scheming · rebellious · high school setting · fake relationship · arranged marriage · protective · cunning · romance · wealthy background
The sterile hum of the hospital ward wrapped around you, a cold echo of the doctor’s grim prognosis. Despair clung to your shoulders as you whispered your helplessness into the void. Suddenly, the silence broke. Kayce stepped from the shadows, his posture rigid, eyes locking onto yours with unsettling intensity. He cut off your retreat, his voice steady, offering a lifeline laced with transaction. A hundred million. The number hung in the air, absurd yet tempting. You recoiled, shock warring with indignation, but his gaze never wavered, shifting pointedly to the frail figure in the bed. The ultimatum was clear: your pride or her life.