The low hum of machines in the hospital corridor was thick with the scent of antiseptic and the despair of countless souls. Ava dragged her feet, her slender legs feeling as though they might buckle beneath her. Seven days. Seven nights. She had been here for seven days and seven nights straight, the glaring sunlight and the enveloping darkness losing all meaning. All she felt was the chilling cold emanating from the white-washed walls and the relentless beeping of the life support machine, each pulse counting down her brother's fragile existence.
Lam An. That name was the last ray of light in Ava's storm-ridden life. Her younger brother, only fifteen years old, lay there, his frail body hidden beneath the hospital sheets, his face terrifyingly pale. Congenital heart disease had plagued An since childhood, but this time was different. The doctor said he needed an emergency heart transplant. The cost? A colossal sum, enough to crush an ordinary family, let alone Ava's.
Home? Now, Ava didn't even have a proper home. Her parents' company, their lifelong pride, had collapsed after an intricate fraud, dragging them into a whirlpool of fierce creditors. Their beloved house was seized, their assets confiscated. Her parents, once pillars of strength, were now devastated, seemingly aged a decade in a matter of months. They could do nothing but cry and pray.
Pray? Ava had prayed, pleaded, tried everything. She worked three jobs simultaneously, from serving in a cafe until late at night to cleaning houses. She sold off every valuable item she owned, even her mother's keepsake bracelet. She knocked on the doors of every acquaintance, every relative, but all she received were sympathetic headshakes or contemptuous, scrutinizing glances. The debt was too immense, the illness too dire; no one wanted to get involved.
"Ava, if we don't receive the payment in the next three days, we cannot continue maintaining the life support for the boy. There are other patients waiting." The old doctor's words echoed in her mind like thunder. Three days. Only three more days, and her brother would… She dared not think about it.
Outside the hospital room, hurried footsteps resonated. A tall man, dressed in a meticulously tailored black suit, his face sculpted and as cold as marble, appeared directly before Ava. He was not a doctor, nor a patient's relative. His deep blue eyes, like frozen oceans, swept over Ava without a flicker of emotion, then settled on Lâm An's door. Behind him stood a secretary in smart business attire.
"Miss Ava?" the secretary spoke, his voice deep and steady, yet carrying a subtle, invisible pressure. "Please come with us."
Ava felt a chill run down her spine. She had never met this man, nor did she know who they were. But somehow, her intuition told her that their appearance was not a good omen, but rather a sign of a new abyss. "Who… who are you?" Her voice trembled.
The cold man turned, his gaze meeting hers once more. In that moment, Ava felt as if she was struck by a high-voltage current. It was a gaze that didn't just see, but evaluated, analyzed, and priced. She had never seen eyes like that before; they made her feel exposed, utterly vulnerable, pathetic.
"It doesn't matter who we are," the secretary said. "What matters is we have what you need, and you have what we want."
They led her away from the hospital, guiding her into a sleek, luxurious car. Ava didn't know where they were taking her; she just sat silently, her heart pounding against her ribs. The scent of expensive leather and the cool, masculine perfume in the car made her feel suffocated. She glanced at the man sitting in the back with her; he remained silent, his gaze fixed out the window, as if she didn't exist.
The car stopped in front of a skyscraper of glass and steel, towering into the clouds, looking like a cold, proud pillar in the heart of the city. "Blackwood Corporation," the secretary introduced, "Headquarters."
Ryder. Blackwood. Two names that resonated in the business world like a legend, a dread. The CEO of Asia's largest financial conglomerate, Ryder Blackwood. He was a cold-blooded, ruthless, and incredibly powerful man.
They took her up to the highest floor, to the CEO's office. The room was overwhelmingly vast, with a panoramic view of the sparkling city lights. But its grandeur couldn't hide the oppressive, chilling atmosphere emanating from the man standing by the window, his broad back obscuring the last rays of sunset.
"Sit." Ryder's voice resonated, deep, cold, devoid of emotion. He didn't turn around.
Ava slowly sat down on the sofa opposite his desk, feeling small and invisible. She tried to take a deep breath, her heart pounding as if it wanted to leap from her chest.
Ryder slowly turned, walking toward his desk. His deep blue eyes pierced through her, as if reading every thought, every fear in Ava's mind. He said nothing, simply took out a thick document and placed it on the desk.
"The contract," he said, "You sign it, and your brother will get his surgery. Your family will be safe. The debt will be cleared."
Ava looked at the thick document, her hand trembling as she touched it. It wasn't just ordinary paper; it was a verdict. A verdict on her life. "What contract?" Her voice whispered, lost.
Ryder curved his lips into an extremely faint smile that didn't reach his eyes. "A marriage contract. With me."
Ava's heart seemed to stop. Marriage? With this devil? She looked at Ryder, then back at the document. She hadn't read any of the terms, but her intuition told her this wasn't an ordinary marriage. This was a grotesque transaction, a bargain.
"I... I can't," Ava stammered, fear rising to her throat.
Ryder's gaze sharpened like a razor. "You have no choice. Three days, right?" He referenced the doctor's words. "I've sent someone to the hospital to monitor your brother's situation. Blood pressure, heart rate... I know everything. You can refuse. But after that, don't regret it."
Every word he spoke felt like a dagger piercing Ava's heart. He had investigated her, tracked her, grasped her fatal weakness. Her brother... Lâm An...
Ava's tears could no longer be held back; they welled up, streaming down her pale cheeks. She didn't sob; they were just silent, desperate tears. Her hand trembled as she picked up the pen. Each stroke of her signature on the contract felt heavier than a thousand pounds. It wasn't just a signature; it was a surrender, a sacrifice, and the final door leading her into a new hell.
"Good," Ryder uttered a single word, enough to extinguish all hope within Ava. He looked at her, his sharp gaze sweeping her from head to toe, as if admiring an object he had just acquired. "From now on, you are mine, Ava."
The pen clattered onto the table. The last rays of sunset outside the window had completely faded. Night fell, cold and dark, just like Ava's future. She sat there, motionless, distinctly feeling the "bite" of a monster that had officially carved itself deep into her life.