The bargaining chip

Avery was jolted awake by a persistent knock at her bedroom door. Her heart raced as she sat up, her mind already scrambling for a way—any way—to escape the reality that waited on the other side.

The knock came again, more insistent this time.

She had no choice but to answer.

Opening the door, she was met by one of the maids.

“Miss Sinclair, your father wants to see you in ten minutes.”

Avery simply nodded and shut the door again. She climbed back into bed, though sleep was a lost cause.

She hadn’t slept all night. Her thoughts had been in turmoil. She wanted nothing more than to disappear from this room—from this entire house. But her room was on the third floor, and jumping out the window would only break her bones, not free her.

The truth was unbearable: she didn’t want to get married.

But it felt like the entire world was conspiring against her. Her mother had died when she was a child, and she'd been sent to live with her aunt to finish her schooling. She was only brought back after her grandmother insisted. If not for that, her father likely would have left her there indefinitely.

Even now, she didn’t understand why her father seemed to harbor such disdain for her—especially compared to the way he doted on her stepsister, Ruby.

Things had been fine before she left. But when she returned from abroad a few years ago, it was clear: the only person who truly loved her in this house was her grandmother.

And now she was gone.

Her death last year had changed everything. Without her grandmother’s protection, Avery was at the mercy of her father, her cold stepmother, and Ruby—who seemed to relish her suffering.

Her father hadn’t always been cruel. But after the company’s bankruptcy, he had grown cold, harsh, and biased.

Ruby had even seduced Avery’s boyfriend, Jason. When Avery found out, she expected anger—punishment. But her father merely shrugged and said she was being unreasonable.

"Let your sister have him," he'd said.

She let it go. For the sake of peace.

But it had hurt. God, it had hurt to see the boy who used to be hers fall into someone else's arms—especially when she still loved him.

And just as she was trying to move past that betrayal, her father dropped another bombshell.

He had arranged a marriage between her and the mysterious grandson of the Conrad family—an exchange for a $30 billion investment to save the Sinclair company.

She only found out yesterday.

She’d run straight to her best friend’s house to hide. But they brought her back, escorted by bodyguards who stood outside her door all night. She felt like a prisoner.

It was unfair. All of it.

She had just begun to doze off when the knocking woke her again. She couldn’t take it anymore.

She would not agree to this marriage.

She was the oldest daughter of the Sinclair family—not a puppet. She had just graduated college, a full-grown woman with her own mind. She deserved the right to choose her future.

Bracing herself, Avery washed up, dressed, and went downstairs to the dining room. As expected, everyone else was already seated. She was the last to arrive.

Edward, her father, looked up and cleared his throat.

“What took you so long?” he snapped. “Hurry up and get ready—they’ll be here soon.”

Avery hadn’t even touched her food, but her appetite vanished. Her hands trembled slightly as she turned to face him.

“Dad... I don’t agree to this marriage.”

She pushed her chair back and rose to leave, but Edward stood as well, raising his hand. For a moment, she thought he might actually hit her—but at the last second, he lowered it, fingers twitching.

He took a deep breath.

“Don’t push me, you little brat. Be a good girl and listen for once.”

He slammed his hand on the table, his voice booming.

Avery’s chest rose and fell rapidly. But she didn’t flinch.

“Don’t push me. I’m not your good girl anymore,” she fired back—and stormed toward the hallway.

“Get back here, you ungrateful child!” Edward shouted. “I raised you, made you who you are! And now you can’t even sacrifice a little to save this family?”

She froze in the doorway, her heart twisting.

Was this all the love her father had to give? So little?

She turned, voice shaking.

“You want me to pay you back for raising me?”

“Yes!” Edward shouted. “That’s right! You owe me. Go through with the marriage, and we’ll all live in peace. If not—leave. I’ll cut ties, and the Sinclair family will have nothing to do with you ever again. You have two minutes to choose.”

Avery stood motionless, as if someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over her head.

She blinked rapidly.

“Is this a joke?” she whispered. “You’re cutting me off—for money? Am I just a bargaining chip to you?”

Her voice cracked. “I’m a human being, Dad. You can’t treat me like this.”

She dropped to her knees, tears slipping down her cheeks, and turned to her stepmother.

“Please, Adele. Talk to him. Please... don’t let him do this.”

But Adele only glared at her in disgust and left the dining room without a word. She didn’t even try to hide the satisfaction on her face.

Edward’s voice was like ice.

“If you ever saw me as your father—if this family meant anything to you—then marry. Or leave. Now.”

Avery’s fists clenched at her sides.

Then, slowly, she stood.

She wiped her tears with the back of her hand and looked him straight in the eye.

“Fine,” she said, her voice low but firm. “I’ll get married.”

Edward exhaled in relief.

“But I have a condition,” she added, her tone sharp as steel.

Ruby, who had been lounging nearby with arms folded, smirked.

“Dad’s doing this for your own good,” she said mockingly. “You’re marrying into the most prestigious family in the country. And you’re still complaining?” She rolled her eyes. “Ugh. You’re so dramatic.”

Avery didn’t even blink.

She wasn’t the good girl anymore.

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