Chapter 2
780words
A silence that stretched for what felt like eternity.
Then came the explosion of laughter and mockery.
“Oh my God! Did I hear that right? Has Eve Sullivan lost her mind?”
“One million to buy herself a husband—and a waiter at that? What does she think this is, a clearance sale?”
“Talk about desperate! She'll take anyone with a pulse! How pathetic!”
Sophie laughed until tears streamed down her face. She clutched William's arm as she sauntered over, looking down her nose at me. “Oh, sis, what's gotten into you? I know you're upset about William and me, but this is a new low. A waiter? You really must be desperate for any warm body, huh?”
William's face darkened with rage. His former fiancée's behavior was making him look like a fool. He grabbed my wrist hard enough to bruise. “Eve! Enough of this spectacle! Get back over there now!”
I ignored them both, my eyes never leaving the man before me.
I watched him.
And he watched me.
His gaze moved from my face to the ugly expressions of those behind me. His eyes lingered for a moment on William's hand crushing my wrist.
Something flashed in his eyes—too quick to identify, gone before I could name it.
Then his eyes returned to mine.
Seconds ticked by like hours.
The laughter around us grew crueler. William's grip tightened until I thought my bones might snap.
My heart sank lower with each passing moment.
I must be insane.
What kind of desperate fool stakes everything on such an absurd gamble?
Just as I was about to surrender, ready to be dragged away to sign that humiliating agreement—
The bartender moved.
He set down the wineglass with deliberate care, his movements elegant as a ceremonial ritual.
He picked up the marriage contract and, without even glancing at its contents, flipped directly to the signature page.
Then, as mocking laughter filled the room, he reached out—ignoring the black card with its million-dollar promise—and took the gold pen directly from my hand.
The world seemed to stop.
Throughout Cloud Peak Pavilion, every voice fell silent the moment he took that pen.
All eyes fixed on his hand—strong, with prominent knuckles—holding that gold pen without the slightest tremor.
My heart hammered against my ribs.
Would he sign?
Would he actually do it?
Under the weight of countless shocked, contemptuous, and confused stares, he lowered his eyes, thick lashes casting shadows that hid whatever he might be feeling.
Then the pen touched paper.
The scratch of pen on paper sounded impossibly loud in the deathly quiet room.
Two bold, decisive words appeared on the signature line.
Luke Shaw.
After signing, he capped the pen with a fluid motion, as if he'd just completed some mundane task. He pushed both pen and contract back toward me without looking at anyone else in the room.
His demeanor suggested that this drama, which had the entire room captivated, meant absolutely nothing to him.
Staring at that signature, my mind went completely blank, a dull roar filling my ears.
He'd signed it.
He'd actually signed it.
This complete stranger, at my lowest moment, had calmly and shockingly accepted my desperate gamble.
“You… are you out of your mind?!”
William was the first to recover, his face flushing crimson with rage.
He snatched the contract from me, and upon seeing the signature, began to shake with fury.
“Who the hell do you think you are? Some nobody waiter daring to interfere in my business? Do you have any idea who I am?” He jabbed his finger at Luke's face. “I could make you disappear from this city with one phone call!”
Luke finally raised his eyes, meeting William's gaze directly for the first time.
His expression remained calm, but something in those eyes made William's bluster falter.
“Finished?” Luke asked coolly. “If so, let go of her.”
His eyes dropped to where William's fingers still dug into my wrist.
There was no explicit threat in his gaze, yet William's hand opened reflexively, as if burned.
I pulled my bruised wrist back and instinctively stepped behind Luke. The action surprised even me—seeking protection from a man I'd met less than ten minutes ago.
And he, sensing my movement, subtly shifted his stance to shield me more completely.
“This is insane! Absolutely insane!” Sophie stomped her foot childishly. She pointed at me, her voice rising to a whine. “Mom! Look at her! She'd rather marry some servant than let me and William be happy! She's just jealous!”
Melissa's face had turned thunderous.
Her carefully orchestrated power play had just been derailed by some nobody waiter who appeared out of nowhere.
