My First Love Blackmailed Me Into Marriage

Aitana Nguyen hesitated, her mind spinning, trying to make sense of Jaxxon's words. "But—"

"I'll change," Jaxxon cut in, firm and unwavering. "To meet your expectations."

Aitana felt a sharp stab of guilt, her resolve weakening in the face of his sincerity. "We really need to think this through. Marriage isn't some game..."

"Are you reconsidering?" Jaxxon's tone was level, almost challenging.

Aitana paused, thoughts tangling into a mess. "Yes," she murmured.

"You sure you don't want to give me a shot?"

The question lingered in the air, Aitana perplexed. Before she could answer, Jaxxon slipped into a side room and came back with his phone. He pulled up an album and held the screen out to her.

One glance was all it took for her to recognize the man in the pictures, and her skin prickled with dread. "What... what is this supposed to mean?" she demanded, alarmed.

Jaxxon withdrew the phone, his face unreadable. "I know the man you're dealing with. I know what you sold him. Imagine if your parents found out."

Aitana let out a bitter laugh, more at herself than him. "I really let the wolf in, didn't I? So you're telling me—if I refuse to marry you, you'll spill everything to my parents?"

"Yes," Jaxxon answered bluntly.

She regretted this conversation wasn't over text. If it were, she'd have bombarded him with angry emojis. This man had changed, that was for sure.

He used soft persuasion followed by hard threats, backing her into a corner with strategy. In this scenario, surrender felt like her only way out.

"Fine. Tomorrow morning, ten o'clock. We get the marriage certificate," Aitana said through gritted teeth.

Jaxxon grinned, satisfied. "No rush. Let's make it afternoon—I've got stuff in the morning."

Aitana fumed silently. He'd proposed the marriage, yet somehow she was the one looking desperate.

"I'll need to request time off," Jaxxon added matter-of-factly.

She rolled her eyes, like she had nothing better to do than sit around waiting.

"Do you need to swing by your place for your documents?" Jaxxon asked.

"Don't worry about me," Aitana snapped.

The next afternoon, the weather was beautiful, but Aitana felt the complete opposite. Her secret had been uncovered by Jaxxon, and now he was weaponizing it to force her into marriage. This once straight-laced man had learned how to manipulate and threaten.

They stepped out of the registry office, Aitana looking pale and drained, Jaxxon relaxed and at ease.

"See you tomorrow," she said, her smile hollow and forced, secretly hoping tomorrow would never arrive.

"I'll drive you," Jaxxon offered, fishing out his car keys.

A Mercedes chirped a few feet away, and Aitana's eyes went wide.

When he'd mentioned he had a car, she hadn't pictured something this flashy.

"Do doctors seriously make that much?" she asked, disbelief thick in her voice.

Jaxxon didn't catch on at first. She nodded toward the car.

Some guy she'd gone out with once had mentioned this was a new model, costing around seventy grand. The carbon black finish shimmered with a blue undertone, dazzling in the sunlight—a little showy, if you asked her.

"Oh, it was a gift," Jaxxon said casually.

Aitana scoffed internally and waved him off. "I'm out of here."

"Where to?"

"The hospital."

"Which one?"

"East River East River East River University Hospital."

"Convenient—we're going the same way."

Aitana stared, stunned. "You work there?"

"Where else?" Jaxxon shot her a look that bordered on pity for her cluelessness.

She smacked her forehead. East River East River East River University Hospital was the top-ranked facility in the region. Where else would someone like him, top of his class, end up?

They weren't even at the hospital entrance when Aitana blurted, "I'll get out here."

"Afraid of running into my colleagues?" Jaxxon teased, catching the blush creeping up her cheeks.

"Of course not. I just don't want to make things awkward for you," she shot back, though her face was on fire.

Jaxxon smirked, a knowing edge to it. "See you later."

"Yeah, sure..." Aitana hopped out and hurried toward the hospital without a backward glance.

East River East River East River University Hospital, officially called East River East River East River University Hospital, boasted a stellar reputation, with top-notch departments in cardiac surgery, orthopedics, neurosurgery, and more recently, hepatobiliary and urology surgery.

Aitana's ex, the one with the shattered leg, was in orthopedics.

As she stepped into the ward, she spotted Cayden Spencer propped up with one leg in a cast, chatting up a young nurse at his bedside with exaggerated animation.

"Once I'm out of here, I'll take you for a ride in my Porsche," Cayden boasted.

The nurse blushed, clearly amused but skeptical. "First, you should focus on getting better."

"Don't doubt me..." Cayden began, but his words died when he noticed Aitana standing at the door, watching.

"What do you want?" he asked, his tone flipping to annoyance.

Aitana strolled in, unfazed. "I'm here to talk compensation."

Cayden leaned back against his pillow, disdain glinting in his eyes. "Finally ready to settle? This leg isn't gonna heal by itself—don't expect to get off cheap. Twenty, thirty grand at the bare minimum."

His eyes turned nasty as he added, "Or you could just stay with me, nurse me back to health as my girlfriend."

Aitana snorted coldly. "Considering you used my ID to register a company without my permission, you're lucky I haven't called the cops. Trying to shake me down? Forget it."

"Oh, using your ID, you say? Prove it! My busted leg is real, and everyone knows your family's responsible. The whole neighborhood saw it go down," Cayden sneered. "I'm feeling generous, so I'm giving you a chance—how much can you cough up?"

"Don't even think about it," Aitana snapped. "I never signed a single registration document. I'll be the one asking for compensation, and if I'm not satisfied, we'll take this to the police."

"Go ahead, dig up your evidence. I'm in no rush. Meanwhile, I could file for assault, send your dad to prison, and you'd have no one to blame but yourself."

Aitana's fists clenched with fury. How could she have been so blind to fall for a guy like Cayden?

"Or maybe you're just out of options?" Cayden continued, smug.

"Mr. Spencer," the nurse suddenly interjected, "Dr. Nguyen is here."

Standing at the door was Jaxxon Nguyen, dressed in crisp white. His broad shoulders filled out the lab coat perfectly, and his slim waist accentuated its tailored fit. He radiated confidence and authority.

Aitana's breath caught at the sight of him.

Jaxxon's gaze swept over her, then settled on Cayden with an unreadable expression. "How's it going?"

"Excellent! Your hospital lives up to its reputation!" Cayden grinned. "Dr. Nguyen, just pick the best for me—money's no issue. I've got someone footing the bill." He shot a pointed look at Aitana.

"Prosthetics are top-of-the-line and pricey—interested?" Jaxxon countered dryly, his glare icy.

Cayden froze.

"Try moving your foot a little," Jaxxon ordered in a no-nonsense tone.

"Oh, uh..." Cayden's smugness evaporated; he knew he needed Jaxxon's skills and didn't dare push further.

Mrs. Lee, a patient's mother, remarked, "He looks like he knows what he's doing."

Aitana couldn't help but snicker. "What makes you say that?"

Jaxxon, with his standoffish vibe, seemed like he needed a good smack, but Mrs. Lee found him professional.

"Just a gut feeling—he gets things done," Mrs. Lee explained. "Feels... reliable."

Aitana silently noted that what she interpreted as Jaxxon's rigid seriousness, the families of patients saw as "reliability." Beauty really was in the eye of the beholder.

…

At the billing counter, the clerk said, "We'll need a five-thousand-dollar deposit."

"Five thousand?" Beau Schmidt exclaimed, then quickly swallowed his shock under Jaxxon's presence.

"It'll be adjusted against the final bill and insurance upon discharge," the clerk assured.

Beau hesitated, gripping his phone, worry written all over his face.

A bank card with the hospital's logo appeared in his peripheral vision. He looked up to see Jaxxon standing there, card in hand, offering no explanation as he handed it to the clerk.

Once the transaction was done, Jaxxon retrieved his card and said, "Let's go."

Beau followed, his emotions a messy knot of gratitude and humiliation.

"Why are you helping me?" he couldn't stop himself from asking.

Jaxxon stopped and turned. "I'm not helping you. I'm just sparing Aitana from you being a burden."

Beau fell silent, his face flushing—a mix of shame and a grudging sense of thankfulness.

"Because you like her?" Beau finally whispered.

Jaxxon let out a short laugh. "So you're finally admitting it."

Beau gritted his teeth, fuming at his current pathetic state, unable to defend himself.

"When do you plan to tell her?" Jaxxon asked, his directness catching Beau off guard.

Beau jolted, thoughts scrambling. He'd been thinking about it forever but never found the right moment.

Back when Aitana was with Cayden, Beau respected their relationship and didn't want to be the third wheel. Now, with Jaxxon in the picture, and with Haley Cox insisting Aitana and Jaxxon weren't officially together, Beau thought he still had a shot.

But his current wreck of a life—he couldn't even cover his father's hospital deposit—made him feel worthless.

"It's not the right time," Beau admitted, turning his head, his voice strained. "Will you tell Aitana?"

"Tell her what? That you're into her?" Jaxxon replied evenly.

"Yes."

"She already knows."

Beau was dumbstruck.

"I pointed it out to her," Jaxxon added.

Beau's eyes flashed with anger.

Jaxxon's cold stare met his. "Did you expect her to figure it out on her own? Might take a lifetime."

Beau was left speechless, stung, but he stubbornly shot back, "You like her too, don't you? Have you told her?"

Jaxxon hadn't anticipated that bold question. After a beat, his expression darkened. "Who said I like her?"

Beau hesitated, reading nothing behind Jaxxon's mask.

"Then why stick your nose in so much?" Beau challenged.

Jaxxon, done with the conversation, said flatly, "We're already married."

The shock hit Beau like a tidal wave, his brain short-circuiting.

Jaxxon continued, "There's no love between us, but no man enjoys a love triangle. So, you can either bury your feelings and stay away from Aitana, or keep chasing her and risk being labeled a homewrecker."

The bombshell of Aitana and Jaxxon's marriage knocked the wind out of Beau, and Jaxxon's ultimatum struck like lightning, leaving him breathless and drained.

Eventually, Beau clenched his fists, forcing the words out. "If there's no love, why get married?"

"Mutual needs," Jaxxon replied impatiently.

Beau understood, but a wave of bitter disillusionment washed over him.

"Was Aitana's family pushing her? And you—what forced your hand?" Beau demanded.

"Same. Family pressure," Jaxxon said, his patience wearing thin.

Beau was skeptical. "I've read articles, and they said..."

"Jaxxon!" another voice interrupted.

A short man with neatly slicked-back hair in a pristine white coat approached.

Beau read the badge: "Liver and Biliary Surgery – Assistant Chief Physician – Arlo Spencer."

Arlo came over with enthusiasm, even leaning in to drape an arm over Jaxxon's shoulder as he glanced at Beau. "Family of the patient?"

"Yeah, Aitana's classmate," Jaxxon replied, barely hiding his discomfort as he sidestepped Arlo's touch.

Arlo chuckled, giving Jaxxon's shoulder a pat. "Look at you, pulling strings for Miss Nguyen. Back in the lab, you wouldn't even babysit my cell cultures—such favoritism, huh?" His tone was playful, borderline mocking.

Jaxxon's skin crawled at Arlo's familiarity, and he stepped further away.

But Arlo's innuendo-laced behavior wasn't lost on Beau, who'd read about Jaxxon's rumored "affair" with a doctor named Spencer.

Beau kept quiet, his fists tightening.

"We're heading out," Jaxxon said, eager to escape Arlo's unwelcome enthusiasm.

Oblivious to Jaxxon's discomfort, Arlo waved cheerfully. "Catch you later! We should all do dinner at 'Everest Excursions'—the gang's finally back together. Let's hang!"

Jaxxon frowned but replied simply, "Sure."

He knew exactly who Arlo meant by "the gang." The trio from East River East River East River University Hospital—Clockwork from Urology, Arlo from Liver and Biliary, and Reese Callahan from Obstetrics—had long been called the "Iron Triangle" thanks to their unbreakable bond.