The cold wind whipped outside City Hall. Ayla wrapped her arms tightly around her chest, shivering. Phillip's demand echoed in her ears. Moving in together immediately was never part of her plan.
Drake stepped forward, shoving his hands deep into his jacket pockets.
"I can't take her in," Drake lied, his voice rough. "My rented room is the size of a closet. We won't fit."
Phillip let out a harsh scoff. He gestured to his driver, who stepped out of the front seat and handed Drake a single brass key on a cheap ring. The cold metal bit into his palm. He knew exactly what this was. The old man was locking him into a cage to monitor the marriage.
"I bought a run-down apartment in Brooklyn years ago," Phillip said coldly. "You two can stay there. Consider it a wedding gift."
Ayla stared at the key in Drake's hand. Her stomach tightened. The desperate need for independence flared hot in her veins.
"No," Ayla said firmly. "We can't live there for free. We will pay rent."
Phillip raised an eyebrow. He looked at Ayla, a flicker of genuine respect crossing his wrinkled face.
"Fine," Phillip agreed smoothly. "Five hundred dollars a month. Symbolically."
Drake watched Ayla's face. She was already doing the math in her head, her lips moving silently. His chest went cold with suspicion. She was good. She was playing the long game, pretending to be noble to secure a bigger payout later.
Phillip turned on his heel and walked toward the idling sedan. Before he got in, he shot Drake a lethal, warning glare. Do not mess this up. The car door slammed, and the sedan glided away into the traffic.
The street fell silent. The awkwardness between Ayla and Drake was a physical weight in the air.
"Let's go to that diner," Drake said, pointing to a greasy spoon across the street. "We need to talk."
They sat in a sticky vinyl booth. The smell of burnt coffee and old grease made Drake's stomach churn. He reached into the inner pocket of his jacket and pulled out a thick, perfectly folded stack of papers. He slid it across the sticky table.
Ayla looked down. It was a six-page document.
She flipped open the first page. Her eyes widened. The header read "Supplemental Addendum to Prenuptial Agreement." The pages were filled with dense, aggressive legal jargon. It was a brutal expansion of the original contract, adding new restrictions and tighter financial cages. No Uber driver could have written this.
"What is this?" she asked, her voice tight.
Drake didn't blink. "An addendum. I downloaded a template online for fifty bucks. I can't afford a lawyer, but I need to protect myself. The first agreement was too vague. This makes things crystal clear. I don't want you coming after my car or any future earnings if we split."
Ayla read the new clauses. Her heart pounded against her ribs. The terms were humiliating. She had no right to ask about his schedule. She had no right to any assets he might acquire. If they divorced, she would leave with absolutely nothing beyond what she brought into the marriage.
Drake picked up his mug of terrible coffee. He took a sip, the bitter liquid burning his tongue. He watched her face, waiting for the explosion. He waited for her to scream, to throw the papers in his face, to demand money.
Ayla's brow furrowed slightly. She closed the document.
Then, she reached into her purse, pulled out a pen, and flipped to the last page. She signed her name with quick, decisive strokes.
Drake's pupils contracted. His breath hitched in his throat.
"What are you doing?" he demanded, his voice cracking slightly. "You didn't even argue. Aren't you afraid I'm screwing you over?"
Ayla looked up. Her eyes were piercingly clear.
"I have two boxes of old clothes and some art supplies," she said softly. "I have nothing for you to steal. This agreement protects me just as much as it protects you. It gives us boundaries."
The honesty in her voice was a physical strike to his chest. Drake's mouth opened, but the sarcastic insult he had prepared died on his tongue. He felt a sudden, infuriating sense of defeat.
Ayla folded her copy of the addendum and put it in her bag. She offered him a small, polite smile.
"Since the rules are set, I need to go back to Queens to pack my things," she said, sliding out of the booth.
Drake felt a sudden surge of irritation. He stood up quickly. "I'll drive you."
"No," Ayla said, shaking her head. She paused, her gaze dropping to her phone screen for a fraction of a second. Brenda's threatening message about Vinnie still glowed in her memory, a cold knot in her gut. She had already texted her friend Marisol an hour ago, asking her to be present at the apartment as a witness and to record everything on her phone. Marisol had replied with a thumbs-up and the words "I'm already there." Ayla exhaled slowly. She had a buffer now. She wasn't walking in alone. "Your car burns too much gas. The subway is cheaper. Save your money."
Drake froze. The words choked him. He, a billionaire who spent thousands on a single bottle of wine, was just rejected because he was too poor to afford gas. The absurdity of it made his blood boil.
Ayla turned and walked out of the diner. Her back was straight, her steps purposeful. Drake stood by the table, his eyes locked on her retreating figure until she disappeared down the subway stairs.
The second she was out of sight, Drake pulled a sleek, encrypted phone from his pocket. He dialed his executive assistant, Alex.
"Sir?" Alex answered immediately.
"Run a full background check on Ayla Carter," Drake ordered. His voice was no longer the grunting drawl of a driver. It was the icy, commanding tone of a CEO. "I want every detail of her life on my desk. And Alex, get a security detail on her. Discreet. I want eyes on her apartment in Queens within the hour. If anyone so much as breathes on her wrong, I want to know about it."
"Understood, sir. Also, a reminder, the board meeting for the tech acquisition is in forty minutes."
Drake looked toward the subway station. His jaw clenched tightly.
"Push it back an hour," Drake snapped. "I have a personal matter to handle."
He hung up. Drake walked out to the rusted Ford. He opened the door and slapped the dust off the driver's seat with a look of pure disgust. He slid in and turned the key.
The engine turned over with a rough, sputtering cough that perfectly masked the custom-built, high-performance machinery hidden beneath the rusted hood. Drake had specifically ordered his mechanics to install an acoustic dampener to keep the sound profile convincingly pathetic. The car pulled out into the traffic with a deceptive, heavy sluggishness, hiding the fact that it could shoot forward like a bullet if he ever needed it to.
Drake gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. He swore to himself that he would make this fake, self-righteous woman beg for a divorce within a month.
