The silence in the grand room lingered long after Aurelius left, as though his presence still clung to the walls, heavy and suffocating. I sat frozen on the velvet sofa, my fingers nervously brushing against the cold fabric. My heart hadn't slowed down since that moment — since those deep blue eyes pinned me in place and those cruel, teasing words tangled in my mind.
"You'll wish you hadn't."
What did he mean?
What was I supposed to wish against?
The sound of ticking from the ornate clock on the wall reminded me that time hadn't stopped with him… though it felt like my world did.
I rose, pacing aimlessly, my mind a storm of questions. How could my father agree to this? How could Caelus, my perfect older brother — the CEO of one of the most powerful companies in the city — stay silent about it? There had to be something more… something they weren't telling me.
I didn't waste another second. My bare feet padded against the marble floors as I made my way through the long hallways of the mansion, the evening light spilling in through the towering windows. The staff gave me curious, almost worried glances, but no one dared stop me. They knew better.
My father's office door loomed at the end of the corridor — tall, dark, and uninviting, like always. I didn't bother knocking.
I pushed the door open, letting it slam against the wall.
"Father!" I snapped, my voice sharp, raw with anger.
He was there, as always, seated behind his massive mahogany desk, papers in neat piles, a glass of whiskey within reach. The evening light caught in his silver-streaked hair as he looked up at me — unfazed, as if he'd been expecting this.
"Callista," he said calmly, not a hint of surprise in his tone. "You should be resting."
Resting?
I could've screamed.
"Resting? After you threw a stranger at me and called it a marriage? What the hell is this? Why him? Why now?"
My voice cracked but I didn't care. The fury in my chest was too loud, too heavy.
He sighed, removing his glasses and placing them on the table.
"It's not your place to question this. It's for the family. For the company."
"What does that even mean?!" I demanded, my voice rising. "Since when did you care about my future, or what happens to me? You've always been too busy running this empire from this—this prison you call a home!"
For the first time, something flickered in his eyes. Guilt? No… not quite.
It was something closer to weariness.
"Callista… you'll understand soon enough."
But I was done hearing that.
"I want the truth, now."
My father's jaw tensed. He ran a hand over his face, leaning back in his chair like the weight of the world had settled on his shoulders.
"You really want to know, Callista?"
His voice dropped — lower, heavier.
"Aurelius… he didn't ask for your hand, he demanded it."
I stiffened.
"What do you mean demanded it?"
He sighed again, his fingers tapping anxiously against the desk.
"If I refused… everything your grandfather built — everything this family stands on — would crumble. The company would collapse, our name would be dragged through the mud. And you… you wouldn't just lose your freedom. You'd become a slave under his control, trapped in a life far darker than you can imagine."
I felt my stomach twist painfully.
"He threatened you?"
"Not just me." His voice cracked. "He holds power most people only whisper about, Callista. His family… the Valemonts… they're more than just rich. They control everything — the economy, the politics, even the media. And Aurelius… he's set to inherit it all. But he needs a marriage to solidify his position, and because of your grandfather's debts to their family decades ago… we were the perfect target."
I stood there, frozen, my world spinning out of control.
"Then why were you so… happy?" I hissed. "Why did you look so damn excited about this?"
He hesitated.
And then, with a bitter smile, he confessed,
"Because if you marry him… we don't just survive. We gain an alliance with the Valemont family — one of the most powerful, secretive dynasties in the country. They offered a reward… a sum no sane man would refuse. Fifty billion dollars, Callista. Fifty. Billion."
My breath caught.
Fifty billion dollars for my life.
For my freedom.
For me.
I clenched my fists, my whole body trembling.
"So I'm just a price tag to you now."
His face hardened again. "It's not about that. It's about protecting this family."
"No," I spat, my voice sharp, my eyes stinging. "It's about saving yourself."
And with that, I turned and stormed out of the room — the crushing weight of desire, betrayal, and power suffocating me like never before.
I didn't storm through the house this time.
I walked.
Slow, steady… like a ghost moving through walls I'd long stopped feeling. The mansion that once made me feel small now felt emptier than ever. The weight in my chest didn't crush me, because it had already made a home there.
When I reached my room, I closed the door — quietly this time — and leaned my back against it, staring at the ceiling.
Fifty billion dollars.
That was my worth.
To my father, to this cursed family name.
Not even a tear came.
Because I was used to this.
I let out a slow breath, pushing myself off the door, moving straight to my desk. The old leather-bound notebook lay there, where I always kept it. No one had touched it — they wouldn't dare. To them, it was probably just another Callista thing, another harmless hobby of the perfect, sweet daughter.
If only they knew.
I opened it.
Pages filled with neat, clean handwriting — plans, codes, network schematics, family accounts, company structures, and secret contacts. This wasn't a diary.
It was my weapon.
I stared at the page — calm, steady, unflinching.
Plan A: Find the legal loopholes.
Plan B: Expose the Valemont family's hidden scandals.
Plan C: Contact the media anonymously.
Plan D: Fake an illness, delay the wedding.
Plan E: Hack the Valemont private network — find leverage.
I was Callista Evangeline Moreau.
Top of my class. Major in Computer Science.
I've never scored an A- in my life.
And I wasn't losing now.
But just as I was writing down Plan F, a knock sounded at my door.
I stiffened.
I wasn't expecting anyone. No one ever came to my room uninvited. And surely — surely he'd left.
I told myself it was probably a servant.
But when I opened the door… there he was.
Aurelius.
Leaning casually against the doorframe, those deep blue eyes locking onto mine like a silent storm.
"I figured you'd come here to plot something," he said, voice calm, unreadable.
I swallowed hard.
"I thought you left," I admitted. "After the awkward disaster earlier…"
He shrugged, a small smirk playing at the corner of his lips.
"I did. But I left something important on the sofa downstairs."
My eyes narrowed.
"And what would that be?"
"A ring," he replied smoothly. "It fell off while I was adjusting my cuff. I asked a servant where you were… and here I am."
I stared, cold fury bubbling up inside me.
"How did you even get up here? This house is locked down — my father has over a hundred guards—"
He chuckled quietly.
"Your guards? They're loyal to the one holding their contracts. The moment your father signed that deal, everything here became accessible to me."
My stomach twisted.
He stepped a little closer, his voice lowering, carrying a weight I wasn't prepared for.
"I was never really gone, Callista. I don't need permission to walk into this house. Not anymore."
And then — the final words, colder than any dagger:
"The enemy isn't always the one you hate most."
He turned and left, just like that.
And I stood there, notebook clutched to my chest, my perfect plans suddenly feeling too small.
I wasn't just trying to stop a wedding anymore.
I was going to start a war.
TBC...
NEXT CHAPTER: The Weight of Desire (Part 3: Silent Rebellion)
SPOILERS:
CHAPTER 4: The Weight of Desire (Part 4: Claimed by the Enemy)