“You wanted me to marry a 45-year-old man!? He’s nearly twice my age, Father! What on earth made you think I’d ever agree to-”


    BAM!


    Adam’s hand crashed against the table, cutting her off mid-sentence.


    “Who said I was asking for your permission?” he growled.


    Emery clenched her jaw, the tension sharp in her throat. Of course. This was exactly how it would go. In Adam Be’s world, daughters didn’t get choices-they got orders.


    “This marriage is for your own good,” he said coldly. “You wasted five years with a man who never gave you a ring. In our circles, you’re already halfway to spinsterhood. Marrying Mr. Moregardh is the only way to salvage what’s left of your reputation!”


    “Reputation?” Emery almost couldn’t believe her ears. “What reputation? No one knows that I am a member of your family. I don’t even carry thest name Be because your wife-”


    “Shut up!” Adam hissed. He got up from his seat and stood before her. “Close that mouth of yours or I swear-”


    “You swear what?” Emery asked. She lifted her chin as if challenging her own father. “What will you do? Kill me like you killed my mother!?”


    A loud pping sound followed.


    Emery’s head jerked to the side, her cheek stinging, skin already starting to burn. She didn’t cry. She didn’t flinch. She brought her hand up slowly and touched the sore spot, then looked back at him.


    “You are my daughter,” Adam said. “That means you listen to me. I gave you a chance, Emery. I let you run around pretending to be normal. But that chance is over. You made a deal, and now you’re going to honor it.”


    Emery’s lips thinned. She had expected this. Maybe not the p, but everything else. Still, she stood her ground. She looked him in the eye.


    “Did you ever even see me as your daughter?” she asked.


    Adam’s eyes narrowed, but she didn’t stop.


    “Or was I just some ident that happened with a woman you got bored with? Something you buried and hoped would go away?”


    Adam didn’t answer. He just stared at her, jaw set. His silence was louder than anything he could have said.


    “Do you even think of me as someone you created?” she asked. “Or just a name on a document you needed to control?”


    Adam exhaled sharply. He turned away and walked toward the corner of the study. He pressed a button on thendline phone. “Darlene,” he said, e to the study.”


    He didn’t look at Emery when he spoke again.


    “Stop throwing a tantrum. You’re not a child. You had your chance. You failed. Now, you’ll do what’s necessary.”


    Emery didn’t respond. She kept her arms at her sides. Her face still burned, but she didn’t move.


    Momentster, Darlene stepped into the room, her hands folded in front of her.


    “Take her to the guest room,” Adam said. “She is not to leave it. Not until the ceremony.”


    Darlene’s eyes flicked to Emery, but she said nothing. She gave a small nod.


    “She will marry Mr. Moregardh,” Adam added. “No more games. I will not let her embarrass this family again.”


    5 vouchers


    Emery didn’t speak, She walked toward the door on her own. She had never lived in this mansion, but she was still familiar with itsyout. So, she walked toward the guest room on her own.


    “Please take my luggage from my car,” Emery said as she handed Darlene her keys.


    “Yes, Miss,” Darlene said, promptly leaving the room.


    Once alone, Emery locked the door and immediatelyy on the bed.


    Emery stared at the ceiling. The room was clean, quiet, and unfamiliar, but it didn’t matter. She had expected this the moment she stepped through the gates. Still, it stung.


    Her hand moved to her stomach, resting there. She didn’te unprepared. She had known her father wouldn’t just let her walk in and negotiate. He never liked her, not even when she was a child. That much had always been clear. Now he was marrying her off to a man nearly twice her age, if it was some business deal.


    It was pathetic.


    She turned her head and looked at the wall. She didn’t even want to think about it anymore. Her father knew she had no one. That was the leverage he counted on. But he underestimated her. She still had her phone. She still had control over her shares. He hadn’t taken everything.


    Slowly, Emery sat back up. Her cheek still ached, but the sting was dull now. She opened her bag and pulled out her phone, unlocking it. Her ess to thepany shares was still active, but the use was still there. No matter who she intended to transfer them to, the recipient would only gain full ess if a child was involved. That was part of the deal she made with her grandfather years ago.


    She thought that she would be marrying Samuel, so she had drafted the transfer. But even if she had signed it, it wouldn’t have taken effect until she gave birth to a child.


    She gripped the phone tighter. Now that she thought about it, she was incredibly lucky. She actually found out about Talia before she could hand him the shares and introduce him to her father.


    But still, she couldn’t help but wonder-what was Adam’s n? Did he expect Carl Moregardh to get her pregnant? Was that the goal? Secure the lineage, lock the shares, and force her back into the family’s control?


    She looked back down at her stomach. It was already happening. But Adam didn’t know that.


    Not yet.


    She leaned forward and ced the phone on the nightstand. Whatever her father was nning, she had to stay one step ahead. She wasn’t a child anymore. And she wasn’t going to be controlled again.


    Meanwhile, Deana sighed as she entered the study. Adam stood near the window, his hands behind his back, staring outat the garden in silence. She walked toward him, stopping a few steps away.


    “I know you’re angry,” she said, watching him. “But you can’t let this affect your health. I’m sure Emery will understand once she knows the truth.”


    After a long silence, Adam turned toward his wife. “Will she?”