Ugh… today was already… terrible. I mean, who plans for their dad to almost go to jail? Nobody, right?
Maya was standing outside the hospital, gripping her bag so hard her knuckles turned white. Rain… maybe? Or maybe just her mood. Yeah, probably both.
“Miss… Maya?”
She turned. Doctor. That “I feel sorry but… not my fault” face.
“Your father… fifty thousand. In two days. Or…” He paused. “…transfer him to another facility.”
Two days. Fifty thousand. She laughed. Well, not really laughed… more like… choked. She didn’t even have ten in her pocket. And now this.
“Uhm… I’ll figure it out,” she whispered, voice tiny.
Doctor just shook his head. “I’m afraid…”
Yeah, afraid? Afraid of what? That she might—cry? Good. Afraid of reality.
Her phone rang. Unknown number.
“Hello?”
“Miss Maya Hassan?”
“Yeah… who’s this?”
“Zayn Al-Amin. He wants to see you. Today. Now.”
Her brain… stopped.
Zayn Al-Amin? Billionaire. Impossible guy. Cold. Powerful. Dangerous.
And now… waiting for her?
She barely had ten bucks. Maybe nine.
“Uh… maybe you have the wrong—”
“No mistakes. Car is outside.”
Outside. Car. Black. Sits like it owns the street. Driver… nod. “Please, miss.”
She got in. Engine hums. Feels like heartbeat. Only louder.
The ride? She has no idea. Her thoughts… tangling, twisting. “Why him? What does he want? How?!”
The city went by… fast… or slow… her mind… upside down.
Building. Tower. Glass. Sky-high. Feeling small. Insignificant. Yeah, great.
Security. Eyes. Everywhere. Like… she’s invisible but… also… exposed.
“Top floor,” driver said. Elevator. Silent. Press. Up. Tick tick tick. Heart too loud.
And there he was.
Zayn. Black suit. Strong. Cold. Standing like… like he was carved from ice. Doesn’t turn yet. Doesn’t move. Just… waits.
“Sit.”
Short. Sharp. Command. No please. No hi. Sit.
She obeyed. Heart racing. Thoughts racing. Hands shaking. God… why?
Finally, he turned. Eyes… black. Like storm. Jaw… sharp. Suit expensive. Everything expensive.
“Your father is in trouble.”
Maya’s brain… froze.
“I… I know. But he didn’t—”
“He’s accused. Evidence says otherwise.”
She blinked. “Evidence… wrong.”
“Doesn’t matter.”
Wait… what?
He walked over. Folder. Black. Slides it to her.
“Marriage contract.”
Her mouth… nothing. Brain… scrambled.
“What… what?”
“You marry me. I save your father.”
Her stomach… upside down. Her hands… trembling.
Her heart… pounding like crazy.
“I… I don’t even know you!”
Closer. Too close. His scent. Cold. Clean. Sharp. Her thoughts… messy.
“You don’t need to know me. Just sign.”
The world tilted. Her choice… ripped away. Freedom… borrowed. Contract… life line.
She looked at the pen. Hands shaking. Heart broken in two.
One side… prison.
Other… him. A stranger.
Tears… too fast. “I… I can’t.”
“Don’t have to be ready. Just… sign.”
Boom. Heart. Drop. Breath stuck.
The pen… on the paper.
Her dad. Her life. Her world. All in this tiny moment.
Her lips quivered. She whispered: “I… I’m not ready.”
He didn’t move. Eyes… cold. Voice… colder.
“You don’t have to be ready. You just have to sign.”
Her hands… shaking. The pen… just sitting there, like it knew she was scared.
She could feel every second dragging. Every heartbeat screaming.
“Why… why do I have to?” Her voice cracked.
“Because… your dad… he doesn’t have anyone else.”
She looked up. Eyes… still black. Calm. Ice.
And terrifying.
“I don’t even know you! Why me?!”
“Because you’re the only one I trust won’t cry in the face of… consequences.”
Consequences. That word… she didn’t even want to think about it.
But reality… well, reality was knocking hard. And it wasn’t knocking politely.
Her mind… spinning.
Dad in jail. Possibly days. Weeks.
Her life… controlled by this man. Him. Zayn Al-Amin.
The one everyone whispered about.
“Just… sign.” His voice… quiet. Not gentle. Not rude. Just… forceful. Enough to make her think maybe this is the only way.
Her eyes flicked to the window. City lights… blurry. Rain. Cold. She felt… small. Tiny. Invisible.
But trapped. Oh… so trapped.
She sighed. Really sighed. One long, shaky breath.
She wanted to scream. To run. To yell… but her feet… wouldn’t move.
“Please,” she whispered. “Please… don’t do this to me.”
He tilted his head. One eyebrow. Slight smile. Not cruel. Just… knowing.
“Do what?”
“Make me choose this… this… thing.”
Marriage. Signing. Being… trapped with him.
She hated the thought. But… hated the idea of losing her dad even more.
Tears blurred her vision. One slip. One tiny mistake… and it was gone.
Her dad. Her life. Everything.
Her hand… finally reached for the pen.
And then she froze. Because… she noticed something.
Something in his eyes. A flicker. A hint. Not ice. Not cruelty. Something else.
Pain? Maybe. Or… regret?
“What… what’s your part in this?” she asked, voice barely a whisper.
His jaw tightened. He looked away. Then back.
“Part? I’m… doing what I have to do. To protect what I… can’t let fall.”
Her heart skipped. Protect? Not control? Not power? Protect?
She didn’t… trust it. Not yet. But maybe… maybe that flicker was real.
She scribbled her name. Line shaking. Hand trembling.
He… didn’t say anything. Just… nodded. Folder closed. Contract… done.
And suddenly… silence. Heavy, suffocating silence.
She wanted to run. Out of the office. Out of the building. Out of the city.
But… her legs… wouldn’t. They didn’t know if they should carry her or not.
“You… you understand?” His voice, softer now.
“I… I… guess.”
“Guess?” He leaned closer. Too close. Too real. “You signed. That’s understanding enough.”
Her stomach twisted. She wanted to hate him. She tried.
But there… deep inside… something… something she didn’t like… was stirring.
Fear? Anger? Respect? Hate? Maybe all of it.
The elevator ride down… quiet.
Her hands… still shaking. Pen… still burning her fingers.
Outside, rain falling. Cold. Wet. Grey.
She wanted to laugh. Or scream. Or cry. Or… all at once.
“Where… where am I supposed to go now?” she asked, finally.
“To your life,” he said. “And I’ll be… in it. Until… we figure out… everything.”
Her eyes… wide. Heart… pounding.
She wanted to say something. Something sharp. Something angry. Something… human.
But… nothing came out.
She stepped outside. Rain hitting her hair, her face. She gasped. Water. Cold. Alive.
But… nothing would wash this away. Not today. Not ever.
She felt… trapped.
But maybe… for now… safe.
And somewhere… deep inside… Maya realized…
This man. Scary. Cold. Powerful. Terrifying.
Might just be… her only hope.
Her father… maybe… just maybe… would live because of him.
And that… that thought… was heavy.
He didn’t just offer marriage. He offered a chance. A life. A choice she didn’t want… but had to take.
She shivered. Rain. Contract. Life. Future. Unknown.
And somewhere… in the back of her mind… a whisper:
“This is just the beginning.”
Maya walked down the street, rain soaking her jacket, hair sticking to her face. She didn’t care. She barely cared. All she could think about… her dad. Safe. Or not. She tried to push the thought away, but it kept coming back. Looping, screaming, twisting her chest.
She felt… weird. Like her whole body was… divided. Part of her was screaming, “Run! Run! Don’t sign! Don’t!”
Another part… whispering, “He saved your dad. You… you have to.”
Her phone buzzed. Unknown. She looked. Text. Just three words:
“I’ll call.”
No name. No number. Just… him.
She groaned. Dropped her head back. Rain dripping into her eyes. She felt like… like everything was collapsing.
Why did life do this? Why now? Why him?
She tried to think of anything else. Her apartment. The tiny kitchen. Coffee that tasted like sadness. Bills. Work. Life.
Nothing helped.
Then… she remembered the folder. The contract. Her signature. Her dad. Everything.
And that… that thought hit her like a punch. Reality. Cold. Hard.
She had signed. She had agreed.
And the man… Zayn Al-Amin… was now part of her life.
Her stomach twisted. She hated that.
She hated him. She hated needing him. She hated… everything.
But at the same time… maybe… she didn’t.
She shook her head. Crazy thoughts. Dangerous. “Stop it, Maya,” she whispered to herself.
The phone buzzed again. She jumped. Heart in throat. Hands wet, shaking.
“Miss Hassan?” His voice. Calm. Deep. Not angry. Not soft. Just… him.
“Yes?” She tried to sound normal. Failed. Her voice… cracked.
“You signed. That’s… good. For now.”
“For now?” she echoed.
“Yes. For now. There are… details. Things you need to know. Rules. Boundaries. Life changes. And…” He paused. “Trust me.”
She swallowed. Hard. “Trust… you? You… you’re crazy.”
“Maybe,” he said. “But… I saved your dad. That’s not crazy. That’s…” He hesitated. “Necessary.”
Necessary. Right. Of course. Everything was necessary now.
She didn’t even want to go home. Apartment… small. Sad. Empty. Lonely. But safe. Safe-ish.
She didn’t want to be anywhere. She didn’t want to think. But… she had to.
“Where do I… go now?” she asked. Voice soft. Small. Tiny.
“Home. Rest. Think. But… be ready. We start tomorrow.”
Tomorrow. The word… heavy. Like a chain. Anchoring her to… him. To this life. To this… contract.
She ended the call. Phone dead weight in her hand. Heart… pounding. Mind… racing.
She walked. Rain. Cold. Wet. City. Lights. People… shadows. None of them mattered. Only… contract. Dad. Him.
Her thoughts… tangled. “How… how do I live like this? With him? With… this?”
She stopped. Middle of street. Rain soaking everything. Laughing… crying… maybe both. She didn’t care.
Her dad… safe. That’s what mattered. Right? Right.
Even if it meant… life chained to a stranger.
Life… twisted. Cruel. Unfair. But… saved.
And then… she felt it. A presence. Not near. Not behind. But… something. Watching? Maybe? Could be paranoia. Could be… him. Could be… anyone.
She shivered. Rain. Cold. Fear. And… anticipation.
Tomorrow… everything changes.
Her life. Her dad. Her choices. Everything.
She wanted to scream. But didn’t.
She wanted to run. But didn’t.
She wanted… to disappear. But… couldn’t.
Because the contract… the offer… the deal… it wasn’t just paper.
It was life.
It was survival.
It was… everything she didn’t want, but couldn’t escape.
And somewhere deep… she realized, maybe… just maybe… this man, terrifying as he was…
Might be the only thing keeping her world together.
Her heart… pounded. Her mind… raced.
And for the first time… she wasn’t sure if she hated him…
Or… if she feared… she might not.
She kept walking. Rain soaking through. Streets empty. City alive.
Contract in hand. Future… unknown.
And in her chest… a whisper:
“Brace yourself. This is just the beginning…”
Maya finally reached her apartment. Key shaking in her wet hands. Door… heavy. Cold metal. She stepped inside. Silence. Too quiet. Too normal. Everything outside… gone. And yet… not gone.
Contract. On the table. Staring at her. Mocking her. Or maybe… daring her.
She sank into the chair. Rain dripping from her hair. Clothes sticking. Heart still racing. Breath… uneven.
How could life… just… hand her this? Like it was… no big deal? Like marriage could… solve everything?
She thought of her dad. Safe. Alive. Maybe smiling. That’s what mattered, right? Right.
But… what about her? She? Who… never thought… never even imagined… having to marry a stranger to save someone she loved.
