Rainwater dripped down my cheeks, mingling with tears I refused to shed in front of him.
"Marry you?" I repeated, my voice breaking between disbelief and fury. "You're insane."
Dominic's eyes never wavered. Dark. Steady. He was the kind of man who could threaten you without ever raising his tone.
"Not insane," he murmured. "Strategic."
I yanked my wrist from his grip, my pulse hammering. "You murdered my father. And you think I'd let you put a ring on my finger?"
His lips curved, not quite a smile—more a cruel reminder that he always got what he wanted.
"You think this is about what you want?"
I opened my mouth to scream, but he spoke first, voice slicing through the storm like a blade.
"Your father owed me more than his life could pay." He stepped closer, so close I could feel the heat of him despite the rain chilling my skin. "And now, Arden, his debts are yours."
The ground tilted beneath me. "What are you talking about?"
Dominic leaned down, his breath grazing my ear.
"Your inheritance. His company. The estate. The influence he protected you with."
His tone turned cold. "All of it is tied to contracts with me. Without me, you lose everything."
I stiffened, my chest burning.
"You're lying."
"Am I?" he challenged, sliding a sleek black folder from beneath his coat. Even at a funeral, even in the storm, he came prepared.
When I saw my father's signature scrawled across the papers, my heart plummeted.
"This can't be real," I whispered.
Dominic's gaze softened for a fleeting second—so quick I wondered if I imagined it. "It's very real. And so is my proposal."
He tucked the folder away again, leaving me shaking. "Marry me, Arden. Be mine. And everything your father built will remain yours. Refuse…" His eyes narrowed. "And you'll be left with nothing but the memory of his coffin."
My hands curled into fists. "You're a monster."
"Maybe." His jaw tightened. "But I'm the monster who can keep you alive."
For a moment, I wanted to slap him. For a moment, I wanted to crumble.
But instead, I raised my chin. "If I say yes, what makes you think I won't kill you in your sleep?"
That earned me a real smile—dangerous and devastating. "Try, and I might just enjoy it."
The wind howled between us, carrying my father's ghost and this man's impossible demand.
And as much as I wanted to run, I knew I was already trapped.
Because somewhere deep down, buried beneath grief and rage, my heart was already racing for him.