Confrontation

The silence in the huge room stayed even after Aurelius walked out. It felt like he was still there — like the air was heavier just because of him.

I sat still on the velvet couch, fingers brushing against the cold fabric, my heart still racing.

He'd looked at me with those deep blue eyes and said it, plain and sharp:

"You'll wish you hadn't."

Wish I hadn't what?

What was I supposed to regret?

The clock on the wall ticked steadily, reminding me time hadn't stopped — even if it felt like my world had.

I stood up and paced. My thoughts were all over the place.

How could my dad agree to this?

Why didn't Caelus — my older brother, the golden boy CEO — say anything?

Something wasn't right. There had to be more they weren't telling me.

I didn't waste another second.

Barefoot, I walked fast down the marble halls, light from the big windows following me.

Servants glanced at me, confused and a little scared. But no one said anything. They knew better.

My father's office door stood at the end of the hallway — tall, dark, and cold as ever.

I didn't knock.

I pushed it open and let it slam.

"Father!" I snapped, my voice sharp and shaking.

He looked up from behind his big desk, glass of whiskey nearby, not surprised at all.

"Callista," he said calmly. "You should be resting."

Resting?

"Resting? After you hand me off to some stranger and call it marriage? What is this? Why him? Why now?"

My voice cracked. I didn't care.

I was too angry.

He sighed and took off his glasses.

"It's not your place to ask. This is for the family. For the company."

"What does that even mean?!" I yelled. "Since when did you care about me? You've always been busy running this empire like a machine."

For a second, something flickered in his eyes. Was it guilt?

No… more like exhaustion.

"Callista… you'll understand soon."

"I want to understand now."

His jaw tensed. He leaned back slowly, like he was finally ready to drop the act.

"You really want the truth?"

I nodded. My heart was pounding.

"Aurelius didn't ask for your hand. He demanded it."

I froze.

"What do you mean, demanded?"

He tapped his fingers on the desk.

"If I said no, everything your grandfather built would fall apart. The company would be destroyed. Our name dragged through the dirt. And you… you wouldn't just lose your freedom. You'd be stuck under his control, in a life darker than you can imagine."

My stomach dropped.

"He threatened you?"

He looked away. "Not just me. The Valemonts… they don't just have money. They own things. The economy. The politics. Even the media. And Aurelius is their heir. He needs this marriage to gain full control. And because of some debts your grandfather owed decades ago… we were the easy target."

I stood there, frozen.

"Then why did you look so… happy about it?" I asked, voice shaking. "Why did you act like this was some kind of blessing?"

He hesitated. Then gave me a bitter smile.

"Because if you marry him… we don't just survive. We win. They offered a reward, Callista. Fifty billion dollars."

I couldn't breathe.

Fifty billion dollars.

That's what I was worth to him.

That's what my freedom was worth.

I clenched my fists.

"So I'm just a price tag to you."

He looked back at me, face hard again.

"It's about protecting the family."

"No," I said coldly. "It's about protecting yourself."

I turned and walked away, the weight of everything crushing down on me.

This time, I didn't run.

I walked slowly, like a ghost.

The house that once felt too big now felt completely empty.

The heaviness in my chest didn't crush me anymore.

It lived there now.

Back in my room, I shut the door gently.

I leaned against it, staring at the ceiling.

Fifty billion dollars.

That's what I meant to them.

Not even a tear came.

I was used to this kind of betrayal.

I pushed off the door and went straight to my desk.

There it was — my notebook.

To everyone else, it looked like a normal journal.

Just another harmless thing the "perfect daughter" did.

They had no idea.

I opened it.

Pages filled with notes, plans, codes, files — all the information I'd gathered.

This wasn't a diary.

It was my secret weapon.

I stared at the newest page:

Plan A – Find legal loopholes.

Plan B – Dig up Valemont scandals.

Plan C – Leak everything to the media.

Plan D – Fake an illness. Delay the wedding.

Plan E – Hack into Valemont's private network. Find leverage.

I was Callista Evangeline Moreau.

Top student. Computer Science major.

I didn't lose. Not now.

But just as I started writing Plan F… a knock came at the door.

I froze.

No one ever came here.

I told myself it was probably a maid.

But deep down, I knew.

I opened the door — and there he was.

Aurelius.

Leaning against the frame, arms crossed, eyes like a storm.

"I figured you'd be up here plotting," he said, voice cool and casual.

I swallowed hard.

"I thought you left," I said.

"I did," he said with a little smirk. "But I dropped something on the couch. A ring. Asked a servant where you were."

I narrowed my eyes.

"And how did you get up here? There are guards everywhere."

He let out a quiet laugh.

"Your guards work for whoever pays their salaries. Your father gave me access the second he signed the deal."

My stomach turned.

He stepped closer.

Voice low. Serious.

"I was never really gone, Callista. And I don't need permission to be here."

Then, the last thing he said — colder than anything else:

"The enemy isn't always the one you hate the most."

Then he walked away.

And I stood there, clutching my notebook, every perfect plan suddenly feeling too small.

I wasn't just fighting a marriage anymore.

I was about to start a war.

To be continued...