I close my eyes and exhale. This is just another ploy, and a scheme.
Priscilla leans forward, sliding a thick envelope across the desk. “Inside you’ll find documents that require your signature,” she says, her voice weighted with little charity. “They grant us guardianship over your future offspring and a share of their future earnings.”
I jerked, my mind reeling. I looked from my aunt to my uncle’s cold features, then to Damian’s guilty grimace. He knew, but even he found the proposition distasteful. My family has never been this cruel or vicious in their demands. While I’d long given up the thought of having anything of my own, that doesn’t mean I’d give them guardianship of my future children. Especially after the hell they put me and Anna through.
“You can’t be serious,” I stammer.
“Oh, but we are,“ Maxwell says, “and there’s more.”
“A woman of our standing must secure her future.” Priscilla’s eyes gleam with a predatory glint.
I stiffen. “What does that even mean?”
“It means we’ve arranged a marriage for you,” she says, ”a union that will secure both our family’s legacy and your financial future.”
My breath caught in my throat. An arranged marriage? This isn’t a choice; it’s a trap, and I’m too angry to figure out their ploy. Stay calm, Kamiyah. Though every fiber in my body is shouting for me to scream, yelling has never gotten me anywhere.
“If you marry and produce heirs within a year,” Maxwell adds, “we will grant you an active seat on the board of Haven Crest.”
“What about the family company?”
Maxwell clears his throat. “We thought you’d want to be close to your sister. But if you prefer a different charity….”
“No, no,” I say quickly.
“We’ll also allow you to choose your public appearances,” Priscilla continues. “And of course Anna will continue to live.”
My chest hurts. Followed by despair. This isn’t just another scheme. This time is different; Anna’s life hangs in the balance. The room spins around me, and the heaviness of their ultimatum crashes over me. My lips part, already knowing the answer, yet my mind still reaches for any glimmer of hope to make their demands bearable. “Who,” I whisper, “who am I to marry?”
“Damian, dear,” my aunt says with glee.
I flinch. Of all the men in Starlight, of course they chose the sexual predator.
My freedom and future traded for Anna’s safety. What choice did I have?
Remembering Dr. Keye saying Priscilla and Maxwell visited Anna at the time of her seizure, I asked, “What do you mean Anna will continue to live?”
Priscilla leans against her chair. “Let’s not pretend, Kamiyah; we both know Anna’s state and her chances of recovery. Would your parents want her to remain in a vegetative state indefinitely?”
“She isn’t in a vegetative coma!” I snap. “She breathes on her own, and until her last seizure, there were signs she’s still there. Even the doctors agree her brain shows signs of repair…”
Priscilla raises her hand. “Nevertheless, it’s been years, Kamiyah, and it’s extremely difficult for your uncle and me to see her suffering like this.”
Difficult for them?
“Our proposition allows you to focus on Anna and her recovery, and us to focus on the Remington family legacy.”
My mind is a whirlwind of emotions—anger, fear, desperation. Since the death of my parents, I’ve been a pawn in a game I never agreed to play. Slowly, I unclenched my fist, trying to regain any semblance of composure, to buy time and think. “I need to see Anna,” I say, unable to hide the turmoil coursing through my body.
“Anna is safe for now,” Priscilla assures, “but your decision must be made soon.” My aunt’s greed is barely concealed.
I nod, knowing I have little choice but to play along. I stand on legs that feel like jello, clutching the envelope as if it were a lifeline.
CHAPTER FOUR
KAMIYAH
“Open the door, Miss Remington. I know you’re in there.”
