Chapter 1

The air in the penthouse office was cold enough to make my teeth ache. It smelled like money and success, a scent I barely remembered. Outside the floor-to-ceiling window, Silicon Valley glittered, a universe away from my own dark reality.

Liam Hayes sat behind a massive desk made of dark, polished wood. He didn't look like the struggling professor I once knew, the man whose dreams I had helped build. Now, he was a titan, a king in this world of code and capital. His suit was perfect, his face was handsome and sharp, but his eyes were ice.

"Chloe," he said, his voice smooth and low. "It's been a long time."

I didn't answer. My own design firm was a pile of ashes, my reputation ruined, my family name dragged through the mud. I knew who was behind it all. I was looking right at him. I stood before him, a ghost of the brilliant architect I used to be, my hands clenched so tight my nails dug into my palms.

He watched me, a small, cruel smile playing on his lips. He enjoyed this. He enjoyed seeing me broken.

He leaned forward, his gaze fixed on me, chilling me to the bone. Next to him stood a young woman, Sarah Hayes. His adopted protégé. She looked at me with a mixture of pity and triumph, her sweet face a perfect mask.

"My dear Chloe," Liam began, his tone dripping with false sympathy, "I heard about your troubles. Your father's health, the hospital bills... it's a terrible burden."

My breath caught in my throat. My father. The reason I was here. The reason I would do anything.

Liam gestured to Sarah. "As you know, my sweet Sarah was supposed to marry the reclusive billionaire, Mr. Maxwell. A very important alliance for my company." He paused, letting the words hang in the air. "Unfortunately, Sarah has had a change of heart. She's too delicate for such a... demanding arrangement."

Sarah lowered her eyes, looking every bit the fragile flower. I felt a surge of disgust.

Liam' s gaze snapped back to me, hard and sharp. "But the wedding must proceed. The contract is signed." He slid a check across the polished desk. It stopped right at the edge, a stark white rectangle in the dim light. "Fifty thousand dollars."

My eyes fell to the number written in clean, black ink. Fifty thousand. A fortune to me now, but an insult from a man who built his empire on a foundation I helped lay. It was just enough to cover the down payment for my father's life-saving surgery. He knew. Of course, he knew the exact amount.

"Take Sarah's place," Liam said, his voice leaving no room for argument. "Marry Mr. Maxwell. They say he's an invalid, a hermit. You won't even have to see him much. A small price to pay for your father's life, wouldn't you agree?"

A bitter smile twisted my lips. My pride was a luxury I could no longer afford. I stepped forward and picked up the check. The paper felt heavy, like a death sentence. My eyes, I knew, were filled with a despair so deep it was a black hole.

"I'll do it," I whispered, the words tasting like ash in my mouth.

"I knew you'd be reasonable," Liam said, leaning back in his chair, the picture of satisfaction. He dismissed me with a wave of his hand. "Sarah will see you out. She'll give you the details."

Sarah led me to the door, her touch on my arm feeling like a spider's crawl. "I'm so sorry it has to be this way, Chloe," she said, her voice full of fake sorrow.

I pulled my arm away and walked out into the hallway, my body numb. The elevator doors were closing, but I stopped. I couldn't leave, not yet. Some instinct made me press my ear against the cold wood of the office door. I needed to understand.

Liam's voice came through, no longer smooth, but sharp with irritation. "Did you see her face? Pathetic."

"She took the deal, Liam. That's all that matters," Sarah's voice was different now too, stripped of its sweetness, replaced with a cold, calculating edge. "She still has no idea, does she?"

"None at all," Liam scoffed. "She thinks I'm getting revenge because she got tired of me and dumped me in college. She thinks this is about a broken heart." He laughed, a short, ugly sound. "The arrogant fool. She has no idea I orchestrated everything. Her company failing, her father's 'accidents'. I wanted her to have nothing. I wanted her on her knees, begging me for scraps. And here she is."

My blood ran cold. It wasn't just about a youthful mistake, a casual breakup. He had systematically destroyed my life. My father's illness... it wasn't just bad luck.

"And Mr. Maxwell?" Sarah asked. "What if she finds out he isn't some old invalid? What if she finds out the truth?"

"She won't," Liam said with absolute certainty. "She'll be his bride in name only, locked away in that mansion. By the time she realizes the trap she's in, it will be too late. She will suffer, just as I planned. She will pay for every single thing."

I stumbled back from the door, my hand flying to my mouth to stifle a sob. The check in my other hand felt like it was burning through my skin. This wasn't just revenge. This was a meticulously crafted hell, and he had just gleefully pushed me inside. My father's life was the bait, and I had taken it without a second thought. The despair I felt moments ago was nothing compared to this. This was a bottomless pit of betrayal and horror, and I was falling fast.