Bound By Marriage Clause

Selene’s POV

The call came just after midnight.

I almost didn’t pick. I mean, who called at that odd hour unless it was bad news? I watched the phone vibrate on the coffee table, wishing my brother wouldn’t come home that night.

It was the only thing I’d been thinking about all day, since he caught me coming out of his boss’ office.

How was I supposed to tell him that I’d been sleeping with Adrian Stravos for over a year now, and that I was just one of his many sex buddies? He was going to hate me for it.

The phone kept ringing, and I sighed, reaching for it.

“Miss Quill?”

There was something about his tone that made me sit up at once. A frown settled on my face, and I scooted to the edge of the couch.

“May I ask where you are?” His voice was flat, official, already practised. Almost like he’d done this a million times.

“No, you can’t,” I muttered, shaking my head even though I knew he couldn’t see me. “Who are you?”

“I am Clement, from the State Hospital.”

I got up then, feeling the first stage of dread hitting as my stomach dropped.

“State Hospital?”

“Miss. Quill, we regret to inform you that your brother, Spencer Quill, was involved in an accident at the warehouse, and he didn’t make it. We got your number from the company’s file and….”

The rest of his voice faded away as every part of me stopped. The phone slipped from my hands onto the couch. It sounded like a joke, like I was having an out-of-body experience and would laugh about it soon. I swallowed, and a chuckle escaped my lips.

It couldn’t be true. My brother would be home soon to scold me for sleeping with his boss. The guy from the hospital had no idea what he was talking about.

Returning to the couch with my hands suddenly feeling numb, I ended the call and folded my legs up. My fingers hit the speed dial on my phone, calling my brother. I was certain he would laugh about it too and tell me I was thinking too much.

The call went straight to voicemail, and I felt a hard squeeze in my heart.

"He doesn't turn on his phone while working," I whispered to myself, even though he got off work two hours before midnight.

I called Adrian then. He was his boss. He would be in the right position to tell me nothing happened.

When Adrian didn’t pick up too, I got off the couch again and went into my bedroom, grabbing a coat over my flimsy nightwear and dashing out into the night. The last thing I was bothered about was how I looked.

Adrian's company was about thirty minutes away from our apartment, and when I arrived, I saw a bunch of people outside. They were all talking at the same time and pointing at something happening inside.

I pushed through the crowd, yelling "Get out of my way," the farther I got. It felt like the world had tilted sideways. I couldn't breathe. All I could hear was the echo of the doctor's words. My brother was dead.

That was impossible.

Some cops suddenly appeared in front of me, their arms spread out to keep me out. “I’m sorry, Miss, but you can’t go further than this point.”

“No, no, no,” I shook my head insistently. “I need to be in there. This is important.”

"Miss, the area is unsafe. I'd advise you to stay out here with everyone else until we get an official report from the CEO."

Adrian.

“My brother is in there!” I screamed so loud that it was heart-wrenching, even for me. Tears pricked the corners of my eyes. “Don’t you get? I need to make sure…God! Let me in!”

"Let her in." Adrian appeared on the other side, motioning to me. I raced over to him to take his hands, but he moved them away from reach. I didn't flinch, even though I felt the ache.

"You shouldn't be here," he muttered as we took the left turn. I thought we were going to go to the workshop, but he stopped in front of the elevator and hit the button.

“I got a call from the hospital.” I wished I could yell at him the same way I did with the cops outside, but Adrian was my weak point.

And I was just about to discover how cruel he could be.

When we reached his office, I stopped by the door, taking in the scene. There were three men in suits, sharp eyes, and suitcases beside them. Their expressions didn’t change as I walked in slowly.

“Sit.” Adrian motioned to the only available seat. I moved towards it mechanically.

“Where is my brother?”

“Dead,” Adrian said flatly. “It is the reason we are here.”

And then, he nodded to one of the lawyers. Everything happened so fast that I was struggling to keep up with it. One minute, I was staring at their expressionless face, and the next, a document was being pushed my way.

“What is this?” I whispered, my heart getting heavier.

"Your brother died in the Stravos workshop, but you can't sue, Miss Quill. Here is the contract detailing the amount you will be getting as compensation for his death, and in turn, you'd have to sign that you would never take it to court. It is not good publicity for the company."

I had gotten to the first stage of acceptance. My brother was really dead.

My hands quivered as I stared at the paper. The black ink danced before my eyes, blurring with the tears I refused to let fall.

“Compensation?” My voice broke. “You think you can put a price tag on my brother’s life?”

One of the lawyers shifted, about to say something, but I looked at Adrian instead. “My brother is dead, and all you care about is keeping your company safe?”

“This is the most reasonable thing for you to do, Selene. And you know it. Take the money. It will help you through college now that your brother is no more.”

My nails dug into my palms, drawing blood. "I won't sign it. I don't care if you threaten me or drag me through hell. Adrian, I thought….I thought I meant something to you."

He scoffed. “I told you love is a myth, Selene. Grow up.”

Grow up.

I got on my feet, the chair scarping the floor loudly. “I will never put my name on something that makes my brother’s death disappear. Never.”

“You are not going to win this battle.”

“Let the court decide that.”

But Adrian was right. I lost. The only thing that followed me was a total ruin of my reputation in New York and two pink lines on a pregnancy strip.