The man who had just proposed to me was a stranger.
A very dangerous-looking stranger.
And somehow, he seemed to know more about my life than I did.
I stared at the hand Adrian Blackwood had extended toward me.
I didn’t take it.
“You’re insane.”
One corner of his mouth lifted.
“Possibly.”
“You just proposed to a woman whose wedding was destroyed less than five minutes ago.”
“Yes.”
“In front of two hundred people.”
“Yes.”
“To a woman you’ve never spoken to.”
His eyes held mine.
“I’ve spoken to you now.”
“That doesn’t make this normal.”
“I never said it was.”
I almost laughed.
Almost.
Behind us, the ballroom had become chaos.
Guests whispered.
Phones were out.
Someone was already recording.
My mother was being surrounded by relatives.
Daniel stood frozen near the altar.
And somewhere in this mess, Sophia was probably hiding.
I looked at Adrian again.
“You need to leave.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“Why?”
“Because this is my disaster.”
“No.”
His voice was calm.
“This is their disaster.”
He glanced toward Daniel.
Daniel immediately stepped forward.
“Don’t listen to him, Elena.”
Adrian turned his head.
“Interesting.”
“What?”
“You suddenly care what she listens to.”
Daniel’s face hardened.
“You don’t know anything about us.”
“I know enough.”
Adrian’s voice never rose.
That somehow made him more intimidating.
Daniel looked at me.
“Elena, come with me. We need to talk.”
I stared at him.
“We already talked.”
“No, we didn’t.”
“You kissed my sister.”
“I made a mistake.”
“You planned to take my family’s assets.”
His expression changed.
“I never said that.”
“You didn’t have to.”
I held up the folder.
Daniel’s eyes dropped to it.
“You’re misunderstanding those documents.”
“Then explain them.”
He opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
I waited.
Still nothing.
Adrian watched him for a few seconds.
Then he said quietly:
“That’s what I thought.”
Daniel’s fists tightened.
“You’re enjoying this.”
“No.”
Adrian looked at me.
“I don’t enjoy watching people discover they’ve been lied to.”
Something about the way he said it made me pause.
There was no satisfaction in his voice.
Only something colder.
Experience.
I didn’t understand it.
And I didn’t have time to.
My mother approached us.
“Elena.”
Her eyes were red.
“Come home with me.”
I looked at her.
For one second, I wanted to say yes.
I wanted to go back to the house where everything was familiar.
I wanted someone to tell me what to do.
But then I remembered Daniel’s hand around Sophia’s waist.
I remembered the documents.
And I remembered how little I had known about the man I was about to marry.
“No.”
My mother looked shocked.
“Elena—”
“I need to figure this out.”
“Not here.”
“I know.”
I turned toward Adrian.
He was still waiting.
“You said you had a way out.”
“I do.”
“What does it involve?”
“Leaving.”
“Where?”
“Somewhere we can talk without an audience.”
I glanced around the room.
Every pair of eyes seemed to be watching us.
“Fine.”
Daniel stepped forward.
“You’re not going anywhere with him.”
I turned.
“Why?”
“Because he’s dangerous.”
I almost smiled.
“Compared to what?”
Daniel fell silent.
I walked past him.
Adrian followed.
The ballroom doors opened.
The moment we stepped outside, cameras flashed.
Reporters had somehow already gathered near the entrance.
“Mr. Blackwood!”
“Is Elena Carter your new girlfriend?”
“Did you know about the broken engagement?”
“Are the two of you getting married?”
I froze.
Adrian placed one hand lightly against my back.
“Keep walking.”
I did.
His body shielded me from the cameras.
We reached a black car waiting at the curb.
The driver opened the door.
I stopped before getting inside.
“This is where I ask whether you’re planning to murder me.”
Adrian looked at me.
“Do I look like a murderer?”
“Yes.”
For the first time, I saw something that looked almost like amusement in his eyes.
“Fair enough.”
He opened the car door wider.
“Get in.”
I hesitated.
Then I remembered the wedding.
The kiss.
The documents.
Daniel.
I got inside.
Adrian followed.
The door closed.
The outside noise disappeared.
For several seconds, neither of us spoke.
The car began moving.
I looked through the window.
The hotel became smaller behind us.
My wedding disappeared with it.
I looked down at my dress.
A few pearls had come loose near the waist.
I pulled one off.
It rolled across my palm.
“What happens now?”
Adrian looked at me.
“Now you decide whether you want revenge.”
I laughed bitterly.
“I don’t want revenge.”
“Then what do you want?”
I stared out the window.
“I want the truth.”
His expression changed.
Only slightly.
But I noticed.
“The truth about Daniel?”
“The truth about everything.”
He was silent.
I turned toward him.
“Why was my family involved in those documents?”
“You don’t know what happened to Carter Holdings.”
“My father said the company collapsed because of bad investments.”
Adrian didn’t answer.
I frowned.
“That isn’t the whole story, is it?”
“No.”
The word landed heavily between us.
I swallowed.
“What happened?”
“Ten years ago, Carter Holdings and Blackwood International were partners.”
I stared at him.
“My family and yours?”
“Yes.”
“My father never mentioned that.”
“Your father had reasons.”
“What reasons?”
Adrian looked out the window.
“That’s something you’ll have to ask him.”
I was beginning to hate that answer.
Everyone seemed to know something except me.
My father.
My mother.
Daniel.
Sophia.
And now Adrian.
I crossed my arms.
“You knew about my family before today.”
“Yes.”
“How much?”
“Enough.”
“That isn’t an answer.”
“It is the answer I’m willing to give you right now.”
I turned away.
“Then I don’t trust you.”
“I know.”
“You don’t seem bothered.”
“I expected that.”
I looked at him again.
“Why?”
“Because if you trusted me immediately, I’d be worried.”
I stared at him.
For some reason, that answer felt honest.
The car slowed.
I expected a restaurant or a hotel.
Instead, we entered a private underground parking garage.
A security gate opened.
Several black vehicles were parked inside.
Adrian got out.
I followed.
“Where are we?”
“My office.”
He walked toward a private elevator.
Two security guards nodded when they saw him.
I followed him inside.
The elevator doors closed.
The silence returned.
I suddenly became aware of how close we were standing.
I moved slightly away.
Adrian noticed.
He didn’t comment.
The elevator stopped.
The doors opened into a massive private office.
Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the city.
Everything was dark wood, black marble, and glass.
No photographs.
No personal decorations.
No signs that anyone actually lived here.
I looked around.
“This is your office?”
“Yes.”
“It feels like a prison.”
He looked at me.
“That’s because it is.”
I wasn’t sure if he was joking.
Then he walked toward a desk.
Ethan was already waiting there.
He was tall, neatly dressed, and had the calm expression of someone who had seen far too many disasters to be impressed by another one.
His eyes moved from me to Adrian.
Then to my wedding dress.
He raised one eyebrow.
“Should I ask?”
“No,” Adrian said.
“Understood.”
Ethan handed Adrian a black tablet.
“Everything is ready.”
Adrian nodded.
Then he looked at me.
“Elena.”
“What?”
“You said you wanted the truth.”
“Yes.”
He turned the tablet toward me.
A financial report appeared on the screen.
I read the first page.
Then the second.
My heart started beating faster.
Carter Holdings.
Hayes Corporation.
Several transactions.
Several shell companies.
Then I saw Daniel’s name.
I looked up.
“This can’t be real.”
“It is.”
“How long?”
“Six months.”
My fingers tightened around the edge of the desk.
“He’s been buying Carter assets for six months?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because he expects your family to collapse completely.”
I stared at the screen.
“But we’re already broke.”
Adrian’s eyes narrowed.
“No.”
I looked at him.
“You’re not.”
“What?”
“Your family still controls something valuable.”
“What?”
He didn’t answer immediately.
Then:
“The Carter Trust.”
I frowned.
“My father said there was nothing left.”
“Your father lied.”
The room seemed to tilt.
I stepped back.
“My father wouldn’t lie to me.”
“He already has.”
I shook my head.
“No.”
Adrian walked toward me.
“Your father isn’t the only person who has been keeping secrets.”
I looked at him.
“Then why are you telling me?”
“Because Daniel is about to make his move.”
“When?”
“Within thirty days.”
I looked at the documents again.
A cold feeling settled in my stomach.
“If I had married him today…”
“He would have had access to the trust.”
I closed my eyes.
Daniel hadn’t just betrayed me.
He had planned to marry me for my family’s money.
And my sister had known.
My own sister.
I opened my eyes.
“Why do you care?”
Adrian didn’t answer.
I stepped closer.
“Why do you care about Carter Holdings?”
Silence.
“Why do you know my father?”
Nothing.
“And why did you know about Daniel?”
Still nothing.
I stared at him.
“You’re hiding something.”
His jaw tightened.
“Yes.”
“At least you’re honest about that.”
“I never promised you honesty.”
I felt anger rise in my chest.
“Then what exactly did you promise me?”
His eyes met mine.
“Protection.”
I laughed.
“I don’t need a bodyguard.”
“I didn’t offer you one.”
“Then what are you offering?”
He stepped closer.
Close enough that I had to tilt my head slightly to look at him.
His voice dropped.
“A way to take back control.”
I stared into those strange gray-blue eyes.
“And what’s the price?”
For the first time, Adrian smiled.
It wasn’t warm.
It wasn’t cruel.
It was simply certain.
“You.”
I froze.
He walked past me.
Then he stopped beside the door.
“Think about it.”
He opened the door.
“Because tomorrow, I’ll make you the same offer again.”
I frowned.
“What offer?”
He looked back at me.
The words were quiet.
But they stayed with me long after he left.
“Become my wife.”
The door closed.
I stood alone in Adrian Blackwood’s office.
And for the first time that night, I understood something.
Daniel had wanted to marry me for my family’s money.
Adrian Blackwood wanted to marry me too.
The only question was—
What did he want from me?