Solene 006

Solene

I swallow hard. My throat goes dry, and my thoughts scatter as I stare at Antonio, still trying to understand the words he just said. He wants me to marry him. The room feels too small, like the air is closing in on me.

God, I never imagined I would see him again after that night. Cara told me about this job, said the club pays well and protects its staff. She never told me who owned it. If I had known it was Antonio, I would have turned around and never looked back.

But here I am, standing in front of him, like fate isn’t done with me yet.

“Marry me.” The words keep echoing in my head. Antonio, Rowan’s uncle, the man I foolishly slept with, is asking me to become his wife. It feels unreal, almost cruel.

“Are you… are you even listening to yourself?” I whisper. My chest burns, like something angry is trying to claw its way out. “You want me to marry you out of spite? For power?”

I shake my head in disbelief. “You want to use me as a pawn in your war with Marcella?”

I laugh, but the sound is empty. There’s no humor in it, only hurt.

I have already lost everything. My name, my marriage, my money—gone. I’m a scandal waiting to explode. Proof that their perfect family cracked. A woman who knows too much, who doesn’t fit their story. Just by existing, I threaten their control.

And now this. A marriage proposal from a man who feels like fire itself.

Antonio tilts his head, studying me. “You are not a pawn, Solene,” he says calmly. “You are the queen they tried to erase.”

My heart slams hard against my ribs. My breath catches. Rowan always made me feel lucky just to belong to him. And now Antonio is calling me a queen.

As much as I hate it, I know Antonio is right. They tried to wipe me out. Turn me into a ghost. The broken ex-wife. The poor girl from nowhere. Someone easy to forget.

His proposal is madness. But for the first time in a long while, someone is looking at me like I’m not a mistake. Still, that doesn’t mean I can trust him.

I wrap my arms around myself. “This isn’t a fairytale, Antonio. I’m not Cinderella waiting for a prince.”

I hate that I might need him. I hate that being strong on my own hasn’t saved me. Maybe it’s not about being rescued. Maybe it’s about standing beside someone who actually sees me.

“Good,” he says. “Because I’m not a prince. I’m the dragon they hoped you’d never tame.”

He steps closer, a sharp smirk on his face.

He’s dangerous. Completely wrong. But maybe wrong is exactly what I need right now.

I know I should run. I shouldn’t give him the chance to convince me. But I’m not safe. The Brooks want me erased, and I know too much.

If they want to make me disappear, maybe I need to become unforgettable. Still, the thought twists my stomach. How do I marry again when I’m freshly divorced—and from his nephew?

I take a few steps back. The heat of his stare makes my knees weak. I force myself to breathe, slow and steady.

“Antonio,” I say carefully, “I appreciate the concern, but I don’t need another man turning my pain into a strategy.”

He shakes his head. “I’m not using your pain. I’m offering you a chance to turn it into power.”

I drag a hand through my hair. This man makes my head spin.

“You think marrying you is power?”

He shrugs, like the answer is obvious. “Standing beside me while Marcella watches and can’t stop it—that’s freedom.”

The word hits me hard. Freedom. I haven’t felt that in years.

Not when I stripped to pay my mom’s hospital bills. Not when Rowan ‘saved’ me, only to reshape me into something his world could accept.

And now everything is gone again. My accounts are frozen. My mother’s treatment is threatened. My dignity was torn apart in front of cameras.

So why me?

We’re nothing alike. Everything about Antonio screams danger wrapped in luxury. Still, something shifts inside my chest.

“Let me know you,” he says softly, like he’s reading my thoughts. “Let me learn everything they never cared to ask.”

I want to say no. I want to walk away. But the way he looks at me—like I’m worth fighting for—shakes my resolve.

“And after?” I ask. “After you win? After I’m no longer useful? Do I have another regret?”

He looks at me like he’s memorizing my face.

“If I ever make you feel like a mistake again,” he says quietly, “you’ll be strong enough to destroy me.”

God help me, he sounds convincing. And part of me believes him. He’s more dangerous than Rowan, maybe more ruthless—but maybe that’s what I need. Not safe. Control.

“How long?” I ask.

“A year,” he says. “One year to make them regret everything.”

Suddenly, my phone rings. He nods, giving me permission to answer. I dig it out slowly. It’s the hospital.

My chest tightens. I promised them money so my mother’s treatment could continue—treatment the Brooks cut off.

I feel his eyes on me, but I force a smile. I’m scared he’ll see me fall apart.

An anonymous call. Money. I already know who it’s from—my grandfather. A man with wealth who abandoned us when we needed him most.

It’s blood money.

He never visited my mother. Not once during chemo. Not when we lost our home. Not when I had to strip just to survive. Now he’s dying, and suddenly I matter?

He couldn’t help when she needed insulin. Why should I take his guilt now?

But refusing won’t save my mother.

“Are you going to answer that?” Antonio asks calmly.

I wave it off. “I’m here to work,” I say quickly. “Can I sign the NDA and start?”

“Sure,” he says, returning to his seat.

I sit and read the document carefully. It’s fair—as long as I stay silent.

I sign and hand it back.

“Good,” he says, smiling softly. My stomach flips, and I hate that it does.

I stand. “Thank you for the opportunity,” I say, heading for the door.

“Stop.”

The word sends a shock through me. I turn and gasp. He’s already standing in front of me.

“Take this,” he says, handing me a sleek black card. “When you decide, call me.”

I take it. Our eyes lock.

And in that moment, I know one thing for sure—I can’t rush this. I need to think.