Chapter 4 Sold I

The next morning broke without mercy.

Heaven sat in the back seat of her father’s car, hands trembling in her lap. Her mother had chosen a white dress for her, a desperate attempt to polish the family’s image before Richards.

Her eyes hadn’t closed all night.

She couldn’t believe what she had agreed to. Marrying a man she didn’t know. A stranger. For money.

All night she had told herself it was to save her family. That she could live with the sacrifice if it meant her family would be saved.

Her father drove in silence, his head bandaged from the night before, while her mother’s voice filled the car with false cheer.

“Heaven, You’re doing this for a better cause,” Meredith whispered, squeezing her hand too tightly.

“Why does she look like she’s being forced to marry a beggar when she’s in fact marrying into luxury.” Summer muttered from the front, rolling her eyes.

“Summer, watch your mouth,” Damien scolded wearily.

Heaven didn’t respond. She simply turned to the window, watching the city blur past, feeling further from herself with every mile.

When they arrived at the Civil Affairs Bureau, the place was eerily quiet. It looked as though it was cleared out for privacy, no reporters, no witnesses, just polished marble floors and cold air conditioning. A clerk ushered them into a waiting room.

Heaven sat stiffly, numb, while Meredith looked far too pleased for a woman marrying off her daughter under such circumstances, her face was glowing with anticipation.

“Heaven, the Richards are the most influential military family in Ivory City,” she began, her voice trembling with greedy excitement. “Of course people will look for something to say about them.Don’t mind the rumors about your husband being impotent those are false.”

Heaven said nothing.

Summer smirked, fixing her hair in the reflection of the glass wall. “Sister, don’t forget me when you start owning designer stuff. Send some over, okay? And invite me to their mansion once you’re settled in.”

“Once she’s married, I’ll parade myself like royalty,” Summer continued, grinning. “We’ll be in-laws to the Richards. No one will dare cross us, not even those loan sharks.”

“Heaven,” Damien said quietly, reaching for her hand. “Take it that you’re helping us. You’re… going to be okay.”

She looked up at him, his face that was bruised up from yesterday was now layered with guilt, she forced herself to nod.

Meredith stepped forward, cupping Heaven’s cheeks. Her voice softened, and for a brief moment, she looked like a loving mother .

“Smile, my dear. Carry yourself properly so they’ll see you as one of them. Don’t let them look down on you.”

But her next words pierced through Heaven like glass.

“Remember, the Richards aren’t ordinary people. Befriend the powerful ones, the ones who can be beneficial to us… it’s good that your husband is the eldest son.”

She wanted to scream to cry that she didn’t want any of this but her voice stayed trapped in her throat because her family’s life depended on this.

Her gaze drifted to the door, where she thought she saw a shadow pass briefly across the glass.

A man in a black suit entered.

“The groom’s representatives are here to sign the certificate,” he announced.

Damien frowned. “What do you mean, representatives? Where’s the groom?”

The man’s expression didn’t change. “Away on a mission.”

Heaven froze. She was getting married without her groom even present? Her heart sank. This wasn’t a wedding anyway it was a transaction.

“It doesn’t matter, Damien,” Meredith said quickly, smoothing her dress. “He’s serving our country. She will see him when he’s back.”

They were led into another room, it was cold and official.Two men in tailored suits sat waiting. Between them was another man in casual clothes that looked more expensive than anything in the room. A military dog tag hung loose around his neck. His posture was lazy, his expression detached and his gaze sharp and unreadable.

“So handsome,” Summer whispered. “That should be Maverick Richards, the second son.”

Heaven’s eyes flicked toward him briefly before sitting down; her eyes drifted across the table.The papers were laid out before her, crisp and cold.

The space for the groom’s name and signature had already been filled, a ghost of a man she’d never met.

“Heaven Kalabora,” the clerk said, pushing the pen toward her.

Her hand trembled as she took the pen. For a heartbeat, she hesitated. Then she remembered Vargo’s threats, her father coughing blood, Summer’s screams. Her hand moved before her heart could stop it. Her signature bled across the page, sealing her fate.

Damien signed next without a word as a witness for the bride. While the man in casual clothes,Maverick Richard leaned forward, took the pen, and signed swiftly as a witness for the groom.

And then came the transaction.

The men in suits exchanged brief nods before one reached into his briefcase and pulled out a Signed cheque, then slid it to Damien.

Damien caught it mid-table, eyes wide with disbelief.

“Payment complete.”

Heaven watched her mother’s face twist into greedy delight. Summer’s giggles filled the room, echoing off the marble walls.

She hoped foolishly that this sacrifice would finally make her family love her.

But as she looked at their faces, she realized she had been sold.

“Congratulations,” the clerk said, handing Heaven her marriage certificate.

Her hands trembled as she took it, a proof of a union she couldn’t feel.

The men in black suits rose immediately. “Congratulations, Mrs. Richards,” one of them said formally. “We’ll be waiting for you outside.”

Maverick stood too, expression unreadable. Without a word or a glance, he walked out, his footsteps echoing coldly against the marble floor. The others followed him in silence, leaving behind the faint scent of cologne and power.

They left Heaven to have a moment with her family before she left.

But instead of joy or comfort, the air filled with the sound of her mother and father counting zeroes on the cheque like it was oxygen.

No one noticed that Heaven hadn’t spoken a single word since morning.

No one noticed the way her hands trembled around the certificate that had just rewritten her entire life.

Meredith finally turned to her daughter, her eyes gleaming with excitement, her voice laced with false warmth. “Heaven, remember everything I told you, alright? Obey your mother-in-law. Stay in her good books. You don’t need to worry, you’ll fall in love with your husband once you meet him,”

“Heaven,” her father added softly, voice thick with relief. “Thank you… for saving us.”

He pulled her into a brief hug, one that felt more like an apology than affection.

“We’ll head to the bank right away,” he continued quickly, glancing at the cheque again. “We have to pay the loan sharks before sundown.”

And just like that, they were ready to leave.