"Marry you?" She almost screamed.

"Yes. Marry me." He nodded frantically, as if he had planned this out beforehand.

Miriam kept still, puzzled about everything. Until this moment, she didn't even know who Ronald truly was or what he wanted from her.

He saved her when she didn't know him, he got her the best lawyer, an apartment, and some new dresses.

And couldn't pinpoint what his true agenda was. She showed up like shiny armor, planting a little light of hope and fear in her.

Worst of all, Ronald's inscrutable and enigmatic nature made it hard to predict his next moves. Each time she tried to uncover more about his mission, he would suddenly divert the conversation.

Who is he? Another evil hunter after her life? What are his plans?

It had barely been two weeks since she ended her first marriage, and now he wanted to marry her?

"Impossible!" she snapped. "Who are you? Some mysterious man crawling out of nowhere? Why would I marry you?" Her voice trembled as she searched for answers from the one person who never gave any.

"What's your plan?" he responded indifferently, as calm as ever.

"You seem unpredictable. Somewhere between generous and monstrous. What do you want from me?" she asked, pulling slightly away as her mouth drooped like a wilting leaf.

Ronald was beginning to scare her. She couldn’t comprehend his intentions.

"Don't you want revenge?" he asked quietly, catching her off guard.

"Revenge? What for?"

"Lawson Harold. You're innocent of his death, right? Don't you want to take revenge on those who set you up?"

Her breath caught. "You knew I was framed?" she asked, her voice brittle.

Ronald gave a faint, knowing smile and stood up beside her.

"Give me a few seconds. I'll be right back." With a polished exterior, he proceeded up the stairs, leaving Miriam blank and disoriented.

"Holy cow," she whispered, her eyes fixated on his silhouette until it vanished.

Moments later, Ronald returned to the living room, holding a flat brown envelope. The sight of it made Miriam recall how Dante had coldly served her divorce papers just a week ago.

What's that for? she wondered.

Glancing at Ronald, she felt more confused than ever.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," he said and took his seat again.

"It's fine," she murmured, though her voice betrayed her anxiety.

"I won’t take much of your time, Miss Miriam. Here." He handed her the envelope. "I'll be waiting for your response."

"What's this?" she asked quickly, her slim fingers fiddling with the edge.

"I’m proposing a marriage contract. Marry me, Miss Miriam. I’ll give you the power you need to fight your enemies."

His voice struck like thunder, firm, commanding, yet strangely laced with care. As if he already knew that she longed for justice for what Dante and Bellamy had done.

Miriam stared at him, speechless, the envelope still in her hand.

"I'll give you twenty-four hours to think it through," Ronald continued. "I’m sure you won’t say no. We have a lot to do together."

Together. That word wrapped itself around her like a mystery she couldn't solve.

"Who are you? An eminent politician? A mafia lord?" she asked, genuinely confused.

Preening his hair, he smiled again, that same sinister smile that made him unreadable.

"Let’s get married, Miss Miriam. And you’ll find out." He asserted.

“You want something from me,” Miriam said. Her voice was quiet, guarded.

Ronald didn’t flinch. He sat back in his chair, swirling the amber liquid in his glass.

“I do,” he said. “But not what you’re thinking.”

She laughed, but there was no humor in it. “So you don’t want me to marry you?”

He looked at her then, sharp and unreadable. “I do. Eventually.”

That silenced her. Her heart pounded. “You don’t even know me.”

“I know your case. I know you didn’t kill Lawson Harold. I know what they did to you. And I know you have nothing left, no power, no allies, no plan. That’s what makes you perfect.”

“Perfect for what?”

“For the role I need filled. You want revenge. I need a partner. We marry, you get protection. Resources. Power.”

“And you?”

“I get someone the world would never see coming. Someone they had underestimated. Someone... who has nothing left to lose.”

Miriam stared at him. He wasn’t seducing her, he was recruiting her. And for some reason, that terrified her more.

She sighed, her mind a whirlwind of thoughts.

Too much has happened lately. Her life was a mess. And now, she was sitting in front of a stranger, one she couldn't decide whether to fear or trust.

"I’m sorry, but I need to be on my way." Miriam dropped the envelope and stood. She didn’t even bother to look inside.

"Miss Miriam!" Ronald's voice halted her in her tracks.

"I can't do this. I can't even think about it right now," she said after a moment, her voice soft but determined. She turned toward the door.

The horrendous situation made her deeply ambivalent.

"Miss Miriam!" Ronald called again, and her hand froze on the doorknob.

"Your enemies are alive. They'll prey on you. But I won't force you to marry me. Play the ball in your court wisely. I’ll be waiting for your response, twenty-four hours from now."

With that, he walked away before she could say another word.

The air outside Ronald’s mansion stirred something inside her, something unsettling.

She took a few steps forward and then stopped, recalling everything Ronald had said.

If she was right, Ronald had a hidden, unreadable agenda. One shrouded in mystery.

As she stood lost in thought, the front gate opened, and a black convoy drove in.

Moments later, a little girl around five years old and a middle-aged woman stepped out of the car, accompanied by a driver.

The woman held the girl’s hand. As they approached, Miriam greeted them politely, her gaze focused on the child. Who were they?

Before she could ask, the moment passed, and Miriam hailed a cab back to her apartment.

At around 7 p.m., she returned to her studio apartment, the one given to her by Ronald Huston, through his lawyer, Fred. Her phone rang.

The number was unfamiliar. She hesitated, fingers trembling slightly, before answering.

"Hello?" she managed.

"Miriam," a husky, unfriendly voice said. Then silence.

She froze and instinctively pulled the phone away from her ear.

"Who are you?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

There was only silence.

Then came the threat.

"You can't run from the crime you committed. I'm coming for you. Be ready."

The line went dead.

"H-Hello?" she stammered, trying to call back, but the number was unreachable.

A second later, a text message appeared on her screen. Its content froze her blood.

Without a moment's hesitation, she rushed out of her apartment, heading to an unknown destination.