Chapter 1: The Dark Compliance
The top floor of the Maddox Design House was like a secluded sanctuary, completely cut off from the outside world. Mike Maddox lived there trapped in his own world, surrounded by heavy rolls of fabric, unfinished artistic sketches, and blank mannequins. He might have been the city's most eligible and highly discussed billionaire heir, but to his senses, the sharp touch of silk was far more thrilling than the gaze of any woman. This extreme workaholism had made him look like a cold, entirely emotionless figure from the outside. Yet, while he was buried in this heavy silence upstairs, a massive storm was brewing in the grand hall downstairs.The elderly grandmother Nora Maddox’s cold and cutting voice echoed off the concrete walls. As she stared at her son David and daughter-in-law Lili, there wasn’t a single trace of warmth inside her eyes:
— Listen to me very carefully, — the old woman delivered, leaning heavily on her cane. — Mike will not possess a single clue about this holding or my inheritance condition. But I am granting you exactly six months. If that boy doesn't get married within that time frame, you won't see a single penny of the Maddox fortune. I will donate it all to an orphanage. Either you get him married, or you will find yourselves out on the streets.David and Lili looked at each other in sheer, unadulterated terror. The mere thought of losing their luxurious lifestyle practically took their breath away. Lili went into aggressive action that very evening. They began inviting Mike to dinners and random meetings every single day under different pretexts. But Mike stubbornly rejected every wealthy girl brought before his table within the first few seconds.On another evening like this, when an insistent girl forced onto his table smothered Mike with endless questions, the young man’s patience finally snapped. He grabbed the arm of the secretary and waitress, Lucy, who was setting up a nearby table, and pulled her frame sharply toward his body.Looking straight into the wealthy girl's eyes, he spoke in a freezing, detached voice:
— Look, this is my choice. Now leave us alone.And under the stunned gazes of everyone trapping the room, he suddenly kissed Lucy. There was no love or passion inside this kiss; it was just a ruthless, calculating move to escape the tight situation. But Lucy didn't turn out to be one of those submissive, quiet girls he expected to encounter. She raised her hand and slapped Mike across his face with all her might.A deathly silence fell over the space as Lucy shook in raw anger, screaming out:
— No matter who you think you are, I am no one's toy!Watching the entire scene unfold from the sidelines, a sinister smile formed on Lili’s lips. She investigated Lucy the very next day, discovering that the young girl's mother was battling a terminal illness and desperately needed a massive amount of cash for an urgent surgery.Without losing a fraction of a second, she marched to the place where Lucy worked and sat right across from her.
— Your mother is dying, Lucy, — Lili delivered with fake sympathy coating her tone. — And I can hand you that cash this exact microsecond. On one absolute condition: you will become my son's private secretary and make him fall helplessly in love with your presence.Lucy’s hands trembled violently, and a heavy lump formed inside her throat. But when she pictured her helpless mother lying in that cold hospital room, a hot tear slipped down her cheek, and she lowered her head in defeat:— I agree... I will do absolutely anything for my mother.To make the plan work perfectly, Mike’s best friend, Max, was also brought into the mix. Lucy secretly held pure, quiet feelings for Max, whom she already knew from the past. However, there was still a painful secret she didn't possess a single clue about: Max was already deeply, hopelessly in love with another woman.
