Leigh stood frozen in the hallway, her hands trembling as she stared at the paper she had pulled from the drawer in Ervin's study. It was small, nothing more than a receipt—but it carried the weight of betrayal.
Recipient: Celine Madrigal
Amount: ₱50,000.00
Frequency: Monthly
Sender: Montemayor Holdings
Her breath hitched. Her heart thundered in her chest. The numbers stared back like knives.
She stormed out of the study, her bare feet thudding against the hardwood floor. The paper was clenched in her fist, crumpled and shaking. She didn't knock—she pushed open the heavy doors to Ervin's private office and marched in like a storm ready to destroy everything in its path.
He looked up lazily from behind his desk, as if her fury was nothing more than a breeze. Unbothered. Almost entertained.
"You're paying them?" she hissed. "My aunt and uncle? Every month?"
Ervin set down the pen he was twirling between his fingers. "Yes."
Leigh stared at him, horror and disbelief flashing in her eyes. "Is that why they handed me over to you? Because you bought their silence?" Her voice cracked. "Because you bought me?"
He stood slowly, adjusting his cufflinks with deliberate grace. "That's exactly what happened."
She stumbled a step back, her heart pounding in her chest. "So… I was sold," she whispered. "Like an object. Like some worthless thing."
"You weren't sold," he replied, his voice devoid of emotion. "You were acquired."
Tears stung her eyes. "You paid for me like I was property."
Ervin walked around the desk, stopping just close enough to let his words burn. "You were never meant to be a wife, Leigh. You were a means to an end. A requirement I had to fulfill to access my inheritance. Nothing more."
She shook her head, as if denying his words would make them untrue. "Why me?" she asked weakly. "You could've picked anyone."
A cruel smirk pulled at his lips. "Exactly. Anyone. I picked the one who had no voice. No money. No future. No one to fight for her. That made you perfect."
The words sliced into her like a blade.
"I needed someone silent. Someone desperate. Disposable. You fit the role flawlessly."
She felt her knees weaken but forced herself to stand straight. "You're a monster," she spat.
"And you," he shot back, "you're not as innocent as you pretend to be."
"What are you talking about?"
"Oh, come on." His eyes glinted with disdain. "Don't act like you didn't know what you were walking into. You knew I was rich. You knew what I had to offer. Admit it—part of you wanted this. The mansion. The money. The clothes. You wanted to be saved, Leigh. You were just smart enough to play the victim while chasing the payout."
"That's not true!" she yelled.
He laughed, a hollow, humorless sound. "You're a gold digger just like the rest of them. Maybe you didn't name your price, but you sure as hell enjoyed the benefits."
Leigh's face went pale. "I never asked for any of this!"
"No, but you stayed," he said coldly. "You slept in silk. Wore diamonds. Ate meals you couldn't even pronounce. Don't pretend you're not complicit. You had the chance to leave a long time ago."
"Because I had nowhere else to go!" she screamed. "Because you made sure I had nowhere else!"
"And you think that makes you better than me?" He stepped closer, his presence suffocating. "You think just because you didn't swipe a credit card yourself that you're not feeding off my name? My wealth?"
Leigh's voice trembled. "At least I never used someone like this. Never trapped anyone—"
He cut her off, voice dropping to a venomous whisper. "You were never good enough to be seen with me, Leigh. You really thought I'd introduce someone like you to my world? To my board? My family? You're a stain I had to hide to meet my obligations. A name I never planned to utter in public."
The breath was knocked out of her lungs. Her heart cracked in her chest.
"You think this is a marriage?" he continued. "You were paperwork. A check mark. A signature to unlock a fortune. I did what I had to do. And you were the cheapest way to do it."
She stood in stunned silence, her mind spiraling.
He leaned down until they were eye-to-eye. "And let me remind you—if you walk out that door, the payments stop. Let's see how long it takes before your dear aunt and uncle drag you back and sell you again, this time for less. Maybe to someone worse."
Her voice broke. "You think I'm scared of them?"
"You should be," he said, straightening his posture. "Because the only reason they haven't come for you is because I paid them to stay away. I bought your peace. I bought your silence. Just like I bought you."
Leigh's hands trembled at her sides. The paper crumpled in her fist was no longer just evidence—it was her reality.
She wasn't a wife.
She wasn't a partner.
She wasn't even human in his eyes.
She was a transaction.
A silenced girl in a gilded cage.
And the worst part?
He was right.
The chains he bound her with were invisible—but they were everywhere. From her clothes to the roof over her head, to the diamonds on her neck, to the food she ate, to the very signature that made her his.
She couldn't speak.
She couldn't scream.
Because silence had a price.
And she had already been paid for.