Ivy Lane couldn't believe the words her own mother spoke to her.she felt like she was a stranger.
"I only need somewhere to sleep just for tonight."I have no where else to go.
Her mother didn't blink. Didn't open the door fully. She stood half-blocking the entryway, like Ivy was a stray trying to get in.
"You're still chasing that mess your brother made?" she asked, her voice crisp and cold. "He's guilty, Ivy. Everyone knows it."
"He's not." Ivy swallowed. "I can prove it. I have something—a sketch. I saw the man—"Her mother cut her off with a sharp sigh. "You saw someone in the dark. Do you even hear yourself?"
"I just need help," Ivy said, her voice cracking. "I have no money. No place. If I can get this to the courthouse tomorrow, the judge might—"
"No." The word came like a slap. "You want to ruin our name even more? Do it alone. We already paid enough for your brother's disgrace. We're not paying for yours too."
The door inched closer.
"I'm your daughter," Ivy whispered. "I'm not asking for forever. Just... tonight."
Her mother's eyes hardened. "Then you'll learn what it means to be an adult."
And the door shut in her face.Ivy stood there for a long second.
The only place left was Tess.Her best friend since middle school. The girl who'd seen her cry over their dad's death, who knew how scared Ivy had been since Liam's arrest. Tess had promised her help. She'd even told her to call "no matter what."
So Ivy called.Tess didn't pick up.She tried again.
On the third ring, Tess finally answered. Her voice was soft. Wary. "Ivy… I was going to call you."
Ivy exhaled. "I'm in trouble. I need somewhere to stay for the night I'll explain everything."
Silence.
"You can't come here."Ivy's heart stopped. "What?"
"I can't help you, okay?"
"Tess, what happened?"
"I have a job now, I'm being watched. I gave your name once, and it—it flagged something. I got called into HR."
Ivy's voice cracked. "You reported me?"
"No! Not like that. I just—" She paused. "Your brother is being charged with a federal cybercrime. It's not nothing, Ivy. I can't risk my career."The tears we're almost dropping but she knew this wasn't time for tears.
"don't you care about my brother or even me?."
"That's not fair."
"No, Tess," Ivy said softly"It's finally fair."And she hung up.
No more calls. No more tears.
Just her. Her sketch. And a rain-soaked city that didn't want her.
She turned toward the courthouse.
And walked into the night, alone.The courthouse was four blocks away.Four blocks between her and the only proof her brother didn't belong behind bars.Her sketch—his last chance—was smudged at the edges, but the face was still there. Cold. Sharp. Watching. The man she remembered from the shadows the night Liam was taken.
That's when she felt it.Someone was following her. A whisper of footsteps behind hers. No voices. No calls. Just... presence.She took a corner towards the alley quite close to the courthouse.
Ivy let out a mufled scream,she ran as fast as she could . The folder slipped, and she caught it mid-fall.she looked back a second. Two figures chased her.She slipped on the pavement and before she could get on the highway,she almost hit a black car. Before she ran, the back door opened silently.
A man sat inside. Calm. Watching her like she was expected.
"Get in."
She froze.He was dressed in a well fitted suit, clean, and sharp.His jaw looked sharp, his eyes shone like marbles.She hesitated but she could feel her chasers coming near.She slid into the car.The door shut. Inside was warmth. Leather. Shadows. And the scent of something dangerous and expensive.The man beside her didn't speak right away. He studied her like she was a problem he'd already solved.
"You're Ivy Lane."
She turned toward him, her soaked clothes dripping onto the floor mat. Her voice was hoarse. "Who are you?"
"Damian West."Her breath hitched.
WestTech.The company that blamed Liam.The empire that nearly destroyed her brother.
She clenched her folder tighter.
"Are you here to finish what your company started?" she asked, voice trembling.
His mouth quirked—amused, maybe. "If I were, you'd already be gone."
"You were watching me."
"I was watching the courthouse."
Her chest ached. "You knew I was going there."
He didn't deny it.
"You have a copy of that sketch," he said. "Don't you?"
He reached and took the file from her . She could only gasp.
He flipped it open and looked at the sketch. His eyes didn't widen or narrow—but his hand tightened around the page.
"You've seen him?" he asked.
"I sketched him from memory. He was there that night."
Damian exhaled slowly. "This changes everything."
"Then help me," she whispered. "Please. If you know something, if you have proof—"
He turned to her fully, eyes locked on hers.
"Marry me."
She blinked. "What?"
"One year. Public appearances. A fake marriage. You stay in my world, follow my rules. In exchange, your brother walks free."
She stared at him.
"You don't even know me."
"I know enough. You're desperate, invisible, and smarter than people think. You'll do what's needed. And you've got no one left to run to."
She flinched.
"I don't trust you," she said.
"You shouldn't."
"Why me?"
Damian's voice dropped lower. "Because that sketch? The man in it? I've been hunting him for five years. You found him by accident. That makes you usef
It wasn't just adrenaline.This man was magnetic.Dangerous.Every breath he took seemed calculated. Every word held a double edge. She should've been terrified.
Instead, her voice shook for another reason entirely.
"I won't sleep with you," she said, weakly.
Damian's gaze swept her body.
"I don't need someone to warm me" he said, voice low and slow. "But if you keep looking at me like that though I might lose control"
Her face flamed. Her hands curled into fists.
"You're a bastard."
"I've been called worse. But I keep my promises."
The car pulled to a stop in front of a towering glass building .He stepped out first. Tall. Clean. Predatory.Then he turned and looked back at her.
"Your brother's future is inside. So is your cage. Make peace with both."
Ivy sat still for a second, shaking and soaked.She could still run.She could disappear or she could burn every lie down from the inside.She got out of the car and followed him in.