The temperature in the small office seemed to drop twenty degrees. Harrison Butler's presence sucked all the air out of the room, replacing it with a palpable, freezing authority.
Mr. Davison shot to his feet, his face draining of all color. "M-Mr. Butler..." he stammered, looking like he'd just seen a ghost.
Elianna, who had been peering through the door's window, rushed forward, her face alight with a triumphant smile. She thought he was here for her.
"Harrison!" she chirped, her voice cloyingly sweet.
He ignored them both. His gaze, intense and piercing, was locked on Eileen. On her face, and on the pen still suspended in her hand, hovering over the agreement.
Eileen's hand was frozen in place. Her heart, which had been pounding, now seemed to have stopped altogether. He was taller than he looked in pictures, more imposing. The raw power coming off him was a physical force.
His eyes moved from her face down to the desk, taking in the cancellation agreement and the platinum bank card. A soft, almost inaudible sound of contempt escaped his lips.
He turned his head slowly, pinning the terrified Mr. Davison with a look that could freeze fire.
"Who," he said, his voice dangerously quiet, "gave you the authority to interfere with the execution of federal law?"
Davison's knees buckled. "I... I was just... the system, it..."
"The system?" Harrison cut him off, taking a step into the room. "My tech team performed a full diagnostic sweep of the federal registry's backend an hour ago. There was no anomaly. Would you like me to forward you their report, or should I send it directly to the Department of Justice?"
The supervisor looked like he was going to be sick. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, soaking the collar of his cheap shirt. He was finished.
Elianna, sensing the tide turning violently against her, rushed to Harrison's side, attempting to link her arm with his. "Harrison, it's just a misunderstanding! This woman is not right for you, anyone can see that!"
He pulled his arm away, a sharp, dismissive gesture that left no room for argument. He didn't even look at her as he spoke, his words like chips of ice.
"Whether she is right for me is not for you to decide. It is decided by the law of this country."
He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in. Then, he delivered the final blow.
"I, Harrison Butler, as a citizen of this nation, will fully comply with the law. I accept the partner the state has mandated for me."
The declaration was a slap in the face, echoing in the stunned silence of the room. Elianna and Davison stared, mouths agape.
Eileen looked up, her mind reeling. He was... defending her? He was choosing her?
Harrison no longer paid any attention to the others. He walked to the desk and stood over Eileen, his shadow falling across her.
He didn't ask her what she wanted. He stated a fact. "We have paperwork to complete."
His hand shot out and snatched the cancellation agreement from the desk. He ripped it cleanly in half, then in half again, and dropped the pieces into the small trash can by the desk.
Then, he placed a new document in front of her. A clean, official, and terrifyingly real Marriage Consent Form.
Eileen stared into his deep, unreadable eyes, searching for a clue, a hint of his motive. There was nothing. Just cold, hard resolve. She didn't know why he was doing this, but she knew, with a sudden, gut-wrenching certainty, that this was her only way forward.
The fight went out of her. The temptation of the million dollars evaporated. There was only this man, and the path he was carving for her.
She picked up the pen. This time, it did not tremble. With a steady hand, she signed her name on the line. Eileen Goff.
A flicker of something-satisfaction, perhaps-crossed Harrison's lips. He took the pen from her, his fingers brushing hers for a brief, electric moment, and signed his own name with a bold, decisive stroke.
Davison, looking like a man on his way to the gallows, shakily processed the documents, his hands fumbling with the official stamp.
When the two red marriage certificates were slid across the desk, Eileen still felt like she was in a dream.
From this moment on, she was Eileen Butler. Protected-and owned-by federal law and the man standing beside her.
Harrison took his copy and slid it into his jacket pocket. He then looked at Eileen.
"Let's go, my wife."
He reached down and took her hand. His touch was firm, possessive. Eileen's entire body went rigid, but she didn't pull away.
Together, under the venomous glare of Elianna Nelson, they walked out of the Federal Marriage Registry.
