MAYA

“Five hundred million?”

My brain tried to do the math, but the numbers were too big and the reality was too small. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"Bullshit!" I blurted out. No one was buying anyone in the twenty-first century. "Pfft... Five hundred million? Dad, please tell me I’m at least worth a billion. This is insulting.”

I turned to my dad, beads of sweat breaking out on my forehead. My voice dropped to a whisper, pleading for a logic that didn't exist.

“He meant the company, right, Dad? He bought the office and the stocks? Tell me he's talking about the business. Tell me he's talking about the Sullivan name and the real estate.”

"Maya, be serious!" my father sobbed. He wouldn't even look at me. He was too busy burying his face in his hands, acting like if he couldn't see me, the sin of what he’d done would just disappear.

This was getting terrifyingly real. I looked back at Silas, and my stomach did a slow, sick flip that felt like the drop of a roller coaster.

“You’re joking. This is a prank, right? Where are the cameras?”

I spun around. The sound of my heels clicking on the floor was the only sound in the room as I searched the corners of the ceiling, looking for a lens or a red light. I let out a high, shaky laugh that sounded more like a scream.

“Cut the cameras! You can come out now, guys. Prank’s over! Ha! Very funny, Dad! You really got me with the 'sold to a billionaire' bit! I almost believed you!”

I waited. I waited for a producer to walk in with a clipboard. I waited for a film crew to pop out from behind the curtains and tell me I was the star of a new reality show. I waited for a single shred of evidence that my life wasn't currently being destroyed.

Silas didn't move. He didn't even blink. He just watched my meltdown with a calm, steady gaze that made my laughter die a slow, pathetic death.

Then, he reached out.

His thumb hooked under my chin, tilting my face up until I had no choice but to look him in the eye. His skin was warm, but his grip was absolute. It wasn't the kind of hold that hurt. It was the kind of hold that told me my permission didn't matter anymore.

"No cameras, Maya," he said, cutting through the silence of the office. "Just a contract and a paid debt."

He leaned in, looking at me as if he were already figuring out exactly how to use me.

"You’re coming with me," he murmured. "After all... Daddy likes what he’s seeing.”

I gasped.

“Fuck you! Dad, call the lawyers. Call the fucking lawyers! You can't do this to me!”

I was in denial. This didn't happen in real life. People didn't get traded like stocks in the twenty-first century. This was a nightmare I just hadn't woken up from yet.

“I can't do that, Maya. Just go with him. It's the best option,” my father whispered. “I don't want to go to prison.”

“Best?” I repeated. My eyebrows shot up as I looked at the man I called my father, who was currently handing me over to save his own skin.

I looked at his shaking hands and realized there were no lawyers coming to save me. There was nobody left but the man standing in front of me.

“You should listen to your father,” Silas added. He wasn't asking me to follow him. He was telling me that my life as I knew it was over.

“How did this happen? Why me?”

“You’re the only asset Arthur has left that isn't already underwater,” Silas replied. “You aren't a daughter today, Maya. You’re currency, collateral. And your father just spent you.”

He was right. The company was a sinking ship. My father had sold the sails to pay for his booze and the oars to pay for his women. I was the only thing left on board to trade for his life.

“What’s the plan, then? What happens now?” I swallowed hard, the reality of it clawing at my throat. “What's going to happen to me?”

“Now?” Silas’s gaze dropped to my lips. “Now I own the rights to that mouth of yours.”

He gripped my chin again, his thumb brushing against my lower lip. “Although, I’m still weighing my options. With a mouth as sharp as yours, it’s either going to be your greatest asset or your undoing.”

He let go of my chin so abruptly my head snapped back slightly.

"Let's go.”

"I have plans tonight," I argued. "And those plans definitely don't involve being a debt collector’s plus-one.”

"You still think you’re a person with a schedule?" Silas leaned down, his face hovering so close to mine that his breath was warm against my lips. "That’s cute. But your time belongs to me now. Every second of it, sweetheart."

For the first time in my life, I couldn't find a comeback.

"Welcome to the Blackwood family," he added. "Do try not to die in the first week. It would be such a waste of my Botox money.”

He straightened up, adjusting his cuffs with a terrifying level of nonchalance, as if he hadn't just crashed my entire world in under ten minutes.

Silas’s fingers closed around my elbow. I tried to pull away, but my body seemed to lean into his touch of its own accord, drawn to the very man who was ruining me. He didn't wait for me to find my footing. He simply turned and began to lead me toward the door.

As the heavy mahogany doors swung open, I saw Marcus’s horrified face. His eyes met mine for a split second before he looked at the floor. He was ashamed that he was letting this happen. He wouldn't look at Silas.

Just as the doors swung shut, my phone buzzed in my pocket, making me flinch. It was a jolt of the real world hitting me at the worst possible moment. I didn't need to look at the screen to know who it was.

Liam. It was probably a text telling me he’d booked the table at that Italian place I liked. Maybe a "Can't wait to see you, beautiful.”

My throat ached with a sob I refused to let out.

I wasn't going to my date with Liam. I wasn't going back to my apartment to wipe off my makeup and forget this day ever happened. I wasn't going to see the sun set as a free woman ever again.

I was being collected.

And Silas Blackwood didn't look like the kind of man who ever lost what he owned.

MAYA

The world was a blur as my feet moved. My brain kept playing the same image over and over. My spineless father remained glued to the floor while a stranger took me as collateral for his debt.

He signed me away.

The figure was still impossible to grasp. The amount was still ringing in my ears. It felt fake. It was too big to be real. How could one man even spend that much money? How could he owe it? I couldn't understand how he had managed to lose that much, or why I was the one paying for it.

"Get in the car."

Silas’s voice snapped me back to reality, sharp and cold as the Bay York wind hitting my face. We were at the curb. Three massive, black SUVs were waiting, their engines humming as if they were impatient to haul away the day's latest purchase.

I looked at the open door of the middle car, then back at Silas. I shook my head and took a step away from him.

"No. I'm not getting in there. This isn't real. You can't just collect people."

Silas looked at his watch. "You're wasting my time, Maya. I have a board meeting at six. Get in.”

I stood my ground, even though my legs felt like they were going to give out.

"I don’t care how many zeros were on that contract, Mr. Blackwood. I am a human being, not a business acquisition. You don't get to just take me because my father decided that using me as collateral was cheaper than therapy for his gambling habit!”

Silas stepped toward me. He was so close I had to look up to see his face.

“That mouth of yours really doesn't stop moving, does it?" He watched me for a moment. "I wonder if it'll be quite as chatty when you're saying your vows.”

Vows? The word hit me like a physical blow. This wasn't just a debt. This was a life sentence.

My pride finally took a backseat to my survival instincts. I panicked. I spun around to run, but I didn't make it three steps.

Before I could even draw a breath to scream, Silas’s arms were around me. He scooped me up effortlessly, hoisting me against his chest in a bridal carry that felt more like a kidnapping.

I gasped as my view tilted. My hands instinctively flew up to grab his shoulders for balance before I remembered I was supposed to be fighting him. My heart was beating fast, but it wasn't just from the fear. It was the way he held me, as if I weighed nothing at all.

"Put me down! You asshole! Let me go!" I screamed, finally finding my voice.

I hammered my fists against his chest, but it was like hitting a brick wall. He didn't even flinch. His grip only tightened, his fingers digging into the back of my knees and my waist.

“Are you insane? We just met ten minutes ago!" I yelled into the crook of his neck. "You don't just kidnap and marry people because you have a high credit limit!”

He didn't say a word. He didn't even look at me. He just carried me toward the SUV calmly while I swung my feet in defiance, feeling small and pathetic.

He tossed me into the backseat like a piece of luggage and climbed in after me. His large frame made the spacious SUV feel suddenly cramped. The door slammed shut with a heavy, final thud.

"Drive," he muttered to the driver, not even glancing at me as he adjusted his suit jacket.

I scrambled to the opposite door, pulling the handle until my fingers hurt, but it was useless. It was locked.

I turned to him, "I need to go home. Please. I have things. I can't just leave,” I pleaded, my voice trembling.

Silas turned his head slowly. He looked at my tear-filled eyes, his expression unreadable. For a long second, those ocean-blue eyes searched mine. He was looking for a lie, for manipulation, or for the sarcasm I usually used as a shield. But there was nothing left but the truth.

"There's nothing for you back there," he said calmly. "Your new life started the moment we left your father's office.”

"My mother’s things," I blurted out. "I have a box filled with photos, her jewelry, a scarf... some clothes that still smell like her perfume. If I’m never coming back to that apartment, I can’t leave them behind. They're all I have left of her."

The car went silent. I held my breath, watching him and waiting for an answer. For a second, I thought he was going to mock me.

But then he looked away, staring out the tinted window at the passing city.

"Five minutes." He gave a curt, sharp nod to the driver. "Make a stop at her apartment. Five minutes. And if she isn't back in the car by the sixth minute, I'll go in and get her. I don't care what she's wearing or what she's holding.”

When we arrived at my building, Silas didn't let me out of his sight. He followed me all the way to my door.

"I need privacy. I thought you'd wait in the car," I said. My hand trembled as I gripped the bedroom door handle. My heart was racing so hard I thought it might burst through my chest. "It’s my last time here. Give me time to say goodbye to my life in peace.”

He hesitated. He looked past me, checking the room for other exits or windows. Finally, he stepped back and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Five minutes, Maya. If you aren't out by then, I'm coming in to get you."

I slammed the door and locked it. I didn't go for my clothes. I didn't even look for my mother’s jewelry. I grabbed my passport from the nightstand. I kicked off my heels and shoved my feet into a pair of worn sneakers.

A heavy knock hit the door, making me jump. "One minute, Maya."

"I'm coming! I'm just grabbing the box!" I yelled back.

I was already swinging my leg out the window.

The metal was cold against my hands. I looked down and swallowed hard, already feeling sick. The fire escape felt much higher than I remembered.

I climbed down as fast as I could. When my feet hit the alley floor, I took off. I didn't look back once. I ran until I found a taxi three blocks away.

I climbed into the backseat and gave the driver Liam’s address.

I tried to catch my breath. Silas really thought he could just own me. He was in for a surprise.

When I saw Liam, I couldn't hold it in anymore, finally letting go. I broke down, falling into his arms, sobbing as I told him the whole story. The contract, the money, and Silas. He must have realized I was gone by now.

Liam just shook his head. He looked like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "He really thinks he can take you as collateral? He’s insane. We aren't letting this happen.”

He grabbed his car keys. "We’re getting out of here, Maya. Now."

"Where would we go?" I wiped my face with the back of my hand.

"The Marriage Bureau," Liam replied. "There's a loophole, Maya. If we’re already married, that contract is useless. He can't claim a wife as a debt settlement."

I stared at him, my heart skipping a beat. "You want to marry me? Now?”

"I love you." He dropped to one knee right there in his room. "I don't have a ring, and this isn't how it was supposed to happen. But I won't let him have you."

I didn't care about a ring. I reached down and hugged him, nodding against his shoulder. "Yes. Let's do it.”

He stood up and gripped my hand. "Then let’s go. We do this now, or you’re his.”

I looked at Liam's determined face and then back at the road. I was about to marry one man to escape another, and I didn't know if I was ready for either.

SILAS

I checked my watch. Ten minutes and twelve seconds.

The room was too quiet. I didn't need to be a genius to know she was gone. Maya Sullivan was a lot of things, a brat, a chatterbox, a sharp-tongued fighter but she was also predictable.

A girl with a mouth like hers doesn't wait to be told when to speak her vows. She spends every second looking for a way to rewrite the script.

I pushed the bedroom door open. The window was up, and the curtains were snapping in the wind like white flags of surrender. I walked to the ledge, the cold air rushing in to meet me.

The fire escape was empty. I looked down at the iron steps and felt a pull of admiration. She'd rather gamble on a four-story drop than play it safe and have a life with me.

"Sir?" my guard, Elias, asked from the doorway. "She's gone. Should we-"

"Is the tail on the boyfriend in place?"

"Yes, sir. They're heading toward the city center."

My phone vibrated. I answered it, my voice flat. "I have it under control, Viktor."

"Under control?" My father's voice was heavy with a threat he rarely had to voice. "I just got word that your five-hundred-million-dollar bride is currently in a taxi, racing toward a Marriage Bureau with that pathetic boyfriend. I hope for your sake you're already behind her, Silas. I didn't pay her father's debts so you could play hide and seek."

"I said, I have it under control," I repeated, my eyes tracking the movement of the curtains.

"You let a twenty-three-year-old girl make a fool of the Blackwood name before the ink on the contract is even dry," Viktor snapped.

I clenched my jaw, my knuckles turning white as I gripped the windowsill. "I knew she'd run. I'm letting her lead me to her leverage."

"Leverage?" Viktor barked a laugh that held no humor. "She is the leverage, Silas. Have you forgotten why we're doing this?"

"I haven't forgotten," I said, my eyes fixed on the empty fire escape. "I'm the one dealing with her, not you."

"Then start thinking like a Blackwood and stop treating this like a game of cat and mouse," Viktor hissed. "The investigative journalists are already digging into the docks, and the authorities are getting too close to the shipping manifests. The regulatory boards are looking for any excuse to freeze our offshore accounts. We don't need another hostile acquisition while the press is already calling us vultures."

"I'm aware of the strategy."

"Then act like it! The Blackwood name needs a shield, not more blood. Maya is that shield. She's the perfect face for the family, innocent enough to make the public look the other way. We need a distraction, Silas. We need a wedding that makes the world forget where our money actually comes from."

"And if she doesn't play along?" I asked, watching a loose piece of trash whip across the alley below.

"You don't ask her to play along, Silas. You make it her only option," Viktor corrected sharply. "They are watching us. One wrong move and the whole house of cards comes down. We need a love story to sell to the press so they stop asking questions about our private investments."

"Viktor." I'd had enough of this.

He ignored me, cutting through my protest without missing a beat.

"Maya Sullivan is the perfect clean asset. She has no one. Her father is a broken coward and her boyfriend is a rat. She's a girl with no shadow, Silas. Once she's a Blackwood, she's our silence. If she marries that boy tonight, the narrative dies and the investigation moves closer to home and she becomes a liability we'll have to eliminate. Is that what you want?"

"Dad." My grip on the phone tightened as I looked out at the city, my eyes narrowing into slits. "She won't marry him."

"Of course she won't," Viktor said, sounding entirely too pleased with himself. "Why do you think I've been paying that little rat for the last three months? Liam is exactly where he needs to be. He's been my eyes and ears on Maya since the moment her father started missing payments."

Maya was an infuriating brat, but the thought of Liam taking my father's money to lead her into a trap while pretending to be her hero made my blood boil.

One day, I'd kill him for touching what belonged to me while taking a paycheck to do it and I'd peel the skin off his back for betraying her.

"I'll handle it," I said, my voice sounding like a final warning. "And Viktor? Stay out of my business. She's mine now."

I hung up before he could answer.

"Elias," I called, turning away from the window. "Get the car. It's time."

The drive took less than twenty minutes. By the time we arrived, my security team had already cleared the hall. The double doors were flung open, and I stepped inside.

It was a pathetic sight. Maya was standing there, looking exhausted and unraveled, clutching the arm of a man who wasn't worth the breath in her lungs.

"Liam, we have to go!" she gasped, her voice thick with a panic that made my chest tighten. She tugged at him, her eyes darting toward the side exit, but she didn't realize my men had sealed the building before she even stepped out of the taxi.

But the rat didn't move.

Liam stood there, his shoulders slumped, sweat beading on his forehead. He didn't look at me with defiance. He didn't even look at her. He just slowly, deliberately, let go of her hand.

I watched the confusion flicker across Maya's face. She looked down at her empty hand, then up at the man she thought was her savior. She didn't know yet. She didn't realize she was standing next to a man who had a price tag on his loyalty and that my father had already paid it in full.

I stopped three feet away, the click of my shoes the only sound in the room. Even with her world collapsing, she looked ready to bite.

"The five minutes are up, Maya." I announced.

I stepped into her space, leaning down until my face was inches from hers. The soft scent of her jasmine perfume filled my senses, overpowering the clinical smell of the building.

Maya's lip trembled, her eyes darting to Liam, who was staring at his own shoes. "Liam?" she whispered, the word a broken plea.

I didn't give him the chance to lie to her again. I reached out, my thumb catching her chin and forcing her focus back to me.

"He's not going to help you, sweetheart," I murmured, my thumb brushing against her lower lip.

"So," I let my eyes burn into hers, stripping away the last of her illusions. "Are we going to do this the easy way, or do I need to show you what happens to girls who try to run from a Blackwood?"

I didn't wait for her to answer. I reached

out, my fingers curling firmly around her waist, claiming what was legally and now physically mine.

"Now, get in the car. We have a wedding to plan."