My grandfather sat at the head of the massive mahogany dining table. He tapped his cane against the marble floor.
"The Howard empire is yours, Fairy," he announced. The dozen board members and family associates in the room nodded in unison. "But to secure your position, you need a suitable husband."
I set my teacup down. The porcelain clattered against the saucer.
"No," I said. "I am not doing that again."
"Brian was a parasite," Grandpa dismissed, waving his hand. "I am talking about an equal."
"I don't want an equal," I replied, my voice hard. "I just escaped five years of lies. I am not stepping into another trap."
"It isn't a trap if you hold the keys," Grandpa insisted.
The heavy oak doors of the banquet hall swung open.
A tall man strode into the room. He wore a sharp black suit that tailored perfectly to his broad shoulders. His eyes, dark and unreadable, locked onto me instantly.
Arthur Kane.
Heir to the Kane conglomerate. Brian's biggest rival.
Grandpa chuckled. "Arthur. You have impeccable timing. I was just asking my stubborn granddaughter to consider a marriage of convenience. Are you interested in the position?"
It was a half-joke. A test.
Arthur didn't blink. He didn't look at my grandfather. He kept his gaze pinned on my face.
"I am," Arthur said.
The room went dead silent.
My fingers curled into my palms. His stare felt too heavy, carrying a raw, possessive edge that made my skin prickle. He looked at me like I was a prize he had already won.
"Excuse me?" I asked.
"I accept the proposal," Arthur clarified, his tone entirely serious.
"I didn't offer one," I shot back.
Arthur finally smiled. It didn't reach his eyes. "You will."
Forty minutes later, the formal dinner ended. I tracked Arthur down in my grandfather's study. He stood by the window, swirling amber liquid in a crystal glass.
"Call it off," I demanded, shutting the door behind me.
He turned around. "Call what off?"
"This sudden engagement," I said. "I am not a bargaining chip for your corporate alliances. And I don't believe in love at first sight."
Arthur set his glass on the desk. He picked up a manila folder and slid it across the polished wood.
"I don't need you to believe in love," Arthur said. "Look at the file."
I stepped closer. I flipped the cover open.
Inside were blueprints, financial projections, and contract drafts. Every single page bore Brian's company logo. These were the harbor expansion projects Brian had spent the last two years desperately trying to secure.
"Why do you have these?" I asked.
Arthur pulled his phone from his pocket. He dialed a number and put it on speaker.
"Sir?" a voice answered on the first ring.
"Kill the harbor deal," Arthur ordered.
"But sir, Brian's team just signed the preliminary—"
"I said kill it," Arthur interrupted. His voice stayed perfectly level, yet it commanded absolute obedience. "Pull our funding. Lock them out of the supply chain."
"Understood."
Arthur ended the call and tossed the phone onto the desk. A dangerous smirk curved his lips.
"You can refuse to marry me," Arthur said. "But are you really going to let the people who humiliated you keep winning?"
My throat tightened. I stared at the canceled contracts.
"You did that just to make a point?" I asked.
"I did that because I can," he corrected. He stepped around the desk, closing the distance between us. "Fairy, if you want, I can make Brian lose a lot more than a harbor."
He wasn't the polite, polished gentleman he played in the boardroom. He was ruthless.
"Why me?" I asked, tilting my chin up to meet his gaze.
"You hate him," Arthur stated. "I want to destroy him. We have common ground."
He reached for a remote on the desk and aimed it at the flat-screen television mounted on the wall.
"Watch this," Arthur instructed.
The screen flickered to life, displaying a live broadcast from the Starlight Charity Gala. The camera panned across the opulent ballroom.
There was Brian. He stood by the champagne tower, looking smug in his tailored tuxedo. Rida clung to his arm, wearing the diamond pendant he bought her. She was laughing, whispering something to the women around her.
I knew exactly what she was saying. She was calling me a discarded housewife. A pathetic loser who got kicked out of her own home.
"They look happy," Arthur noted dryly.
"For now," I muttered.
Suddenly, the gala's main stage screens glitched. The soft jazz music cut out. A news anchor's face appeared on every monitor in the ballroom.
"We interrupt this broadcast for breaking financial news," the anchor announced. "The notoriously private Howard family has just officially named their sole heir."
On the television, Brian frowned. He turned toward the screens.
"Fairy Howard, granddaughter of the family patriarch, will inherit the entire Howard empire," the anchor continued. "Furthermore, the family confirms she is engaged to Arthur Kane, merging the two most powerful conglomerates in the West."
The camera zoomed in on Brian.
His jaw dropped. The champagne flute slipped from his fingers. It shattered against the marble floor, splashing alcohol over his expensive shoes.
Rida gasped, covering her mouth with both hands. Her face drained of all color.
Brian stared at the screen, sheer panic widening his eyes. The arrogant smirk he wore all morning vanished completely. He looked terrified.
Arthur leaned close to my ear.
"Look at him," Arthur whispered. "He just realized he threw away the crown."
I watched Brian scramble, pulling his phone out with trembling hands. He was probably trying to call me. Trying to fix the catastrophic mistake he just made.
"So?" Arthur asked, stepping back. "Do we have a deal?"
I looked away from the television. I met Arthur's dark, calculating eyes.
"Yes," I said.
Arthur's smile widened. "Good. Because your ex-husband is about to find out exactly what happens when he touches my fiancée."
My phone vibrated in my pocket. The screen lit up with Brian's name.
Arthur glanced at the glowing screen. "Are you going to answer that?"
I picked up the phone.
I pressed decline.
"No," I told him. "Let him sweat."
Arthur chuckled, a low, harsh sound that filled the quiet study. "I think you and I are going to get along perfectly, Fairy."
