His wife was never meant to survive

KIAH

Kiah did not sleep.

She lay in the enormous bed, staring at the ceiling, Arthur's words circling her mind like vultures.

"Someone wants you dead."

Not him.

Her.

She was the target. Not Arthur. Not his empire.

Her.

But why?

She was nobody. An event planner with a brother in prison and a father who believed the law was sacred.

What could she possibly have that someone wanted badly enough to kill her for?

At five in the morning, Kiah gave up on sleep and retrieved the burner phone from under the mattress.

She turned it on.

One contact saved. No name. Just a number.

Her thumb hovered over the call button.

Trust no one.

That included whoever had given her this phone.

She turned it off and hid it again.

At seven, someone knocked on her door.

"Miss Taylor." A woman's voice. Polite but firm. "Mr. Lucas sent me to prepare you for the press conference."

Kiah opened the door to find a woman in her forties holding a garment bag and a makeup case.

"I am Claire," the woman said, stepping inside without waiting for permission. "We have three hours. That is barely enough time."

"Enough time for what?"

Claire gave her a look that said the answer was obvious. "To make you look like you belong next to Arthur Lucas."

Two hours later, Kiah barely recognized the woman in the mirror.

Her hair fell in soft waves. Her makeup was flawless. The emerald green dress Claire had brought hugged every curve in ways that made her uncomfortable. 

She looked expensive.

She looked like someone's possession, a gift wrapped for display. 

"Perfect." Claire stepped back, admiring her work. "He will not be able to take his eyes off you."

Kiah's stomach twisted. "That is not the goal."

"It is always the goal." Claire packed up her supplies. "A man like Arthur Lucas does not marry for love. He marries for power. And you, Miss Taylor, are about to become the most powerful piece on his board."

Before Kiah could respond, Claire left.

Kiah stood alone in front of the mirror, staring at the stranger looking back at her.

Arthur had dressed her. Styled her. Controlled every inch of how the world would see her.

And she had let him.

Because she had no choice.

She touched the diamond ring on her finger and felt the weight of the cage tightening.

ARTHUR

Arthur adjusted his tie in the mirror and checked his watch.

Nine forty-five.

Fifteen minutes until the press conference.

Kiah should have been downstairs by now.

He picked up his phone and called his head of security.

"Where is she?"

"Still in her room, sir."

Arthur ended the call and headed for the elevator.

He did not have time for resistance. Not today.

The press was already gathering. Investors were watching. His enemies were waiting for him to show weakness.

And Kiah was the only thing standing between him and total collapse.

He reached her door and knocked once.

No answer.

Arthur opened it without waiting.

Kiah stood by the window, her back to him. The emerald dress clung to her like a second skin, and for a moment, Arthur forgot why he was there.

She looked devastating.

She looked dangerous.

"We leave in ten minutes," he said.

Kiah turned slowly. Her face was calm, but her eyes were fire.

"I am not doing this."

Arthur's jaw tightened. "Yes. You are."

"You did not tell me someone wanted me dead." Her voice was low. Controlled. But there was rage underneath. "You let me walk into this blind."

"I told you last night."

"After I signed the contract." Kiah took a step toward him. "You used me. You knew I was in danger, and you used that to trap me."

"I used it to save you." Arthur moved closer, closing the space between them. "If you had known the truth before you signed, you would have run. And you would be dead by now."

"You do not know that."

"I know everything." Arthur's voice dropped. "I know that three people connected to your brother's case have died in the last six months. I know that someone has been watching you for weeks. I know that the moment you became my wife, you became untouchable to everyone except me."

Kiah's face went pale. "What are you talking about?"

"Your brother did not just witness a crime, Kiah." Arthur's eyes were cold. "He witnessed something that powerful people will kill to keep buried. And now that you are connected to me, they think you know what he knows."

She stared at him, her breathing shallow.

"What did Ethan see?" she whispered.

"That," Arthur said quietly, "is what we are going to find out."

KIAH

Kiah's mind was spinning.

Three people dead.

Her brother knew something.

Something worth killing for.

And Arthur had known all of this before he ever proposed the contract.

"You should have told me," she said, her voice shaking.

"If I had told you, you would not have signed." Arthur's gaze was relentless. "And you would be dead. Or worse."

"What is worse than dead?"

Arthur's expression darkened. "You do not want to know."

Kiah's hands curled into fists. She wanted to scream at him. To hit him. To demand answers.

But there was no time.

Arthur checked his watch. "We leave in five minutes. Fix your face. Smile. And do not make me regret choosing you."

He walked out, leaving her standing in the wreckage of everything she thought she knew.

The press conference was held in the main ballroom of Lucas Holdings.

Cameras. Reporters. Flashing lights.

Kiah stood beside Arthur on the stage, her hand resting in the crook of his arm because Claire had positioned it there.

She felt like a doll.

Arthur stepped up to the microphone, his presence commanding instant silence.

"Thank you all for coming." His voice was smooth. Confident. "I am here today to introduce someone very important to me. This is Kiah Taylor. As of yesterday, she agreed to become my wife."

The room erupted.

Questions shouted from every direction.

Arthur held up a hand, and the chaos stilled.

"We will take a few questions."

A reporter in the front row stood. "Mr. Lucas, this engagement seems sudden. How long have you known Miss Taylor?"

Arthur's hand moved to Kiah's waist, pulling her closer. The touch was possessive. Deliberate.

"Long enough to know she is the only woman I want by my side."

Kiah's heart pounded. She forced a smile.

Another reporter stood. "Miss Taylor, what do you say to rumors that this marriage is a business arrangement?"

Kiah froze.

Arthur's hand tightened on her waist, a silent warning.

She stepped closer to the microphone. "I say that people will believe what they want to believe. But I know the truth. And that is all that matters."

The answer was vague. Safe.

Arthur's mouth curved slightly. Approval.

Another question. "Mr. Lucas, how do you respond to allegations that your company is under investigation for financial misconduct?"

Arthur's expression did not change. "Those allegations are baseless. And they will be proven false."

The reporter pressed. "But three of your board members have resigned in the last month. Does that not suggest instability?"

"It suggests," Arthur said coldly, "that I do not tolerate weakness. Or betrayal."

The room went silent.

Arthur glanced at Kiah. "We are done here."

He led her off the stage, his hand still firm on her waist.

The moment they were behind closed doors, Kiah pulled away.

"You did not tell me your company was under investigation."

"It is not."

"That reporter-"

"Was lying." Arthur's tone was sharp. "Someone planted that story to make me look vulnerable. It is part of the same game. The same people trying to destroy me."

Kiah stared at him. "Who are they?"

Arthur's phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen, and his expression shifted.

Something cold flickered in his eyes.

"Get in the car," he said quietly.

"What is wrong?"

"Now, Kiah."

She did not argue. The tone of his voice left no room for it.

They walked to the parking garage in silence. Arthur's security team surrounded them, their hands resting on concealed weapons.

The car was waiting.

Arthur opened the door and pushed Kiah inside.

She landed hard against the seat. "What is going on?"

Arthur climbed in beside her and slammed the door. "Drive."

The car lurched forward.

Kiah's pulse raced. "Arthur-"

"Someone just sent a message to the press." His voice was tight. Controlled. "They claim to have evidence that you were involved in your brother's crime."

Kiah's blood turned to ice. "What?"

"They are saying you helped him. That you are guilty. That I married a criminal."

"That is insane." Kiah's hands were shaking. "I did not do anything."

"I know." Arthur's jaw was tight. "But they do not care about the truth. They care about destroying you. And if they destroy you, they destroy me."

The car sped through the city, weaving through traffic.

Kiah's mind was racing. "Who would do this?"

Arthur did not answer.

His phone buzzed again.

He looked at the screen, and for the first time since she met him, Kiah saw something she did not expect.

Fear.

"What is it?" she whispered.

Arthur's eyes met hers, and the world seemed to stop.

"They just released a photo," he said quietly. "Of you. Meeting with someone two days before you signed the contract."

Kiah's heart stopped. "What photo?"

Arthur turned the phone toward her.

The image was grainy but clear.

Kiah. Standing outside a coffee shop.

Talking to a man she had never seen before in her life.

"I do not know who that is," she said quickly. "I have never met him. I swear-"

"I know." Arthur's voice was ice. "Which means someone is setting you up."

The car screeched to a halt.

Arthur's head of security opened the door. "Sir, we have a problem."

"What?"

The man's face was grim. "Someone just tried to access Miss Taylor's apartment. They left this."

He held out a manila envelope.

Arthur took it and opened it.

Inside was a single photo.

Ethan.

In prison.

With a red X drawn over his face.

And written across the bottom in blood-red ink:

"She has two days. Or he dies."