Sienna hadn't slept.
She sat on the edge of her bed, fingers gripping the marriage contract like it might suddenly make sense if she stared long enough.
It didn't.
Not last night.
Not this morning.
Not now, with her phone buzzing every few minutes with calls she didn't want to answer.
"Miss Hart, we need to talk about the merger."
"Miss Hart, the papers—"
"Miss Hart, Mr. Knight left specific instructions…"
She shut the phone off.
Outside her window, the city kept moving like nothing had happened. People went to work. Children rushed to school. Couples held hands and sipped coffee. And here she was — twenty-five, jobless, broke, and being blackmailed into marrying a billionaire who hated her.
A billionaire she had publicly humiliated.
She didn't regret it. Not fully.
But she hadn't expected him to fight back like this.
She glanced at the contract again.
It was real. Every clause. Every cold paragraph.
Duration: One year.
No divorce during the term unless agreed by both parties.
No public statements regarding the nature of the agreement.
Joint appearances are required for all official events.
All financial holdings are to remain under Knight Dominion during the term.
And the final line, typed in neat, emotionless font:
> Any breach of agreement will result in full forfeiture of Hart Enterprises and all attached assets.
It wasn't a marriage. It was a cage.
And she didn't even have the key.
A knock at her door pulled her out of her thoughts.
Not sharp like his. This one was softer. Familiar.
She opened it to find her father — Robert Hart — standing there with his worn jacket and tired eyes.
"Dad," she said, surprised.
He looked like he hadn't slept either.
"I heard," he said. "About the deal. About… him."
She stepped aside and let him in.
He didn't sit. Just looked around the small apartment, like he'd suddenly noticed how far they'd fallen since losing the house last year.
"He came to me," Robert said, "before he came to you."
Her stomach turned. "What?"
"Alexander Knight. Said he was willing to save the company. Absorb our debts. But only if… you signed that."
She stared at him.
"And you didn't tell me?"
"I didn't want to pressure you," he said, voice quiet. "I thought maybe he was bluffing. Or maybe you'd find another way. But he's serious, Sienna. He's not backing down."
She sank onto the edge of the couch.
"You think I should do it."
He didn't answer at first.
Then, "I think… I let your grandfather down. I watched our legacy slip through my fingers. If this deal — this marriage — gives us a chance to hold onto it, even a fraction of it… maybe it's worth it."
She felt something inside her crack.
"You're asking me to sacrifice my life. My freedom. For a company that doesn't even want me."
"No," he said. "I'm asking you to survive. However, you have to."
Silence stretched between them.
Finally, he stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm sorry it's you," he whispered. "But I'm grateful it's you too. You've always been stronger than me."
She didn't answer.
Didn't cry.
Didn't move.
She just stared at the contract in her lap.
When he left, she didn't stop him.
---
Two days later
The office floor was made of glass.
Sienna had never been this high up before. She could see half the city from where she stood — buildings that used to feel tall now looked like toy pieces. The clouds felt too close, the people below too far.
Just like him.
Alexander Knight sat behind his desk, pen in hand, looking entirely unaffected.
"Right on time," he said, glancing at the clock. "You don't seem like someone who enjoys being owned."
"I don't."
"Then why are you here?"
"Because you gave me no choice."
He smiled without warmth. "There's always a choice, Sienna. Some are just uglier than others."
She held out the signed contract.
He didn't take it immediately. He just looked at her — looked at her — like he was studying a challenge he had already won.
"Say it," he said.
"What?"
"Say you accept the terms."
She gritted her teeth. "I accept the terms."
His gaze didn't shift. "Say you agree to marry me."
"This isn't a marriage."
"Say it."
She swallowed. Then forced the words out.
"I agree to marry you."
Only then did he take the contract from her hand.
Only then did he sign his name with deliberate strokes.
"Good," he said. "We're done here."
"No ceremony?" she asked, bitter.
"There'll be one. A grand one. For the press. But not today."
"When?"
"In three days."
She blinked. "That soon?"
"You don't want to drag it out, do you?" he said. "Besides, the faster we make this look real, the fewer questions people will ask."
She didn't answer.
He stood, walking around the desk until he was inches from her.
"You'll move into the penthouse tonight," he said. "My assistant will send a car."
"I have a place."
"Not anymore. You're a Knight now. You live where I tell you."
His tone wasn't cruel. Just final. Every word he said came with a lock and chain.
"I'm not your property," she said quietly.
He leaned in.
"You became mine the moment you touched that laptop."
Her heart pounded. But she didn't flinch.
She wouldn't give him that.
"I'll play the role," she said. "But don't expect me to pretend I like you."
He smirked.
"Trust me, Sienna. The feeling is mutual."
---
Later that night
She stood at the doorway of the penthouse, stunned.
It wasn't a home. It was a museum.
High ceilings, wall-length windows, art that looked like it belonged in Europe. A staircase that spiraled upward like it didn't have an end.
And him — standing near the bar, pouring himself a drink.
"You'll sleep in the guest wing," he said, not looking at her. "We keep up appearances in public. Beyond that, you stay out of my way."
"Gladly," she said, dropping her suitcase.
He turned slightly.
"One more thing."
"What now?"
"No guests. No interviews. No secrets."
She frowned. "You're one to talk about secrets."
"I don't keep them. I control them," he said. "There's a difference."
She walked past him without another word.
The hallway was cold.
The room she entered was big — too big — with sterile walls and perfect symmetry. It looked like no one had ever lived in it.
She dropped her bag and sat on the bed.
And for the first time all day, let herself feel it.
The weight. The loss. The reality.
She was married now. Not by love. Not by choice.
But by power.
And the man down the hall was both her captor and her husband.
A man she would learn to live with…
Or find a way to beat it.