Title: “Tangled Fates: His Sinful Promise”

Chapter 2: The Contract Bride

Rain poured over the city that night, drumming against the cracked window of Lia’s tiny apartment. The sound should have been soothing — but to her, it felt like the ticking of a clock counting down her choices.

The contract lay on the table, its words blurring as her tears hit the paper.

A one-year marriage. Full compliance. Confidentiality clause.

Her signature would mean giving up everything — her dignity, her name, even her freedom.

But what did she have left to lose?

Her gaze fell to the photograph beside the contract. Her little brother’s thin face smiled up at her, unaware of the monster that now held their future in his hands.

> “He’s cruel… but he’s powerful,” she whispered.

“And if it keeps you alive, Min… then I’ll face the devil himself.”

With trembling fingers, Lia picked up the pen. The ink bled across the paper as she signed her name:

Lia Park.

The rain stopped the moment she finished, as if the sky itself had been holding its breath.

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Morning arrived too soon.

The towering glass walls of Black Corporation reflected a city built on greed and ambition. As Lia stepped into the marble lobby, the guards’ eyes followed her every move. The receptionist didn’t even hide her sneer.

“Mr. Black is expecting you,” the woman said, her tone clipped.

The elevator doors slid open. Each floor she passed felt colder, sharper, until the doors finally opened to reveal Adrian Black’s office — all steel and silence.

He stood by the window, hands in his pockets, watching the rain-soaked skyline like a man who owned it.

“You signed,” he said without turning around.

Lia clenched her hands at her sides. “You left me no choice.”

A soft, humorless chuckle escaped him. “There’s always a choice, Miss Park. You just didn’t like the cost of the other one.”

When he finally turned, his gaze was so intense it rooted her to the floor. His dark eyes burned — not with anger, but with something worse.

Possession.

He reached for a black velvet box on his desk and opened it. Inside lay a diamond ring, glittering coldly under the light.

“Wear this,” he said, walking toward her. “The world believes I married you out of love. Let’s not ruin the illusion.”

She stepped back, shaking her head. “This isn’t a marriage. It’s punishment.”

Adrian’s lips curved, the ghost of a smirk. “Then consider it mercy. I could have destroyed you.”

He took her hand before she could resist and slid the ring onto her finger. It fit perfectly — too perfectly.

Her breath hitched. “You planned this… you planned everything.”

“I’ve had twelve years to plan,” he murmured. “Did you really think fate would let you walk back into my life uninvited?”

The air thickened, the space between them electric and suffocating. For a second, she thought she saw something flicker behind his eyes — a flash of pain, quickly smothered by pride.

He released her hand abruptly. “We’re holding a press conference at noon. You’ll smile, you’ll speak when spoken to, and you’ll remember what’s at stake if you don’t.”

“And what exactly is at stake?” she asked, lifting her chin.

Adrian stepped closer until his breath brushed her ear.

“Your brother’s next surgery,” he whispered. “And the life you claim to value more than your own.”

Lia’s heart twisted painfully. She wanted to hate him — needed to. But there was something about his voice, low and broken, that made her doubt even her anger.

She forced herself to meet his gaze. “You can chain me to your lies, Adrian Black. But you’ll never own me.”

He leaned back slightly, studying her face — and for the first time, his lips softened.

“Careful,” he said. “That kind of fire might make me want to keep you longer than a year.”

Before she could answer, the doors opened. Assistants flooded in with cameras and microphones, their voices sharp and eager.

Adrian’s mask slipped back into place — the ruthless CEO, untouchable and flawless. He slipped an arm around her waist, his hand resting firmly on her hip.

To the world, they looked perfect.

To Lia, it felt like a cage lined with diamonds.

“Smile,” he murmured. “The world is watching.”

And she did — because she had to.

Because somewhere across the city, her brother’s heart monitor was still beeping, and as long as it did, she would endure anything.

Even him.

---

End of Chapter 2

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💬 Author’s Note:

The contract is signed… but so is Lia’s fate. 💔

Adrian’s darkness hides a deeper wound — and Lia’s light might be the only thing powerful enough to reach it.