Lia Hart regretted signing the contract the moment the pen left her fingers.
Zayn didn't smile. He didn't thank her. He simply took the folder, closed it with the cold finality of a judge, and stood up.
"We begin tonight," he said.
Lia blinked. "Tonight?"
Zayn was already walking away. "Black-tie event. You're my wife now. Time to play your part."
She stood there stunned, her body still trembling from the weight of what she'd done. She had signed her life away. One year. One cold, calculated billionaire. No feelings. No freedom. Just survival.
Just ten million dollars dangling like a lifeline at the end of a chain.
Six Hours Later
The stylists had come in like a storm.
By the time they were done, Lia barely recognized the girl in the mirror. Her hair had been swept into elegant waves, pinned with silver clips that sparkled under the light. The dark red gown they'd given her fit like it had been stitched from shadows and secrets tight, dramatic, daring.
She looked expensive. She looked powerful. But her eyes... Still screamed she didn't belong.
"You clean up well," Zayn said from the doorway.
She turned. He wore a black tuxedo like it had been made for him. Or maybe the tuxedo had been created just to be worthy of him. The kind of man you don't just look at you feel.
Lia forced her voice steady. "So do you always buy your brides, or am I special?"
His lips curved slightly. Not a smile. More like... recognition.
"You signed the contract. You knew what this was."
"I did," she whispered. "But you didn't mention parading me like a trophy."
He stepped closer, fixing one of her earrings. His touch grazed her neck, cold fingertips, deliberate and possessive.
"You're not a trophy," he said softly. "You're a weapon."
She froze. "A weapon? Against what?"
Zayn stepped back. His expression was unreadable.
"Against everyone who thinks I'm still alone."
The Event
The ballroom shimmered with chandeliers and whispers. Laughter, music, clinking glasses all wrapped in the glitter of high society.
But when Zayn Knight entered with Lia Hart on his arm, silence followed them like a shadow.
Heads turned. Murmurs rose.
Lia didn't know who was more shocked, the businessmen who respected him, the socialites who wanted him, or the enemies who feared him.
He introduced her as "my wife, Lia."
And she played along. Smiled. Nodded. Held his arm.
But inside, her heart was a storm.
One woman even cornered her in the powder room.
"You must be very brave," she said, fixing her lipstick.
Lia frowned. "Excuse me?"
The woman smiled like a snake. "To marry Zayn Knight. You do know what happened to the last girl he dated, right?"
Lia froze. "What are you talking about?"
But the woman just walked away, heels clicking like daggers.
Back at the Penthouse
Lia yanked off her heels the moment they got in. Her feet ached. Her back hurt. But more than anything, her pride was raw.
"Was that fun for you?" she snapped. "Dragging me through your world like a doll on display?"
Zayn loosened his tie. His eyes were calm, unreadable.
"You handled it better than I expected."
"You didn't answer me."
He stepped closer.
"You think this is fun for me? Marrying a stranger? Tying myself to someone I didn't choose?"
Lia met his eyes. "Then why do it? Why me?"
He didn't speak. Not right away.
Then
"Because you're not like them. Because you have nothing to lose. And that makes you dangerous."
Lia stared at him.
Zayn turned away, walking into the dark hallway.
"Your real role begins tomorrow. Be ready."
Late That Night
Lia lay awake again. Not because of fear. But because of him.
Zayn Knight. He was cruel. He was controlled. But there was something under the surface. A quiet war in his eyes. Like he was hiding more than just power.
And somehow, she'd been pulled into it.
She didn't know the rules of this world. But she would learn them.
She would survive.
Even if it meant becoming exactly what he feared most:
Unpredictable.