The door to Adrian Zhao's office shut behind her with a quiet click that sounded almost like a lock.
Avery glanced around. The space was all steel and shadow—floor-to-ceiling glass that framed the city like a hunting ground, black marble floors polished to mirror shine, and a minimalist desk that seemed deliberately too clean.
He wasn't a man who liked clutter. Or lies.
Adrian stood by the window, hands in his pockets, the sunlight turning the edges of his hair a soft bronze. He was breathtaking in the way a thunderstorm was breathtaking—beautiful, but you knew it could kill you if you got too close.
"You have five minutes, Miss Lin," he said. "Use them well."
Avery's lips curved faintly. "I'll only need three."
He arched a brow, amused. "Confident, aren't you?"
"Desperate people waste time begging," she replied evenly. "I'm not desperate."
Her calm unsettled him, though his expression didn't show it. Women usually fidgeted under his gaze. They tripped over flattery. This one met his eyes like they were equals—and that, he found, was far more dangerous.
Avery set her bag down and slid a thin envelope across his desk. "This is a copy of the Lin–Zhao merger proposal your brother plans to present to my father next week."
Adrian didn't move to touch it. "And how, exactly, did you get this?"
"Let's just say," she said coolly, "your brother has very poor taste in allies. And women."
He gave a low chuckle. "So you came here to gossip about Caleb's romantic habits?"
"No," Avery said, voice sharpening. "I came to destroy him."
That caught his attention. His eyes darkened, interest flickering like a spark. "Go on."
"I know what you're thinking," she continued, pacing slowly. "That I'm another spoiled heiress who got her heart broken. But Caleb Zhao and Luna Lin didn't just betray me—they planned to steal everything my family built. My company. My inheritance. My reputation."
Adrian leaned back against his desk. "So you want revenge."
"I want justice," she corrected, though her tone carried more fire than virtue. "And I can give you something you've been wanting for years—the leverage to ruin your brother's clean image."
He finally opened the envelope. Inside were printed emails, confidential letters, and bank receipts—all of which, in her past life, had surfaced after she was already dead.
His jaw tightened slightly as he read. "You're either lying or suicidal. No one hands over blackmail this clean."
"Think of it as an investment," Avery said, stepping closer. "You want control of Zhao Corporation. I want my life back. We can help each other."
Adrian's gaze lifted from the papers, settling on her. "And what would you give me, Miss Lin, in exchange for this… partnership?"
Avery didn't flinch. "A marriage contract."
Silence. Then a slow, incredulous laugh escaped him. "You're proposing to me?"
"Not romantically," she said dryly. "Strategically. If the Lin and Zhao names are bound through marriage, the merger shifts under our control, not Caleb's. You gain influence. I gain protection."
Adrian studied her face as if searching for cracks. "Protection from whom?"
"Everyone," Avery whispered. "Caleb. Luna. My stepmother. The entire city that's waiting for me to fail again."
Something unspoken flickered in his eyes at that word—again. He didn't ask. But he noticed.
He circled her slowly, the way a predator tests the edges of a trap. "You know what people call me, Miss Lin?"
"The devil in a suit," she answered without hesitation.
"Then you should also know that deals with devils never end well."
Avery met his gaze, unshaken. "I already died once, Mr. Zhao. What's the worst you can do?"
For the first time, his composure cracked. He smiled—a real, dangerous smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"You're interesting," he murmured. "Very well. I'll hear your terms."
Avery exhaled slowly, keeping her voice even. "A legal marriage, one year minimum. You handle the business front; I handle the media. We make it public enough to destroy Caleb's engagement prospects and force the Zhao board to recognize our alliance. After one year, we part ways."
"And what do you get?"
"Freedom. Control of my family's shares. And," she added softly, "a front-row seat to Caleb Zhao's downfall."
Adrian was quiet for a long moment, the city lights from the window reflecting in his eyes. Then, deliberately, he extended his hand.
"One year," he said. "No love. No trust. No expectations."
Avery placed her hand in his, her pulse thrumming wildly. "Deal."
His grip was firm, almost punishing. "You'll regret this," he warned softly.
"Maybe," she said, meeting his gaze. "But not today."
Later that night, Avery stood alone on her balcony, city lights glittering below like fractured stars. The papers were signed. The engagement ring Caleb had once given her lay discarded on the table, its diamond catching the glow of the streetlamps.
She picked it up once more, rolling it between her fingers.
"Caleb Zhao," she whispered, "you taught me how to die. Adrian Zhao will teach me how to live."
Thunder rumbled somewhere in the distance, as if the heavens themselves were listening.
Her phone buzzed. A message appeared from an unknown number:
Adrian Zhao: "Tomorrow. 9 A.M. Bring your ID. We'll make it official."
Avery's lips curved into a cold, beautiful smile.
Tomorrow, she thought, the reborn bride marries the devil.