Adam

"A signature without a heart"

It was seven o'clock in the evening when she entered the spacious meeting hall. The black marble gleamed beneath her feet, and the hanging chandeliers cast a dim light on the grey walls. Everything here was cold… like the man sitting opposite her.

Adam Ferrara.

He wore a stylish black suit, his watch gleaming quietly on his wrist, and his gray eyes were fixed and unwavering. He didn't seem used to waiting, but he was there, as if he knew she would come... sooner or later.

She stood a few steps away from him, tense, her fingers gripping her cheap bag tightly. He slowly raised his gaze and stared at her with a stern tone:

"You're five minutes late."

His voice was deep, steady, devoid of any emotion. As if time, for him, was a piece of glass that breaks when it is not respected.

She swallowed her saliva and said in a soft voice:

"I was in the hospital... my sister..."

"I know," he interrupted her. "And you agreed because of her."

Then he pointed to the paper in front of him.

"Marriage contract. The terms are clear: a legal marriage for one year. No divorce, no infidelity, and no interference in my private affairs. Our goal is clear… an heir to the Ferrara family."

She stared at the paper, the words dancing before her eyes. A whole year with this man? A year without love, without warmth… But what was the trade-off? Her sister's treatment, a chance to survive.

She raised her head and stared at him, for the first time without fear.

"What if I don't get pregnant within a year?"

He smiled coldly, his gaze growing sharper:

"Then... it's all over. Nothing is owed."

She paused for a moment, then hesitantly extended her hand, picked up the pen, and signed.

At that moment, she didn't realize she had signed more than just a marriage contract... Rather, it is the beginning of a silent war. Now get out and get in the car, the driver will take you to the palace.