Elina's eyes flicked over the pages of the contract. Her hands trembled, the black ink blurring as her breath quickened.
"You really expect me to sign this?" she asked, barely above a whisper.
Adrian leaned back in his chair, perfectly composed. "I expect you to choose, Elina. That's what this is."
"A choice?" she scoffed, slamming the contract onto the desk. "You're calling this a choice? You cornered me. Dug into my life. You knew about the NPO. You knew I'd do anything for it."
"I did my research," he said smoothly. "Is that a crime now?"
"You used my dream to trap me!" Her voice rose. "You turned the one thing I've ever truly wanted into a bloody bargaining chip!"
"You're wrong," Adrian said, voice low and measured. "Your parents were the ones who crushed your dream. I'm the only one putting it on the table."
She stood there, breathing hard. "You could've helped me without this. Without asking for my submission, my body—"
"But then," he interrupted, "you would've walked away. And I don't let go of things I want."
Her lips parted in shock, her voice shaking. "You don't own me."
"No," he said. "But I will."
The silence that followed was deafening.
"I don't want this," she murmured, eyes on the paper. "This isn't how I imagined fighting for my dream."
"Your dream doesn't care how it comes to life," Adrian said, standing. He slowly walked towards her, each step deliberate. "But let's cut through the drama, shall we?"
She stiffened.
"If you don't sign this contract," he said, "your parents will marry you off to someone else. Someone you've never met. Someone who won't give a damn about your dreams. And that man?" He leaned in, his breath brushing her cheek. "He'll touch you, Elina. He'll fuck you, whether you want it or not. Every night. On his terms. Because that's what men like that do. They take."
Her face went pale.
"He won't ask. He won't care. He'll do what he wants. And your parents will smile while it happens."
She opened her mouth, but no words came.
"But me?" Adrian whispered, tilting her chin up to face him. "Yes. I'll touch you. I'll take you. Just like he would. But I'm giving you something in return—something no one else will. I'll give you your freedom. Your dream. Your NPO. Your future."
"You're still asking me to give up everything," she choked out.
"I'm asking you to give yourself to someone who won't bury you in a mansion with a dozen kids and no purpose," he said. "I'm asking you to surrender to the only man who sees what you're capable of."
"You want control," she said bitterly.
"I want you," he corrected. "Every part of you. Your mind. Your body. Your soul. But I'm not lying about it. I'm giving you the truth upfront."
Elina stepped back, swallowing hard.
"I'm not asking for love," he continued. "I don't care if you hate me at first. But don't insult yourself by pretending you have a better option."
Tears threatened at the corners of her eyes. "You're cruel."
"Cruel?" he echoed, his voice suddenly sharp. "No. Cruel is watching you waste your life because your father thinks your purpose is to warm a bed and smile at business parties. Cruel is knowing what you want and letting you be caged by people who never respected you."
She clenched her fists. "Why me?"
"Because you challenge everything I stand for," he said without hesitation. "Because you don't drop to your knees the second I walk in the room. And because when I look at you, I don't see another rich man's daughter—I see someone who could build something real, something big. Something powerful. And I want to own that power."
"I'm not a thing you can own."
"Not yet," he said quietly. "But you will be."
"You'll control me."
"I'll guide you," he said. "You'll have full freedom with the NPO. No interference. I'll fund every detail, hire the best team, make sure you never struggle. But the rest of you? That belongs to me."
"And if I break the rules?"
He was quiet for a beat. "Then you'll learn the consequences."
She spun back towards him. "Why are you doing this to me?"
"Because you're the only woman I've ever met who made me want something I couldn't buy."
"That's not romantic."
"I'm not offering romance, Elina," he said, stepping closer. "I'm offering purpose. Power. And yes—possession. But unlike the man your parents will choose, I won't just take. I'll build with you. I'll make you unstoppable."
Her voice was barely audible. "And I'll be yours?"
"Completely."
She stared down at the contract. "No limits. No negotiation."
"You can set boundaries for your work. Your NPO is sacred. I won't touch it. But when it comes to us?" He took her hand and placed it over his chest. "I don't want half. I want everything."
She looked at him, eyes swimming with confusion, rage, and something dangerously close to temptation. "If I say yes?"
"Then your life begins. No more blind dates. No more begging for approval. You'll walk into your dream with my name, my resources, and my protection."
"And your bed."
He didn't flinch. "Yes."
A long pause stretched between them.
"You'll never answer to your parents again," Adrian added. "No more pleading for scraps of freedom. You'll have it all, Elina. But you'll wake up every day knowing you belong to me."
She breathed in sharply.
"And if I say no?"
He shrugged. "I'll find another woman to warm my bed. You'll marry whoever your father picks. You'll watch your dream fade. And one day, you'll remember this moment and hate yourself for walking away."
He stepped closer, voice softening but carrying that razor-sharp edge. "Elina, I'm not standing here asking you to just sleep with me like it's some filthy trade. I'm asking you to marry me."
Her breath caught.
"I'm asking you to be my wife," Adrian said firmly. "Not my mistress. Not my toy. My wife, Elina. With my name. My protection. My power."
She blinked, stunned. The shift in his tone made her stomach tighten.
"I'm offering you more than just a favour in exchange for sex. I'm offering to take responsibility for you," he continued. "You'll have my name, my house, my men at your back. And your NPO? It won't just exist. It'll thrive. I'll build it with you, brick by brick. I'll give you what your father never did—freedom, Elina."
"You're turning this into some noble act," she whispered, shaken.
"I'm turning this into a future," he said. "You want to save children? Start an NPO? Build a world where no one feels powerless like you do now? Then take the hand of the one man willing to give you everything in return."
"You want me to belong to you."
"No," Adrian said, eyes narrowing. "I want you to stand beside me—bound to me. And in return, I'll carry you through everything. You'll never beg again. You'll never ask for permission again. You'll build, Elina. And I'll make damn sure no one stands in your way."
Her heart slammed against her ribs.
"I'm not the villain," he said. "Your parents are the ones selling you off like a prized cow. I'm the only one offering you a crown instead of a leash."
She stared at him.
"You won't just be a wife in name," Adrian said. "You'll have purpose. Influence. Autonomy in the one place you care about—your dream. You'll run your NPO, and I'll make sure no one can shut it down. No threats. No bribes. No red tape. Just you, doing what you were meant to do."
"And the price for all of that is me," she murmured.
"Only because I want you," he said bluntly. "And I'll never pretend otherwise. I want you in my bed, in my life. I want to own every part of you. But I'll earn you every damn day by giving you the world."
She closed her eyes. "You don't play fair."
"I don't have to," Adrian said. "Fairness won't save your dream. I will."
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