Chapter 4: The Hidden Ledger
An hour later, Sasha made her way back to the house, her legs heavy and her mind a blurred mess of guilt and desire. She slipped into her father's study to return a book, but the room was empty.
On the desk lay a black leather ledger—one she had never seen before.
Curiosity overrode her caution. she flicked through the pages. Names, dates, and enormous sums of money were listed. But it was the last page that made her blood turn to ice.
It was a contract. Her father's signature was at the bottom, alongside another: Mark Volkov.
The date on the contract was from three years ago. It wasn't a business merger. It was a debt settlement. Her father had owed Mark a sum he couldn't pay, and the collateral wasn't the estate or the company.
It was her.
"Finding what you're looking for?"
Sasha jumped, slamming the ledger shut. Mark was leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed over his chest. He looked calm, but his eyes were narrowed, watching her reaction.
"You bought me?" Sasha's voice was barely a whisper. "The whole time... you weren't working for him. You were waiting for your payment."
Mark walked into the room, the shadows of the late afternoon stretching across his face. "I didn't buy you, Sasha. I saved you. Your father was going to sell you to someone much worse. I just made sure I was the one who held the contract."
"And last night? Today in the stables?" she asked, tears stinging her eyes. "Was that just you collecting on your investment?"
Mark reached out, his hand cupping her cheek with a tenderness that contradicted the coldness of the contract. "Last night was the first time I felt alive in three years. The contract gave me the right to be near you, but I want the right to own your heart, not just your name."
The sound of her father's footsteps echoed in the hallway.
"Hide it," Mark hissed, his voice turning sharp. "He doesn't know you've seen it. If he thinks you know, he'll move up the timeline. We leave in two days, Sasha. With or without his permission."
Do you want to see what happens when the father finds out they are planning