The courtroom was cold. Too cold for a June afternoon.
Lana Cruz stood still, fists clenched at her sides as the judge's gavel slammed down like thunder. Her heart crashed against her ribs as the words echoed through the room.
"Mr. Cruz, you are hereby sentenced to fifteen years in federal prison for embezzlement and fraud—"
"No!" Lana's voice cracked. "Please, Your Honor! My father—he's innocent! He—"
Two officers stepped forward to restrain her. Her father didn't look back. He couldn't. His eyes were fixed on the floor, broken. Defeated.
Lana's legs buckled. Her entire world, everything she knew—gone in a breath.
"Your Honor," a deep voice cut through the noise.
Everyone turned.
The doors had opened, and in stepped a man in a sharp charcoal suit, his presence commanding, magnetic—and terrifying.
Dominic Blackwood.
CEO of Blackwood Enterprises. Billionaire. The very man her father once worked for. The man her father supposedly betrayed.
Lana's blood turned to ice.
Dominic strode down the aisle like he owned the courtroom. Like he owned everything.
"I have a proposal," he said, voice smooth as sin. "One that could… change the outcome of today's ruling."
The judge narrowed his eyes. "Mr. Blackwood, this isn't a business meeting."
"It could be," Dominic replied, then turned to Lana. His gaze locked onto hers, dark and unreadable.
"I'll withdraw my charges. Your father walks free… under one condition."
Lana's mouth went dry.
"What condition?" she whispered.
Dominic stepped closer. He looked her up and down, not cruelly—but like she was a puzzle he had already solved.
"You marry me."
The courtroom gasped.
Lana blinked. Surely, she misheard. "W-What?"
"One year. You marry me, play the perfect wife. In exchange, your father avoids prison."
"Why me?" she demanded, breathless.
A smirk tugged at his lips, but it didn't reach his eyes.
"Let's just say… I like to collect debts. And your family owes me more than you can imagine."