Married to the Billionaire Who Hated Me First

of failure pressed down on her like a physical force, and every thought screamed at her to do something-anything-before it was too late.

and gleaming glass a mocking contrast to the reality outside: cre

oorway, her expression a mix of pity and hesi

t wasn't just her father she needed to convince it was the reality itself. T

s office and froze. Luc

lders, tailored black suit, an aura of control that made everyone else in the room seem like furniture. His ey

way, leaving a void that nothing and no one had ever filled. And yet here he was, the man who had haunted her

but with an edge that made her stomach

stammered, trying to hide the tremor in h

. "Your family is in trouble," he said bluntly. "The kind of trou

ing that would save her father's company and instead, she felt trapped under the

e firmly than she felt. "I've be

been surviving. Surviving isn't enough when the vultures ar

d. "Returned?" she

eemed to drop. "I've returned to make sure debts a

crush anyone in an instant. And now, after five years, he had decided to reappear in he

t?" she asked, her voice

a solution. A very specific s

heart lur

e seat across from him. "Sit.

symbol of the impossible situation she had walked into. Lucas reached into

across the polished desk, "is your

nside. Terms written in black ink, cold and unyielding: one year of marriage, full obedience, public appearances, no person

egan, her voice shaking, "t

e year. That's all I ask. In return, your family'

lder. It felt heavier than any brick she h

because five years ago, you betrayed me. You ruined me. This,

eeled. "I.

This isn't about excuses. It's about survival.

ad no options. No one else could help her. And yet, marrying th

his face pale and desperate. His legacy, their family name, e

elding, and she understood. The nex

hand, she rea

whispered. "

"Good. You're smarter

, she realized that life, as s

married was

s a w

t stepped into

on her. "Remember, Evelyn... this marriage is your punis