Chapter 9: The Layered Cage
Throughout the day, Agatha experienced a different world.
She was taken to the most exclusive spa in Paris. Her body was soaked in rose water, massaged with aromatherapy oils, and her nails decorated. No threats, no weapons, just light conversation and the warmth of a mother.
"Why are you so kind to me?" Agatha asked as they sat together enjoying afternoon tea on the spa's penthouse balcony. "I am just an item exchanged for a gambling debt. You know that, right?"
Melynda set down her tea cup. Her gaze softened. "Xavier has never brought a woman home or been close to a woman, Agatha. Never. For 15 years, he lived like a machine. Cold. Cruel."
Melynda looked into Agatha's hazel eyes. "But when he brought you... I saw fire in his eyes again. You are not just an exchange item to him. You are the only person who can make him feel 'alive', albeit in a unique way."
Agatha fell silent, swirling her tea cup. She didn't believe in Xavier's love. It was just obsession. But she enjoyed this moment with Melynda.
However, the peace did not last long.
In the afternoon, when they returned to the bridal suite for final preparations, the door opened. Xavier entered in a neat suit, his face back to being flat and cold as usual, as if the morning drama had never happened.
"Playtime is over, Mother," Xavier said bluntly.
Melynda pouted. "You're ruining the mood, Son. We were having fun."
"The administrative priest is waiting for the files. I need Agatha's signature now. Tomorrow is too risky if the civil files are incomplete."
Xavier signaled his mother with his eyes. Melynda sighed, understanding that her son couldn't be argued with regarding legal matters.
"Alright, I'll check the catering downstairs. Agatha, finish your business with this monster, then get some rest." Melynda kissed Agatha's cheek and then left.
Now it was just the two of them. The room's atmosphere changed drastically. From warm to cold and full of calculation.
Xavier placed a black leather folder on the vanity table, right in front of Agatha.
"Sign," he ordered.
Agatha looked at the folder with disgust, not touching it. She looked up at Xavier through the mirror's reflection while continuing to comb her hair.
"What for now?" Agatha asked coldly. "You already got what you wanted, didn't you? Silas exchanged me for five hundred million dollars. Transaction complete. You already have the 'Ownership Letter' over me from last week. Is that not enough?"
"That was a buy-and-sell document for the underworld, Agatha. In their eyes, you are indeed mine," Xavier answered calmly, his finger tapping the paper on the table. "But in the eyes of state law and the public, you need legal status as a wife."
"So you want to legalize human trafficking?" Agatha snorted cynically. "Hypocrite."
"I want to bind you in both worlds, below and above," Xavier whispered, leaning in closer. "Read the contents, then sign."
Agatha grabbed the pen roughly. "Just formalities for separate assets, right? Hurry up, I want to sleep."
Agatha opened the folder. Her eyes scanned quickly. Page one, standard. Page two, standard. But when her eyes reached the last paragraph of page three, her hand stopped moving.
Her eyes widened reading the text printed in bold.
Article 19: This marriage is binding for life. The Second Party agrees that there is no clause for divorce, separation, or annulment for any reason, except for the death of one of the parties.
Agatha looked up, staring sharply at Xavier. Her blood boiled. Her plan to escape after getting information crumbled apart.
"You're joking," Agatha hissed. "For life? Our initial agreement wasn't like this! I only agreed until my business was finished!"
"The agreement has changed," Xavier replied coldly, staring straight into Agatha's eyes without guilt. "I don't like my belongings getting loose. Once you enter Valois, you cannot leave alive."
"I don't want to!" Agatha slammed the pen onto the table until ink splattered. "You bought me like a dairy cow, and now you want me to swear loyalty for life? I refuse!"
Agatha stood up, intending to walk away. But Xavier was faster.
He gripped Agatha's shoulders, pushing her back down onto the chair. His two arms caged Agatha's body, their faces only centimeters apart.
"You think you have a choice?" Xavier whispered in Agatha's ear, his voice low but full of deadly threat. "Sign it, Agatha. Or you will never get information about your biological parents."
Agatha's body froze. Her eyes widened.
He knows. This bastard knows my weakness.
"You..." Agatha's voice trembled with suppressed rage. "You're threatening me?"
"I'm giving you motivation," Xavier corrected. He shoved the pen back into Agatha's hand. "Sign. Be my wife forever, use my name. And I will give you your family name."
Agatha stared at the pen with hatred. She was cornered. Xavier had closed all exit doors. This was no longer a business transaction. It was a perfect trap.
With a hand trembling from anger, Agatha snatched the pen. She stared at Xavier with a look full of vengeance, then scratched her signature on the paper roughly, until the tip of the pen tore the paper slightly.
"Satisfied?" Agatha challenged.
Xavier took the folder, checked the signature, then smiled, the victorious smile of a Devil who successfully ensnared his prey.
"Very," Xavier answered.
He leaned down, kissing the top of Agatha's head briefly. A cold kiss of ownership.
"See you at the altar tomorrow, My Wife. Sleep tight... while you can."