Page 9 of Theirs to Tempt: The Marriage Claim

His associate joins us in two measured strides, his dark eyes locking onto mine with the same predatory focus I remember all too well.

My father appears beside them a moment later, his face drawn.

The three of them form a loose semicircle around me, and the rest of the ballroom fades into a distant hum of conversation and music.

“Dad?” I look at my father. “What’s going on here?”

His shoulders slump a little more.

Lucian intervenes, his voice flat. “Your father has something he wants to tell you.”

Chapter Four

Sophie

Lucian’s ominous statement hangs charged in the air between us while the ballroom’s distant music and laughter feel like they belong to another world entirely.

My father’s shoulders curve inward a little, and he desperately clutches his plaque.

Sweat glistens at his temples under the warm glow of the chandeliers, and the sight of it makes my heart twist.

I look from Lucian’s calm, midnight-blue eyes to the other man, then back again, panic knotting tight behind my ribs.

My father swallows, the motion visible in the column of his throat, his usual easy charm nowhere to be found. “Sophie, sweetheart…” His voice cracks on the endearment, and the sound of it lodges like a splinter under my skin.

He glances at Lucian as if seeking permission, then back to me, the lines around his eyes deepening with a shame I have never seen on his face before. “The…” He clears his throat. “I owe them four point eight million.”

My ears buzz. “Four point eight million.”

How can this be possible?

The number is a cold weight in my stomach, pressing down until I can hardly breathe. I knew the cost of my mother’s treatments was draining him, but he never let on that it was this bad.

My mind races, and I scowl ferociously. “But how? A loan?”

Eyes filled with shame, he looks away.

“Tell her.” Lucian’s voice is almost a growl, filled with force and threat.

Instinctively I reach for my father’s arm. “Whatever they’re holding over you, we’ll figure it out.”

“We’re trapped.”

“What do you mean, trapped?”

“They have everything.”

“Dad…” Desperately I search for answers. “That can’t be possible.”

“Sophie.” His voice is weak and shaky. “Please. It’s…”

I wait.

Finally, looking at the floor, he mumbles, “It’s a gambling debt.”

Unable to comprehend the words, I shake my head.

Lucian’s partner shifts, and the subtle movement draws my attention to him. His dark gaze locks on mine, steady and unyielding, the same predatory focus I remember from the first time we met. “He offered a collateral we found…”