Chapter One: The Proposal of Ruin

Aisha Malik never expected her life to change with a single phone call.

The evening had started like any other. The scent of jasmine lingered in the air as she sat at the dining table, waiting for her father to return home. Her younger brother, Rami, was watching cartoons in the living room, unaware of the storm that was about to shatter their peaceful world.

When the front door creaked open, Aisha stood up with a smile. “Baba, you’re home.”

But the look on her father’s face drained the warmth from her voice.

He looked… destroyed. His shoulders sagged beneath the weight of an invisible burden, and his eyes—usually full of hope—were now dull and defeated.

“Baba?” Aisha hurried over. “What happened?”

He didn’t respond. Instead, he walked straight to the table and sank into a chair, dropping a file on the polished surface. Aisha opened it slowly.

Debt statements. Legal notices. Bank threats.

Every page screamed one thing: Bankruptcy.

Her breath caught in her throat. “This… this can’t be real.”

“I tried, Aisha,” her father whispered, rubbing his forehead with trembling fingers. “I tried everything. Loans, investors, selling assets—but nothing worked. They’re going to seize the company. And the house. Everything.”

Aisha gripped the edge of the table. “There has to be another way. Something we haven’t thought of yet—”

“There is.” His voice cracked.

She looked at him sharply. He wouldn’t meet her eyes.

“A man came to see me today. Zavian Knight.”

The name hit her like a slap.

Zavian Knight. Billionaire. CEO of Knight Enterprises. Known not just for his wealth, but for his cold, heartless reputation. Ruthless in business. Unforgiving in life.

Her voice came out faint. “What does he have to do with us?”

“He’s agreed to save the company. Pay the debts. All of them.”

A flicker of hope lit inside her chest. “That’s… good, isn’t it?”

But her father finally looked at her then, and her hope turned to ice.

“He wants something in return, Aisha.”

She stared.

Then she whispered, “What?”

“A marriage. To you.”

The world tilted on its axis. She blinked, thinking she’d misheard him. “That’s not—no, Baba. That’s insane. He doesn’t even know me.”

“He does. He’s been watching. Said he’s seen you at events, through business meetings. He wants you as his wife. And he’s offering everything we need. He gave me 48 hours to decide.”

Aisha stumbled back, her heart thudding wildly.

“You’re selling me to a stranger?” she said, tears brimming.

“I'm saving you, Aisha,” he said brokenly. “I can’t lose this company. I can’t lose everything.”

“But what about me?” she cried.

There was silence.

Then the doorbell rang.

The sound echoed through the house like a death knell.

Aisha turned toward the door, her heart hammering.

Her father didn’t move.

The butler opened it.

And there he stood.

Zavian Knight.

Tall. Impeccably dressed in a black suit, his expression carved from stone. His gaze found Aisha instantly—sharp, unreadable, cold.

“I’m here,” he said. “To claim what I’ve paid for.”

Aisha’s world shattered.

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