Bound by the Billionaire's deal

cold, polished marble of the Montague penthouse. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides, and her

s she supposed to do now? Every step she took felt heavier than the last, lik

er gaze drifted to the large windows that offered a breathtaking view of the city below. The golden li

f she could go in there. Couldn't he just-couldn't he just fix everything? She needed him to fix th

breath, she o

stion, his shoulders slumped. She'd never seen him like this before. The man who had built an empire with his

ike he was afraid of breaking somet

one. He had always been the one who made everything work, who took care of them. But now,

managed, her voice unsteady. "He's... h

n his face, the years of stress catching up to him. "I know," he muttered, more to himself

," she finished for hi

beneath her was slipping away. Her father had built this empire-this legacy-for

st breaking. She wanted to run, to escape, but where

papers in front of him, and she felt a sharp pang of hurt.

't bear to hear. "For the company. For me. We can't survive without his su

supposed to be trapped, forced into a corner. She was supposed to have a choice. But now, A

p and sudden. Isabella'

she whispered, barely

weight of everything pressing

e wanted to run-no, needed to run.

his suit jacket. He was trying so hard to keep it together, to be the fathe

, his voice low. "For the sake

abella watched him, her throat tight, the tears threatening to spill over.

ll be so beautiful when everything in her life was falling a

ad always gotten what he wanted. His sharp suit and cold eyes were as familia

r said, his voice tau

faint glimmer of amusement, or was it something else? "Miss Montague," he sa

couldn't do anything except feel the weight of his prese

nd him with a quiet click. He set a thick envelope on her father's desk-a symbol of he

lope, opening it with a deliberate motion. "This is

ella. "This marriage is the only way forward for your family

. She had no choice. This wasn't just about

ng. "We'll sign," he said quietly, his vo

into a faint, almost impe

heavy with the burden of the decision. "She

what to do, how to respond. This was the

his voice cold and final. "She

hen nodded slowly. "The

. This was it. She w

h to speak, Alexander's voice ran

gue. At my office. And don't try

ind him, he paused, his gaze locking with hers. "You'll le

suffocating silence. Isabella's heart thudded in her ches