Vivian spilled everything in a rush, barely stopping to breathe because she was scared William might end the call before she finished speaking. "Please don't get the wrong idea," she said quickly. "I'm not trying to use the baby to tie you down, and I'm not asking you for money or status. What I'm proposing is a contract marriage. Just for show."

She paused, and when she spoke again, her voice dropped to a whisper tinged with desperation. "Once the baby's born safe and sound, we'll go our separate ways. I won't ask you for a cent. There's just one thing I'm hoping for... Will you let me visit the child now and then?"

For a moment, the silence on the other end was so thick that it pressed in on her.

Vivian's pulse pounded in her ears as she pressed the phone harder to her cheek, terrified that she might miss any hint of a reply.

In her mind, William was a shadow behind the line—cool, detached, impossible to read, holding all the cards as if none of this touched him.

She pictured him frowning ever so slightly, weighing her request the way someone might size up a risky investment.

The seconds stretched on, each one heavier than the last.

Her mind spun in every direction. If he refused, was there anyone else who would agree to such a bizarre arrangement? Could she find someone else in time? If it came down to it, maybe she'd have to pay a stranger to play along just to get through this.

Just as her anxiety began to crush her and she felt hope slip through her fingers, William's answer finally broke through. "Deal."

Vivian let out a shaky breath she hadn't realized she was holding, her legs suddenly weak. Seizing the moment, she spoke quickly. "So, Mr. Lewis, if you're free right now, can we get married today? The sooner, the better. It won't take much of your time!"

"Fine," William replied, as straightforward as always. "Meet me at the City Hall in an hour. Bring your documents. My attorney will also be there. You'll need to sign some forms."

"Absolutely. I'll be there," Vivian answered without missing a beat. In that moment, she was willing to sign anything at all.

She ended the call, snatched up her documents, and bolted for the door.

When she arrived at the City Hall, a man in a flawless suit was already waiting with a briefcase in hand. He introduced himself as William's attorney.

Without delay, they were led into a quiet, empty lounge.

The attorney opened his briefcase and pulled out a thick stack of paperwork, sliding it across the table. "Ms. Fowler, Mr. Lewis asks that you read and sign this prenuptial agreement before anything else."

Vivian leafed through the pages, struck by how thorough every section seemed.

The document spelled out exactly how long their marriage would last, what would happen with property after the divorce, and spelled out in detail how custody and visits would work for their child. No detail was left unclear or open to debate.

She couldn't miss the message behind all those carefully chosen words. Their marriage was business—nothing more. There was no pretending otherwise.

Vivian didn't hesitate. She took up the pen and signed where the attorney pointed, moving steadily from one signature line to the next. By the time she finished, the tension in her chest began to melt away.

After the prenuptial agreement was signed, she waited quietly.

A sleek black car soon pulled up to the curb. William stepped out, dressed simply in a crisp white shirt and black slacks, drawing glances from nearly everyone nearby.

He paused in front of her, his eyes settling on her face for just a moment. "Did you sign everything?" he asked, his tone cold and even.

"I did," Vivian replied.

"Let's head in."

Everything moved quickly after that. Less than twenty minutes later, they had finished all the paperwork.

Brilliant sunlight greeted them the moment they stepped outside, forcing Vivian to shield her eyes.

William passed her a copy of their newly issued marriage certificate. "I have to leave the country for work. I'll be back in three days. After that, someone will come take you to my place. You'll be staying at my house until the baby arrives. That's the arrangement."

Vivian tucked the certificate safely in her purse, nodding. "Understood."

"Let me drop you off."

Vivian shook her head quickly. "There's no need. I'll get home on my own."

The last thing Vivian wanted was her father, Archie Fowler, spotting her climbing out of a luxury sedan or discovering that she had just married the head of Zeus Group. That would only invite a mess she wasn't willing to face.

Choosing the safest option, she hailed a cab and made her way home.

Opening the front door, she found Archie and Melinda camped in the living room, sour-faced and silent.

No sooner had Vivian set foot inside than Archie pounced. "Vivian, you'll come with me to the hotel tonight. Devin wants to meet you. Go get changed, and make yourself presentable for the meeting."

Vivian walked right past him and set the crisp marriage certificate on the table with a deliberate motion.

She glanced up and offered a calm, almost amused smile at the pair of them, their faces frozen in shock. "Don't bother trying to pair me up with a man," she said, her tone soft but unmistakable. "I just got married."

Melinda grabbed the marriage certificate and scanned it quickly, and the moment she realized the groom's name was not Colin, her chest finally loosened with relief.

Leaning in beside her, Archie squinted at the document and frowned. "William Lewis? Who is that man supposed to be?"

"Your son-in-law, obviously," Vivian replied.

Melinda sneered, her disbelief plain in her voice, "Vivian, do not tell me you went as far as forging a marriage certificate just to dodge Mr. Kirby."

"You shameless woman! You think a fake document is enough to fool me?" Rage exploded across Archie's face as he slammed his hand down. "Do you honestly believe this gets you out of marrying Mr. Kirby? Let me make this clear. Even if I have to bind your hands myself, I will still send you straight into his bed tonight!"

"Whether it is real or not can be confirmed with a single call," Vivian said calmly. She pulled out her phone and dialed the City Hall, placing the call on speaker.

"Chinbert City Hall. How may I assist you?" a woman's professional voice answered.

"My name is Vivian Fowler. I need to verify whether a marriage was officially registered today under my name," Vivian replied.

After a short pause, the staff member returned to the line. "Yes, ma'am. Our records show that a marriage was registered this morning at 9:30 with Mr. William Lewis."

A heavy hush settled over the room, pressing in on everyone at once.

Melinda's confident smile stiffened, while the fury on Archie's face drained into stunned disbelief.

"So it is real. Vivian is actually married?" Melinda said, her voice shaking as she clutched Archie's arm without thinking. "How are we supposed to deal with Mr. Kirby now? We already accepted his money."

Before Archie could form a response, the sharp ringing of his phone shattered the silence.

Devin's name lit up the screen.

"That is Mr. Kirby!" Archie yelled, his face going pale as panic crept in. "What do I do? Should I pick it up or pretend I did not see it?"

Melinda's gaze flickered, and she leaned closer, lowering her voice. "Do not lose your nerve. Mr. Kirby has no idea Vivian is married. Just send her over. Once things go far enough, she will have no choice but to end this new marriage."

"Have you lost your mind?" Archie retorted in a harsh whisper. "You want to hand a married woman to Mr. Kirby? If he finds out the truth, we will never be let off the hook."

A calculating smile crept across Melinda's face. "That part is simple. We just make sure she stays quiet."

Doubt flickered across Archie's expression as he studied her. "And how exactly do you plan to do that?"

"I can do more than silence her," Melinda said, her voice sharp with confidence. "I can make her throw away every shred of dignity and beg Mr. Kirby to take her." She discreetly pressed a small bottle filled with pink liquid into Archie's hand. "This cost me a fortune. It will cloud her mind completely. Answer Mr. Kirby's call and then find a way to make her drink it."

"You are a genius, my love!" Delight spread across Archie's face as he clutched the bottle and picked up the phone.

"Archie Fowler!" Devin shouted through the speaker. "How much longer do you plan on keeping me waiting? My patience is nearly gone!"

"Please do not be upset, Mr. Kirby," Archie said at once, his tone turning overly sweet. "I was arranging a little surprise just for you. I will bring Vivian over immediately."

While Archie and Melinda exchanged hushed whispers, Vivian stood nearby. Even without hearing them, she could tell their intentions were far from innocent.

Just before Archie could end the call, Vivian rushed forward and snatched the phone from his hand. "Mr. Kirby, this is Vivian. I am already married!"

"Give me that phone, you filthy bitch!" Archie charged at her, his eyes burning with fury.

With a quick step to the side, Vivian avoided him and spoke calmly into the receiver. "But if you still want to become part of my family, that door is not completely closed. My younger sister, Thea, isn't married yet. She is much more beautiful than I am."

Having said her piece, Vivian stopped, turned back with a faint smile, and handed the phone back to the breathless Archie.

Grabbing the phone, Archie hurriedly explained, "Mr. Kirby, please ignore Vivian's nonsense. She lies constantly. She does not even have a boyfriend, so how could she possibly be married?"

A brief silence followed on the other end of the line. Then, Devin's voice came through, cold and sharp. "Whether she is lying or not, I will come to your house and see it myself."

The call disconnected immediately.

The flat tone echoed in the room, leaving no room for argument.

Frozen in place, Archie stared at the phone as it nearly slipped from his grasp, fear tightening around his chest.

Without warning, he whirled around, his eyes blazing with rage, and struck Vivian with all his strength.

The impact knocked Vivian off her feet and sent her crashing hard onto the floor.

Pain exploded across her face as her cheek puffed up almost instantly, and the sharp ringing in her ears made her vision swim.

"Justine!" Archie screamed, his voice shaking with fury. "Drag this ungrateful woman to the storage room and lock her inside. Until I say otherwise, she gets nothing. No food. No water. Nothing at all."

"Understood, sir," the maid, Justine Murray, answered quickly. She seized Vivian without restraint and shoved her into the storage room.

"Stay in there and think about what you have done, you little bitch!" Justine hissed.

With a violent slam, the door crashed shut, cutting off the light. Darkness swallowed the room whole.

No windows broke the walls, and the only hint of illumination came from a narrow line of light beneath the door.

Cold, damp air clung to the space, carrying the heavy stench of mold.

In the corner, Vivian drew herself onto a frayed blanket and hugged her knees close.

This room had been her prison more times than she could count while growing up.

The crushing dark and the sense of hopelessness were painfully familiar.

Yet this time, everything felt different. A fragile life was quietly taking shape inside her. William promised he would come for her in three days.

She trusted that promise completely. Even if he did not care about her, he would never abandon their child.

Pain, hunger, exhaustion, and the cold blended together until her body could no longer resist.

Once the strain reached its limit, sleep finally dragged her under.

Time lost its meaning until the crash of shattering objects and Melinda's piercing screams ripped Vivian back to awareness.

"Please stop. Mr. Kirby, I am begging you! If you keep doing this, there will be nothing left of my house!"

The living room had been reduced to chaos.

Six rough-looking men tore through the furniture, smashing and overturning everything in sight without restraint.

Devin lounged in the only armchair left untouched, a cigar hanging from his lips as a thick gold chain rested against his chest. His stomach pushed against his shirt while he watched the destruction with clear enjoyment.

Nearby, Melinda stood shaking, her hair a mess and her face soaked with tears as she pleaded over and over again.

Not far from her, Archie remained frozen in place, his legs trembling so badly that he could barely stand, fear robbing him of his voice.

With a slow pull from his cigar, Devin flashed a grin that showed stained teeth. "I am not stopping at tearing this place apart. I am going to drain you dry as well. This is the consequence of messing with me."

"We would never dare mess with you, Mr. Kirby!" Melinda cried out, her hands shaking as she pointed toward the storage room. "It was Vivian. She secretly married some unknown man behind our backs. We only discovered it today."

Archie nodded frantically, his voice breaking. "Please show mercy, Mr. Kirby. That factory is everything we have. Without it, we are finished."

At that moment, Thea stepped through the door. Taking in the wreckage, she froze in place and looked around in disbelief. "Dad. Mom. What happened here?"

Devin's gaze slid toward her, slow and assessing. She did not have Vivian's striking looks, but there was still something pleasing about her appearance.

Interest flickered across his face almost immediately. Rubbing his chin, he let out a low chuckle. "Alright. I'll let this slide, but there's a catch."

Archie hurried forward, desperation clear in his voice. "Whatever you want. I will do everything I can to make it happen."

"Vivian is already someone else's wife," Devin said calmly. "But you still have another daughter. I will marry her instead. That way, you will still be my father-in-law."

"No!" Melinda shouted at once, panic breaking through her voice. "Thea is still in college. This is out of the question."

"If that is your answer, then say goodbye to that factory tomorrow," Devin warned coldly as he stood and turned to leave.

"Wait. Mr. Kirby, please wait!" Archie hurried after him, sweat soaking through his shirt.

A storm of conflict crossed Archie's face as his eyes landed on Thea, who stood frozen in fear. After wrestling with himself, he ground his teeth together and spoke. "Marriage is not an option. But what if Thea stays with you for a few days instead?"

"Have you lost your mind?" Melinda exclaimed, staring at him in disbelief.

"Be quiet!" Archie shouted back at her.

A sharp, calculating light flickered in Devin's eyes. "Alright. I will not marry her. But since you want her returned later, you should pay for it."

"Pay?" Archie asked, his mind reeling. "Pay what?"

Cutting straight to the point, Devin replied, "You have three days. Hand me back the ten-million-dollar I paid for Vivian. Agree, and I will take Thea now. Refuse, and I'll crush your business first. Then, I will take her anyway."

The words nearly knocked the air out of Archie's lungs. Devin was demanding money while claiming his daughter, and there was no pretense left. It was outright extortion.

Yet, Devin held all the power, and Archie did not dare challenge him.

Rage pounded through Archie's head as his temples throbbed. After a long silence, he forced the word out through clenched teeth. "Fine."

With a casual wave of his hand, Devin issued the command, and two of his men rushed forward to grab Thea with no restraint.

"What are you doing?" Thea cried out as panic overwhelmed her, and she fought desperately against their grip. She twisted toward Melinda, her voice breaking. "Mom, help me! Please save me!"

Melinda surged forward on instinct, but Archie yelled sharply, "Justine, hurry up! Hold Melinda back!"

Justine immediately restrained Melinda, holding her back as Archie walked straight up to Thea. Without hesitation, he caught her chin and forced the entire bottle of pink liquid down her throat.

"Dad..." Thea gasped weakly, her eyes unfocused. "What did you make me drink?"

Letting go, Archie brushed her pale cheek with unsettling gentleness, and his voice dropped to a cold whisper. "Listen carefully. Stay with Mr. Kirby for three days and behave yourself. When it is over, I will come get you."

Turning toward Devin, Archie forced a flattering smile onto his face. "Mr. Kirby, please remember your promise."

"Relax. I never go back on my word." Leaning heavily on his cane, Devin let out a satisfied laugh as he started toward the door.

Behind him, his men dragged Thea away as she cried and struggled, "Mom, help me! Dad, please. You cannot do this to me!"

Her cries grew distant until nothing was left but silence.

Breaking free from Justine's grip, Melinda rushed forward and struck Archie hard across the face. "Are you even human anymore? Thea is your own daughter!"

Archie shouted back at her, his eyes red with fury, "Do you think I wanted this? Do you think I had any other option?"

"You shouldn't have forced her to drink that thing!"

"If I had not done it, do you really believe Devin would have shown mercy? I did it because it was the only way she would suffer less."

Strength drained from Melinda's body, and she sank to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably.

From inside the storage room, Vivian could hear every curse and every broken sob with painful clarity.

Her fingers tightened around the thin fabric of her clothes as her nails pressed deep into her palms.

Thea had been taken away and handed over by their own father to someone worse than a monster.

Yet, no sense of relief touched Vivian's heart, only a deep and freezing hatred. If they had not been so desperate to force her into marrying Devin, none of this would have happened. Those beasts deserved it.

Three full days passed without a single person stepping inside the storage room.

Pressed against the cold wall, Vivian lay curled in on herself as hunger and thirst slowly drained what little strength she had left.

"William should be coming to get me today," she whispered weakly, her lips split and dry, her voice rough and barely holding together.

The next moment, the door burst open with a violent crash.

A maid stood in the doorway, her expression filled with open contempt. "Your stepsister wants to see you. Get up."

Using the wall for support, Vivian tried to steady herself, but darkness swam in her vision.

"Hurry up!" the maid snapped, losing patience as she grabbed Vivian by the hair and dragged her out.

Vivian staggered into the living room and collapsed heavily onto the floor. Lifting her head, she saw Thea seated squarely in the middle of the sofa.

Thea's gaze locked onto Vivian, sharp and icy as it traced every inch of her face.

"Vivian," Thea called out quietly, her tone soft yet unsettling. "Do you have any idea what the past three days were like for me?"

Keeping her head lowered, Vivian concealed her feelings and answered faintly, "I was locked up. I did not know what happened."

"You did not know?" Thea let out a hollow laugh as she seized Vivian's hair. "Then listen carefully. Those three days were worse than dying. And every second of it happened because of you."

Without warning, she swung her hand and struck Vivian across the face.

Heat exploded along Vivian's cheek as it puffed up immediately, and the sharp ringing in her ears was followed by the bitter taste of blood.

Fuelled by rage, Thea lifted her heel and drove it down hard onto the back of Vivian's hand.

Agony shot through Vivian, and she screamed as her hand spasmed uncontrollably.

A curse spilled from Thea's mouth as she kicked Vivian with her heel.

All Vivian could do was curl into herself, raising her arms to protect her head and face while she endured the relentless blows.

"Thea, what do you think you are doing?" Archie's voice suddenly rang out from the doorway.

Hearing him, Thea turned toward her parents with tears streaming down her face. "Dad, Mom, this is all because of Vivian! If it were not for her, I never would have gone through any of this."

Melinda's gaze shifted from Thea to Vivian, and fury surged through her. Charging forward, she struck Vivian with full force. "You filthy little bitch! Look at what you have caused. We lost ten million because of you! When do you plan to pay that back?"

A sharp heat throbbed across Vivian's face as blood coated her tongue, yet she still lifted her eyes with stubborn resolve. "I do not owe you anything. Every bit of this mess was your own doing."

"You still have the nerve to talk back?" Archie snarled as he snatched up a thick glass ashtray, veins standing out on his forehead. "You ungrateful piece of trash! I will straighten you out today!"

The ashtray came down with force.

Reacting instantly, Vivian grabbed his wrist, her eyes burning with fury. "Lay a hand on me, and my husband will make you pay for it."

"Then let him try!" Archie snarled as he tore free and swung again.

Twisting aside, Vivian seized a cup from the table and flung it straight at him.

"You have completely lost your mind!" Archie yelled.

Melinda and Thea rushed at Vivian together.

Reeling backward, Vivian grabbed whatever was within reach. Fruit, ornaments, even ashtrays flew from her hands as she used the last of her strength to keep them away.

But her body could not hold out much longer. Thea soon caught her by the hair.

A cruel smile crept across Thea's face as three days of bottled rage finally surfaced. Lifting her foot, she aimed it viciously toward Vivian's belly.

A thunderous crash echoed through the house as the front door burst open.

Framed in the doorway stood a man, tall and commanding, every line of his body radiating strength. Sunlight poured in behind him, catching his features with a clarity that made him seem almost otherworldly.

A hush swept over the living room. Every movement froze in place.

William's gaze swept the chaos before settling on Vivian. His eyes darkened at the sight of her bruised cheek and the blood smeared at the corner of her mouth. A glacial fury sharpened his expression. "Restrain every last one of them," he ordered, voice like steel.

In an instant, a group of bodyguards surged into the room. Thea and her parents were pressed to the floor without a chance to resist.

"Who are you? What do you want with us?" Thea shrieked, her voice wild with fear.

Without a single glance her way, William crossed the room straight to Vivian. He slipped off his jacket, the fabric warm and scented faintly of something clean, and wrapped it gently around her shivering shoulders.

Only then did he turn. His eyes, cold as winter, locked on Thea's panicked face, and the room seemed to shrink around his silent wrath. "My name is William Lewis," he said calmly, every word firm and unmistakable. "I came to bring my wife, Vivian, back with me."

Thea stood frozen, her eyes blown wide as she stared at his striking face, disbelief written all over her. "You are her husband?" she blurted out, her voice shaking. "That is not possible. She was supposed to marry some old, worthless man."

Before anyone had time to react, the television suddenly switched to the evening news. "Zeus Group's CEO, William Lewis, arrived in the country earlier today to attend the Global Technology Summit."

Thea slowly turned toward the screen, then back at William, her face draining of color. Her lips parted, but only a broken sound escaped before she finally forced the words out. "Y-you are actually William Lewis, the CEO of Zeus Group..."