectly pressed,exuded wealt

ugh her stomach–part shocked,part

tightened ar

doing here?"

mockery or disdain, but as if he were

Lysander stated,his

ession unimpressed "I believed you made yourself

able. Business,"h

row,"And now you'r

een them before he spoke again

us laugh"You must be delusional if you think I'd

idn't even look offended. If anyt

wife," h

tween them

struggling to process the

ted.Without a wife my business will suffer a significant losses.My investors deman

ing for some sign that this

aight," she said slowly

d. "And you require

ran thro

money," she retort

brow,his tone measured."You are behind on rent.Your debt a

How the hell did he

me invest

ine business merger rather than the details of her life.A heavy silence stretched between them. Seraphina's

er-of-factly, as if proposing a contr

?" she asked, her

ll be wealthy, independent, and completel

ng with the cold reality of her circu

d to her refrigerator, the endless rejection emails cluttering her

offering he

ife

" she wh

mething unreadable, almost hesitant, crossed hi

belong in my worl

ut strangely, they didn't. The

d no interest in his wealth, his power,

her that last night had lingered wit

he fabric of her skirt. "Marr

hich is why I'm treating this exactly a

deeper than th

ing

her mind warr

efuse?" she

his eyes hardened, his voice cool and firm. "Then I walk awa

d at the cruel hon

ails dug into her palms as she weighed the insanity o

twelve months

freedom, and the chance to finally bui

was marry a man who

lk away. To reject him. To keep wha

was about making the best possible cho

d hard. "Whe

nce she had met him,

that, her fa