Mariam stared at the dark screen in disbelief.
Her hand slowly lowered, and the phone nearly slipped from her grasp.
A cool breeze swept across, but she barely felt it.
Her sister was dead.
And her father had just traded her future like a business asset.
“Mariam,” Minghao’s voice sounded a bit gentle.
From the bit of conversation he had heard, he had a vague idea what was going on.
“Is everything okay?”
For several seconds she couldn’t answer.
The words felt impossible to say aloud.
Then she let out a hollow, broken laugh.
“My father sold me.”
Minghao frowned.
“What?”
“My sister is dead.” Tears finally filled her eyes.
“The company went bankrupt…Jackson Walsh paid off the debts and he wanted my hand in marriage in return. My father agreed to his conditions.”
The words sounded unreal even as they left her mouth, as though they belonged to someone else’s life rather than her own.
Minghao had a horrified look on his face.
How could Mr.
Doyle sell his daughter just like that?
Minghao ran a hand through his hair, trying to process everything she had just told him.
“This is insane,” he muttered.
“Absolutely insane.”
Mariam lowered her gaze to the ground.
She still felt numb.
Her sister’s death alone was enough to break her.
On top of that, she had been sold off to a vicious man, leaving her so overwhelmed by fear and despair that she barely had the chance to grieve for her sister before she found herself mourning her own fate.
“What am I supposed to do?…”
“You need to go back to Texas,” Minghao suggested.
“And find Ronan.”
The mention of Ronan’s name brought a flicker of hope to her otherwise shattered thoughts.
Ronan had been their friend since childhood.
The three of them had grown up together, and apart from Minghao, he was Mariam’s only other close friend.
The only reason they had drifted apart in recent years was because she and Minghao had chosen to complete their university studies overseas, while Ronan had remained in the United States to take over the management of the Turner family’s business.
Whenever Mariam got into trouble, Ronan was usually the first person to show up.
He had always treated her like family.
“Are you coming with me?”
“I can’t go back to the States right now. I promised I’d return to China and help Lihua deal with her family’s problems first,” Minghao said with a heavy sigh.
“But…If anyone can help you figure this mess out, it’s Ronan. You shouldn’t face this alone.”
Mariam immediately understood.
Xia Lihua was one of Minghao’s closest friends in Milan.
Mariam had heard countless stories about Lihua’s family troubles and the complicated situation she was currently dealing with back in China.
She really needed help.
“I promised I’d go to China and help Lihua sort everything out.” A trace of guilt appeared on Minghao’s face.
“Under normal circumstances, I would’ve gotten on the first flight with you.”
Mariam shook her head before he could continue.
“You don’t need to explain.”
“I feel like I do.”
“You don’t.” She managed a faint smile.
“Lihua is your friend too. She needs you.”
Over the two years, she had come to know Lihua well enough to understand that whatever crisis was happening in China, it must be serious if Minghao was willing to put aside everything else to help.
She would never ask him to abandon someone who needed him.
“I’ll find Ronan,” Mariam said.
“And I’ll ask for his help. I’m booking the earliest flight to Texas.”
“I’ll help you pack,” Minghao offered, gently patting her back.
He gave her a look, the kind that seemed to say, ‘You’ve got this’.
But Mariam wasn’t feeling so confident.
***
The day of her sister’s funeral arrived beneath a sky heavy with dark clouds.
The weather seemed to mirror Mariam’s grief.
A cold wind swept through the cemetery grounds, rustling the black umbrellas held by mourners dressed in somber colors.
The air smelled faintly of wet earth and fresh flowers placed around the polished coffin.
Mariam stood near the entrance for several moments, unable to gather the strength to walk farther.
This wasn’t how she had imagined returning home.
She had imagined coming back with a degree in her hands and her mother waiting proudly at the airport.
Instead, she was here to say goodbye forever.
Her gaze moved restlessly through the crowd, bypassing her father, her relatives, and the countless family friends waiting nearby.
She was searching for only one person.
And then she found him.
Standing among the crowd was Ronan Turner.
She hurried toward him.
“Ronan!”
“Mariam—”
Before Ronan could finish speaking, she threw herself into his arms.
He caught her immediately.
The familiar warmth of his embrace brought a painful sense of comfort.
Ronan held her tightly and his hand gently stroked the back of her head.
“It’s okay,” he murmured softly.
Mariam shook her head against his chest and spoke in a broken voice.
“Megan…she is gone…”
Ronan closed his eyes briefly.
His heart ached hearing the devastation in her voice.
He had known Mariam’s older sister his entire life and her death.
She had been battling cancer for a long time, but he didn’t expect her to pass away so suddenly.
“I am sorry…”
“You know my father is marrying me off to Jackson Walsh?”
Ronan’s expression immediately darkened.
“I heard.”
How could he not?
The moment the arrangement had been made, news had spread among the city’s elite circles.
At the time, Ronan had nearly lost his temper.
Even now, he could vividly remember the fury that had consumed him when he learned what Mariam’s father had done.
Mariam wasn’t property, nor was she some corporate asset to be traded away in exchange for debt.
Yet that was exactly how her father had treated her.
Ronan’s jaw tightened at the memory, and the mere thought of it was enough to make his blood boil.
“I don’t know what to do anymore…” Fresh tears gathered in Mariam’s eyes.
Ronan stared at her for several seconds.
Then a decision he had been wrestling with finally left his lips.
“Do you want to run away with me?”
Mariam blinked.
“What are you saying…?”
Ronan’s blue eyes were serious.
“Mariam, if you marry me before that wedding happens, Jackson won’t be able to touch you.”
For a moment even the wind seemed to stop.
Mariam stared at him in disbelief.
“Ronan…”
“I’m serious. You’ve been my friend since we were children. I won’t stand by and watch someone force you into a marriage you don’t want.”
“But your family would be furious….I don’t want you to be implicated.” She knew exactly how outrageous such an action would be.
If Ronan chose to interfere with Jackson Walsh’s plans, the consequences could be severe, potentially putting both him and his family in danger.
The last thing she wanted was to drag Ronan into this mess and force him to bear the burden of her problems.
“You don’t have to worry about that. I’ll handle it,” Ronan said, projecting a confidence he didn’t entirely feel.
The truth was, even he wasn’t certain of what he could do.
No one dared challenge Jackson Walsh.
His power and influence were enough to make even the most formidable people think twice.
Like everyone else, Ronan understood the danger of crossing him.
At that moment, Ronan felt inadequate and powerless to protect his friend.
Even so, he was determined to do everything he could.
“But you and Jackson used to be on good terms. What exactly happened between the two of you?” Ronan asked.
The question caught Mariam off guard.
As far as Ronan remembered, the two had once been inseparable.
Then, shortly before she left to study abroad, something had changed.
He still remembered the look on her face when she had said, “I hate Jackson. I never want to see his face again.”
At the time, Ronan had assumed it was just a lovers’ quarrel.
But Mariam never mentioned about getting together back again.
On top of that she loathed him.
Mariam lowered her gaze.
“That…”
However her words were interrupted by a deep voice.
“How touching.”
Mariam stiffened after hearing that familiar voice.
Then she quickly wiped her tears and stepped away from Ronan’s embrace.
“Old lovers reuniting after being years apart?” Jackson continued.
In his deep brown eyes there was a hint of dangerous amusement.
His deep gaze sent a chill down Mariam’s spine.
“Jackson…”
A flicker of unease crossed Mariam’s face.
She had no idea how much of their conversation he had overheard.
For all she knew, he could have been standing there the entire time, silently listening.
A light drizzle had begun to fall from the darkening sky.
Standing beside Jackson, his right-hand man, Sheikh, immediately stepped forward and opened a large black umbrella over his boss’s head.
Jackson remained perfectly dry.
Meanwhile, Mariam and Ronan remained exposed to the rain.
Water slowly dampened Mariam’s blonde hair and black funeral dress.
“I assume your father has already explained everything to you,” Jackson said.
Before she could react, he reached out and lifted her chin upward between his rough fingers.
“Take your hand off her!” Ronan snapped.
Despite his anger, he stopped himself from stepping forward.
There was something unsettling about Jackson’s expression.
His gaze was cold, unreadable, and utterly devoid of warmth.
It was the look of a man accustomed to getting whatever he wanted.
Jackson didn’t even spare Ronan a glance.
“Enjoy these last few days of freedom,” he said to Mariam.
“Once you’re married to me, I don’t want to see you spending time with vulgar men like him.”
His tone was calm, but the possessiveness beneath it was unmistakable.
“The only vulgar man here is you!” Mariam shot back.
Her green eyes were filled with venom.
How dare he insult Ronan?
For a moment, Jackson simply stared at her.
Then he released her chin and withdrew his hand as though her defiance meant nothing.
“I don’t have time for pointless arguments…I came here to speak with your father. But since you’ve chosen to insult me repeatedly, consider this a warning.” Jackson’s indifferent gaze shifted briefly toward Ronan.
“The next time I find you with him, I’ll handle the situation my way.”
“He is my friend!” Mariam fired back.
“I can meet whoever I want.”
“No.” The single word was enough to damp the sound of the rain.
“You belong to me now.”
His words were a warning that should never have been ignored.
Unfortunately, Mariam did ignore it.
She dismissed his warning as nothing more than another attempt to control her.
Now, blindfolded and trapped in the back of the car, Mariam’s hands trembled as fear gripped her chest.
She had no idea where she was being taken.
Only the terrifying realization that Jackson Walsh had finally decided to deal with the situation his own way.