Adrian sat in his private lounge, leaning back in a leather chair, a glass of expensive drink in his hand. The room was quiet, save for the faint hum of the city outside. Across from him, Alex, his longtime friend, couldn't hide his curiosity.
"I haven't seen your… your puppet today," Alex said cautiously. "Where is he?"
Adrian smirked. "He's at the market," he replied smoothly. "Buying a ring. He's getting married tomorrow."
Alex blinked, incredulous. "What? You don't mean it. How is that even possible? Julian isn't dating anyone, let alone getting married."
Adrian's smile widened. "I found the perfect bride for him," he said. "A perfect match. And on my command, they're both getting married tomorrow."
"How did you make them agree?" Alex asked, still in disbelief.
Adrian leaned back, pride dripping from every word. "Don't you know me? I'm Adrian Verity, CEO of Spleen, the top tech company in Verga. Arrogant, feared, powerful… I always have my way."
Alex laughed nervously. "You can't control that boy forever, you know."
"Oh, can't I?" Adrian's tone darkened. "I'll show you I can."
He set his drink down and let his thoughts drift. He had always hated Julian, even before he fully understood adoption. When the boy had been left at their father's door, Adrian, just a child himself, had felt a bitter, instinctive resentment. The hatred had grown over the years, intensified when he finally learned Julian was adopted.
Even so, he hadn't been able to control Julian completely. Their father's presence had limited him. But now, with their father in a coma after the car accident… Adrian's power was absolute. Julian was his puppet, and he intended to prove it.
He remembered the day of the explosion vividly. He had asked Julian to check under their father's car, pretending something was wrong. Julian, inexperienced but cautious, inspected it and found nothing. What Julian didn't know was that Adrian had planted the bomb himself carefully, so it wouldn't seriously harm their father.
Adrian had recorded the boy inspecting the car, then, when the explosion happened, he had confronted Julian, showing him the footage and claiming Julian had caused the accident. From that day on, Julian had no choice. One look at the video, and fear and guilt bound him to Adrian's will.
"And the girl?" Adrian said, turning back to Alex. "One of those desperate ones tried to steal from me. I caught her and gave her a choice, prison or compliance. Simple. She agreed."
Alex shook his head, wide-eyed. "My man… you're ruthless."
Adrian grinned. "And that's exactly how I like it."
The thought of tomorrow, of Julian walking down the aisle to a bride he didn't choose, made Adrian smile even wider. Control. Power. Obedience. His puppet, and now another piece of his plan falling into place.
Julian walked in just as Adrian and his friend were talking. The private lounge fell quiet for a brief second.
Adrian didn't look up immediately.
"Where's the ring?" he asked calmly.
Julian stepped forward and opened his palm. The ring lay there, shining under the light. His face showed no emotion, not anger, not fear, not resistance. Just emptiness.
"Here it is," Julian said.
Adrian finally looked at him and smiled.
"Good. Very good." He leaned back. "Now get ready. You're meeting your fiancée tonight at my party."
"I'm not going to your party," Julian said.
The room stiffened.
Adrian's eyes darkened. "Oh?" he said softly. "So you suddenly have the nerve to tell me no?"
Julian clenched his fists. "You can't do this to me. You can't force me to marry a stranger, someone I don't even know. This is too much."
Adrian stood up slowly.
"Don't you dare raise your voice at me," he said coldly. "I control you. I decide what you do and what you don't."
He pulled out his phone.
"I'll send her number to you now. You will call her. She will attend my party. I want to see both of you there."
Julian's voice shook. "You can't..."
"If you don't," Adrian cut in, smiling, "you know what I'll do."
He tapped his phone lightly.
"The video is still with me."
Julian swallowed hard. "I didn't do anything," he said
Adrian laughed. "We'll see how convincing you sound when everyone watches the footage."
Julian stared at him for a long moment, fury burning in his eyes. Then he turned and walked out, his footsteps heavy with rage.
Behind him, Adrian laughed.
Alex laughed too.
Julian walked angrily into his room and dropped onto the bed. His head throbbed as everything replayed itself over and over again.
This was the last thing he had ever imagined, yet the cruelty behind it didn't surprise him.
Adrian had always been heartless.
If only their father wasn't lying helpless in a coma, none of this would be happening. His presence had once been enough to restrain Adrian. And if only his mother hadn't abandoned him, if she had taken him away and given him a different life; maybe he wouldn't be trapped like this.
Julian exhaled slowly, staring at the ceiling.
He had tried to find her. Searched, traced, left information wherever he could. But nothing had ever come back to him. Just silence.
A sharp buzz broke his thoughts.
He looked at his phone.
Adrian had already sent her number.
Julian frowned. How did he know her? Where had he found her? How had everything moved so fast without him understanding anything at all?
He hesitated, then dialed.
She picked up on the second ring.
"Get dressed by nine," Julian said, his voice flat. "I'm coming to pick you up, this is your husband-to-be."
He ended the call immediately and threw the phone onto the bed.
The room felt smaller.
Everything was slipping out of his control.
Isabella sat on the couch, the night pressing quietly around her. She was waiting for her husband-to-be to pick her up, but confusion and exhaustion weighed heavily on her. Earlier, Adrian had sent her a text, a thinly veiled threat insisting that she attend the party. She had no choice. She would go, whether she wanted to or not.
Her sisters, Camilla and Elena, hadn't been around all afternoon. Since their confrontation earlier, she hadn't seen either of them. She glanced at the empty living room, tapping her foot impatiently, waiting, and suddenly, the doorbell rang.
Heart skipping, she assumed it was her husband-to-be. She grabbed her purse, adjusted her corporate outfit, one of her best, and hurried to the door.
The moment she opened it, Sebastian appeared.
"Sebastian? What are you doing here?" she asked, startled.
He stepped inside, his eyes full of frustration. "Isabella, how could you do this to me? How?"
"I… I…" Isabella's words caught in her throat. She had no response, no explanation ready.
Before anyone could react further, a man appeared at the door. "I'm here to take Isabella," he said firmly.
Sebastian and the stranger locked eyes immediately, then both turned to look at Isabella. For a moment, the three of them stood frozen, their gazes locked together.
Isabella's eyes darted between Sebastian and the stranger. She didn't know what to think.