Mitch pushed the wheelchair smoothly across the terrazzo floor, stopping exactly in front of the marriage registration counter.
Chrissy followed.
She kept her head down, her chin tucked against her chest like a grade-schooler walking to the principal's office. She positioned herself a half-step behind the right wheel of Arch's chair, keeping a safe physical distance from his expensive suit.
Behind the thick glass of the counter, a middle-aged white clerk with a tired smile pushed two thick stacks of marriage application forms across the polished wood.
"Good morning," the clerk said, her voice a practiced monotone. "Before we process the paperwork, I need to ask the mandatory question. Are both of you entering into this legal union entirely of your own free will?"
Arch didn't answer immediately.
He rested his right arm on the armrest. His long, aristocratic fingers began to tap against the carbon fiber.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The sound was sharp and rhythmic. In the quiet space of the counter, it sounded like a countdown.
Chrissy's heart rate spiked with every tap. Her palms grew damp. She stared at the back of his dark hair, terrified he was going to humiliate her and call off the deal right here. If he walked away, her parents would literally lock her out on the street.
Ten agonizing seconds passed.
Arch finally stopped tapping. "Yes," he said. A single, cold syllable.
The clerk shifted her gaze to Chrissy. She waited.
Chrissy didn't hesitate. She nodded her head sharply.
"Yes," she said, her tone completely flat. "Entirely of my own free will."
Arch turned his head slightly. He glanced at her over his shoulder.
His dark eyes studied her face. He seemed genuinely surprised by the absolute lack of emotion in her voice. There was no hesitation, but there was also no joy. Just the deadened compliance of a business transaction.
The clerk slid a heavy, silver Montblanc pen across the counter. "Please sign at the bottom of page four."
Arch picked up the pen.
His movements were fluid and precise. He pressed the nib to the paper and slashed his arrogant, sprawling signature across the dotted line.
He held the pen out over his shoulder without looking back.
Chrissy reached for it.
As she took the heavy silver barrel, the side of her index finger accidentally brushed against his knuckles.
His skin was freezing cold.
Chrissy flinched as if she had touched a live wire. She snatched her hand back, gripping the pen tightly. She leaned over the counter and quickly scribbled Chrissy Vega next to his name.
The clerk pulled the papers back. She picked up a heavy metal stamp and pressed it down.
Thud.
"The paperwork is processed," the clerk announced. "You are legally married."
Mitch immediately stepped forward. He reached into his inside jacket pocket and pulled out a sleek, leather-bound folder. He handed it down to Arch.
Arch opened the folder. He pulled out a single, thin sheet of paper.
It was a bank transfer receipt.
He held it out toward Chrissy.
"Fifty million dollars," Arch said, his voice devoid of any inflection. "Wired into the Vega Group's corporate account exactly one minute ago."
Chrissy took the paper.
Her eyes locked onto the ink. She stared at the long, impossible string of zeros printed next to her father's company name.
A massive, shuddering breath ripped out of her lungs.
The rigid tension that had been holding her spine straight for the past three days suddenly snapped. Her shoulders dropped.
She didn't smile. She didn't cry in gratitude.
A heavy, crushing wave of exhaustion washed over her. She was sold. The debt was paid. She was no longer a burden to the family that had only claimed her from the orphanage to use her as a pawn.
Arch narrowed his eyes.
He watched her intently. He had expected the classic reaction of a gold-digger. He expected her eyes to widen with greed, or for her to put on a sickeningly sweet display of fake affection now that the money was secured.
Instead, Chrissy carefully folded the receipt in half. She folded it again, making a small square, and tucked it deep into the pocket of her cheap trench coat.
She took a step back.
She looked at Arch and offered a stiff, incredibly formal bow.
"Thank you for your generosity, Mr. Rush," she said, her voice completely hollow. "If there is nothing else required of me today, I need to get back to my shift at the bakery."
She didn't offer a single word of small talk. She treated him exactly like a client at a checkout register.
She turned on her heel and started walking toward the exit. Her pace was fast, almost frantic, like a criminal fleeing a crime scene.
"Stop."
The word cracked through the open lobby like a whip.
Arch's voice was loud, vibrating with an absolute, undeniable authority.
Chrissy's scuffed pumps froze on the terrazzo floor.
A cold sweat broke out across her shoulder blades. Her stomach dropped into her shoes. She stood perfectly still, her back to him, terrified to breathe.
