The rain in North City didn't just fall; it punished.
Luella Qiao stood at the entrance of Vane Enterprises, her cheap trench coat soaked through, but her posture remained as regal as it had been five years ago. Back then, she was the "Diamond of the Capital." Today, she was a ghost.
"I'm here to see Xavier Vane," she told the receptionist. Her voice was steady, cutting through the hum of the luxury lobby.
The receptionist didn't even look up from her screen. "No appointment, no entry. Mr. Vane is a busy man."
"Tell him," Luella leaned in, her eyes flashing with a cold fire that forced the girl to finally look up, "that the 'dead' Heiress of the Qiao family has come to collect a debt. If he doesn't see me, the scandal involving his grandfather's hidden will will be on the front page of the morning news."
Five minutes later, Luella was in the private elevator.
The top floor was a minimalist's dream—all glass, steel, and the scent of expensive cedarwood. Behind a massive mahogany desk sat Xavier Vane. He didn't look up. The light from his tablet reflected off his silver-rimmed glasses, making him look more like a lethal machine than a man.
"You have sixty seconds," Xavier said, his voice a deep, vibrating baritone that seemed to rattle Luella's very bones. "I don't like ghosts, and I like blackmailers even less."
Luella walked forward, ignoring the puddle she was leaving on his Italian marble floor. She tossed a manila envelope onto his desk. "I'm not here to blackmail you, Mr. Vane. I'm here to offer you a solution."
Xavier finally looked up. His eyes were dark, piercing, and utterly devoid of warmth. He scanned her—from her ruined shoes to her pale, determined face. "The Qiao family's disgraced daughter. I heard you died in a prison fire three years ago."
"I'm hard to kill," Luella replied, a sharp smile playing on her lips. "Inside that envelope is proof that your cousins are tampering with the Vane Group's offshore accounts. They want you out. And your grandfather's will states you must be married within the month to retain your CEO position."
Xavier leaned back, his fingers interlacing. "And?"
"And I need a weapon to destroy the people who framed me. Marry me. You get your inheritance and a wife who stays out of your bed. I get the Vane name to shield me while I burn the Qiao family to the ground."
The silence in the room was heavy. Xavier stood up, his towering 6'3" frame casting a long shadow over her. He walked around the desk until he was inches away. He reached out, his cold fingers gripping her chin, forcing her to look at him.
"You're asking to enter a pact with a monster, Luella."
"I've already been to hell, Mr. Vane," she whispered. "A monster is exactly what I need."
Xavier let go of her chin and turned toward the window, looking out at the rainy city. "Three years. No feelings. No interference in my private life."
"Deal."
"Good," Xavier said, not looking back. "My assistant will have the contract ready in an hour. Don't be late for our wedding tomorrow. I hate tardiness."
Luella turned to leave, her heart finally beating for the first time in years. The revenge had begun.