Back at my apartment, I packed my bags immediately. The farther I got from Stan Delgado, the better.
The doorbell rang. Stan stood outside holding a folder of documents.
"Ms. Kaufman, I think we need to talk."
I moved to shut the door, but his hand shot out and held it open.
"About the company your father left you. Aren't you curious about its current situation?"
I stopped.
My father's company was the only thing I cared about in this world.
In my last life, after we married, Stan had taken full control of it. In the end, every last asset had been handed over to Annette Simmons as part of her dowry.
I kept my expression flat and let him inside.
Stan tossed the folder onto the coffee table.
"The company's cash flow has collapsed. Without a capital injection in three days, it goes into liquidation."
"And right now, I'm the only one who can put up that kind of money."
I turned to face him.
"What's the catch?"
Stan leaned in close.
"Marry me."
I couldn't help it. I laughed.
"Stan, what's in it for you?"
"You. You're what's in it for me."
The performance was flawless. But I had already died once. I would never fall for that lie again.
I picked up the folder and tore it clean in half.
"Then let it go bankrupt."
"I'd rather beg on the streets than marry you."
The moment Stan left, I called the company's finance department to verify.
The situation was worse than he'd described.
The cash flow wasn't just broken. Several massive debts were about to come due, and it was obvious someone had been sabotaging things behind the scenes.
Who else could it be but Stan?
He would stop at nothing to force me to submit. The playbook was identical to my previous life. First, engineer a crisis from the shadows. Then swoop in as the savior, so I'd be grateful enough to fall in line.
Not this time.
I listed my apartment and jewelry for sale. I even reached out to former rivals, offering to transfer my shares at a steep discount.
Every single one of them refused to see me.
Clyde Henson had put the word out: anyone who helped me was openly declaring war on the Henson Group.
Leona called to talk me down.
"Jade, would it kill you to just give in?"
"Stan likes you so much he went to Clyde on his knees for you."
"Marry him, save the company, and you'll have a good life. Everybody wins. What's so wrong with that?"
I hit the end-call button and blocked her number.
Three days later, the court summons arrived.
I sat in the empty rental unit, alone.
The door swung open. Stan stood in the doorway, umbrella in hand.
"Jade, stop fighting this."
He walked toward me and looked down from above.
"All you have to do is say yes, and all of this goes away."
I lifted my chin and stared straight at him.
"Stan, do you really think that if you back someone into a corner and then toss them a scrap of mercy, they'll worship you for it?"
His brow furrowed.
"I'm just trying to help you."
"Help me?" I stood and walked toward him. "By cutting off every escape route I had? By having Clyde blacklist me?"
Stan's hand shot out and gripped my jaw, fingers digging in.
"Jade, my patience has limits."
"You will marry me. There is no other option."
I smiled.
"Fine. I'll marry you."
Stan blinked. He clearly hadn't expected me to agree so easily.
His grip loosened, and that rehearsed warmth slid back into his eyes.
"There. That wasn't so hard."
"I'll give you a wedding."
I said nothing. The memory of my last wedding was still vivid. The ceremony. The wedding night. The homeless shelter I ended up in. I would never walk that road again.
Agreeing was only about getting the money.
The moment those funds hit the account, I was gone.
On the day we signed the marriage certificate, Stan was dressed to the nines.
