Chapter 17 A marriage of convenience
Sonia's POV
This is some girl's dream, to get married to a wealthy CEO, but all I want is a happy family, and with the competition going on in the Smithfield's Household, it will be hard to create a home. I have also heard a lot of rumors about Lucian, and he was said to be a Playboy. More than that I just came out of a traumatizing relationship, and I wasn't ready to commit myself to someone else.
“Marriage isn't something I'm currently considering, and I understand that you might have fallen in love with me, but it will be nice if you give me time to develop strong feelings for you. Also, we should get to know each other better, that way our marriage will last longer,” I said to Lucian with a polite voice, and for a second, he looked flustered, but he quickly put on a stern look.
“That's not what I mean, Miss Sonia,” He said quietly, his voice filled with conflicted emotion.
I froze, my eyes widened, waiting for an explanation.
He took a slow breath, loosening his tie like it was choking him. “This isn’t about love, Sonia,” he informed me. “It’s about survival.”
My brows knitted together. “Survival?”
“Yes.” He turned toward the window, the city light shining over him like a spotlight. “I didn't tell you this earlier because I didn't want to scare you, but Gawin has our tape,” he confessed.
“Our tape?” I arched my brows.
“The video recording of what happened between us in the hotel bar. Our sextape,” he explained with a calm voice, and I wondered how he managed to keep his cool in such a difficult situation.
“So your only solution is marriage?” I asked, disbelief scraping at the edges of my voice.
“Yes,” he nodded with a grimace. “Marriage will protect you. It will tie you to me legally and publicly. No one would dare touch the wife of a Smithfield. Not even Gawin. Also once the tapes are released, we'll both be secured.”
I took a step back, shaking my head. “That’s insane, Lucian. You can’t just marry someone because it’s convenient. I don’t even -”
He cut me off softly. “You don’t trust me. I know. But there is no better option.”
The silence that followed felt too big for the room. The low hum of the air conditioner was the only sound.
“I’m not asking you to love me,” he murmured with a tired voice. “I’m asking you to let me protect you and my reputation.”
Protect me? My chest tightened. People only say that before they ruin you. “You can’t just throw protection around like it’s charity, Lucian,” I said, my tone sharper than I intended. “I don’t need saving. Not from you, not from anyone.”
A faint, humorless smile touched his lips. “That’s what I used to think. Until I realized that in this family, independence gets you killed.”
I frowned and involuntarily crossed my arms. “You’re not making any sense. You want me to marry you so your brother doesn’t hurt me? Do you even hear yourself? Why are you acting like it doesn’t benefit you?”
“I hear myself perfectly.” He moved closer to me, and I could see the faint tremor in his jaw. “You think Gawin won’t find a way to hurt you? You saw his reaction. He recognized you, Sonia. And the way he smiled -” He clenched his fist and paused.
Lucian reached for my hand, his touch surprisingly gentle. “If I announce you as my fiancée, the board will rally around us. My father won’t be able to use you against me. Gawin won’t dare approach you again. You’ll be safe, and in return, you’ll help me stabilize my position until I expose his crimes. Also, I know that Michael and your friend have been plotting against you, I can help you, just give me a chance.”
I pulled my hand back, and this time around I was genuinely curious. “But why? Why do you want to help me? You're my boss, this is not normal.”
Lucian kept quiet. “You remind me of someone, and your life is similar to mine,” he explained.
“And what happens after that, Mr. Lucian? What happens when your war is over? Do I just… disappear? Leave my life, friends, and career behind?”
He didn’t answer right away. For a second, I thought he wouldn’t at all. Then, his voice came quieter, almost human. “No,” he said. “You won’t need to disappear.”
I searched his face, but I couldn’t read him. Everything about him was composed, unreadable, like a man who’d spent years perfecting the art of silence.
“You sound like you’ve already decided this without me,” I whispered.
He gave me that same cold look I’d read about. The kind that warned you not to argue. “Hesitation gets people killed in my world, Sonia,” he smirked. “You know what my brother is capable of. He doesn’t need proof. Just an opportunity. You, Sonia, are an opportunity. He thinks I love you, so he will try to harm you. I'm tired of people dying in my stead.”
That one stung, and I looked him in the eyes. “You’re talking about me like I’m some liability.”
He exhaled slowly. “You’re not a liability. You’re… leverage.”
I let out a bitter laugh. “Wow. That’s worse.”
Lucian rubbed his temple, clearly frustrated. “You misunderstand me. If you’re beside me, he won’t see you as prey, he’ll see you as part of the game. That means you’ll live. I can’t say the same if you stay unprotected.”
I turned away, muttering to myself. “You sound just like him right now. Controlling. If only I had slept at home that night, none of this would have happened.”
The words left my mouth before I could stop them, and I saw them hit him. The slight flinch in his eyes told me I’d pierced something real.
“Maybe,” he whispered after a pause. “But I don’t hurt the people I protect. I never planned to meet you either.”
There was a momentary silence, and I thought deeply about all he had said.
“I can’t marry you, Mr. Lucian,” I finally said with a trembling voice. “Not after everything. Not when I don’t even understand what’s happening between us.”
He nodded once, with an unreadable expression. “Then understand this, you have until tomorrow to decide. After that, I wouldn't ask you anymore.”
I wanted to scream at him. To tell him he was arrogant, impossible, cruel for turning something as sacred as marriage into a shield. But before I could, the door opened.
Daniel walked in, his face pale and tight with worry. “Sir,” he said to Lucian, his tone clipped. “Gawin’s gone… but there’s something you need to see.”
He handed Lucian a company phone….the kind only high-level staff used. I didn’t think much of it until Lucian’s face hardened.
He didn’t press play, but I saw the image on the screen. My blurry face. His face.
My throat went dry. “Mr. Lucian… that’s -”
He locked the screen instantly and looked up at Daniel. “Who sent this?”
Daniel hesitated. “An unknown number, sir. But… it has been contained, and a lot of people still don't know you are the ones because it is blurry.”
I felt the room tilt for a second, my breath catching painfully in my chest. “It’s happening again,” I whispered. My hands were shaking, and I didn’t even realize it until Lucian’s gaze caught me.
He placed the phone on the desk with careful precision, then looked at me. For the first time, I saw something raw behind his composure. Not power. Not control. Fear.
He straightened his posture and spoke in a tone that left no room for argument. “Then we’ll fight fire with fire,” he proclaimed. “The wedding announcement goes out tomorrow. We'll get married tonight.”