Kay averted his gaze, as if fleeing from a feeling that had caught him off guard—a feeling he wasn't ready to admit, even to himself. His chest tightened for a brief moment, his expression hardening further before he abruptly left without a word, leaving behind a heavy, suffocating silence. Martin glanced at his son with mild surprise but chose not to comment, continuing dinner with Ella as if nothing had happened.
The meal ended under a cold, tense atmosphere. Ella had barely eaten; Kay's harsh words still echoed in her ears, cutting into her quietly. For a fleeting moment, she considered walking away—leaving everything behind. Her dignity, after all, meant more to her than any amount of money.
But she closed her eyes for a few seconds, gathering herself, whispering inwardly with weary determination:
"I must not fall for his provocations… I need to remember why I came here, what my goal is. They set these conditions, and I accepted them. His words don't define me… because they're simply not true."
When she opened her eyes again, she had regained some of her composure—though the ache still lingered deep within.
Just as she was about to leave, Martin's voice stopped her, now stripped of warmth and filled with a sharp, formal coldness:
"Ella, there are terms that must be made clear between us."
She stiffened slightly as he continued in a detached tone:
"You will be Kay's temporary wife as a guarantee that your father will repay his debt. The agreement will last five years.
You are not allowed to use our family name for any commercial or personal purpose.
You will live with us in this house, but you will not be permitted to use the family's money unless it is absolutely necessary—and I alone will decide what qualifies as necessary.
We will hold a small wedding attended only by close family members.
You are strictly forbidden from revealing any details about this marriage or its reasons to anyone."
He paused briefly, then added with a colder edge:
"And if you violate any of these terms… the consequences will not fall on you alone. Your father will be forced to pay double the amount, immediately. Is that understood?"
Ella froze in place. Just moments ago, he had seemed calm—almost gentle… but now, he stood before her like a wolf baring its fangs without hesitation. In that instant, she realized that Kay's coldness was no coincidence—it was inherited, deeply rooted in this household.
And yet… she did not object.
In truth, she had no intention of using their name or wealth anyway. To her, this arrangement was nothing more than a burden she had chosen to carry. She nodded slowly, her voice caught in her throat.
But before she could step away, Martin spoke again, his tone even heavier:
"There were several options for your father to repay his debt… one of them was for you to work in a brothel."
Ella's eyes widened in shock as he continued:
"But your father insisted that his daughter's purity be preserved."
Then he added, with a strange mix of coldness and restrained anger:
"And I don't grant such privileges… except to my friends."
His words echoed painfully in her mind: Friend?
I've never heard my father mention you… not even once…
Ella left the mansion, her steps heavy as if the ground itself resisted her. It was the first time she had ever felt this lost—like standing at a crossroads with no clear path ahead. She turned back to look at the mansion; it was grand, breathtaking… yet utterly devoid of warmth.
She whispered to herself, her voice tinged with quiet sorrow:
"How can a place like this feel so cold? And how am I supposed to live here… with people I don't know, people who belong to a world so different from mine?"
She returned home, burdened with worries too heavy to express. Yet somehow, everything felt lighter the moment she saw her grandfather. His presence was her only source of comfort—her refuge from the cruelty of the world.
The agreement was set to begin after she finished her exams and summer break started.
The exams passed with difficulty, unlike anything she had experienced before. Ella—the diligent girl who had always ranked at the top of her class—now found herself struggling just to stay composed. The recent events had cast a long shadow over her, and her anxiety deepened after her grandfather traveled abroad for treatment. The thought of his upcoming surgery haunted her relentlessly:
Will it succeed… or is fate preparing another pain for her to endure?
And as summer began, she wasn't preparing for a long-awaited break…
She was preparing for her wedding.
A wedding that felt nothing like a dream—
but more like a cold contract.
A transition into a world she had never known, filled with unfamiliar faces and unspoken rules.
And above all… Kay.
The man whose cold, provoking gaze made it clear that her very presence unsettled him.
Deep down, Ella felt it—her life was about to become something she had never imagined…
And Kay might not just be part of that new world—
he might be the greatest obstacle… perhaps even the nightmare that would follow her every single day.