Chapter 2: THE ARRANGEMENT

CHAPTER TWO: THE ARRANGEMENT

"The cruelest thing about fate isn't the pain—it’s the timing."

Khalistta Devoria did not cry.

Not when her mother was buried in an unmarked grave.

Not when the Goldenthorns turned on her family.

And not when her name appeared beside Thadeous Goldenthorn’s on a bloodstained invitation.

But that night—locked inside her rosewood room—she stared at the letter again, jaw clenched and fists trembling.

“An arranged marriage?” she spat.

Ashley Noire, her best friend since childhood, was pacing near her bed. “What the hell is your father thinking?! You hate him!”

“I don’t just hate him,” Khalistta snapped. “I want him destroyed.”

Ryan Aguilar leaned against the bookshelf, arms crossed. “If you want out of this, we’ll figure something. You know I got you, Khali.”

She turned to face them both, eyes like obsidian. “This isn’t just about me anymore. If my brothers find out who arranged this... there will be blood.”

Meanwhile — Goldenthorn Estate

Thadeous was not smiling.

Don Emilio stood at the grand dining table, sipping vintage wine like the devil he was. “The merger is simple. You marry the Devoria girl, we gain leverage, and the Yets get their alliance. It’s poetic.”

“I’m not marrying that viper,” Thadeous muttered coldly.

“She’s the only daughter of Marcus Devoria.”

“And I’m the son of the man who killed their mother. That won’t go down well over dinner.”

Don Emilio’s smile was vicious. “Then charm her. Break her. Or bend her.”

Thadeous’s fists clenched, veins twitching.

He didn’t fear the Devorias. He feared becoming his father.

Two Days Later — University Grounds

The announcement exploded like a bomb.

News of the arranged marriage spread through campus in whispers and headlines. And when Khalie—Khalistta in disguise—walked through the main hallway, she felt the stares.

She had to act fast.

Thadeous stood near the fountain with Queenie Yet beside him. Queenie—flawless, arrogant, and back from Paris with venom on her tongue—was draped on his arm like a silk chain.

“So it’s true,” Queenie said loudly when she spotted Khalie. “You’re the girl trying to marry my Thadeous?”

Khalistta’s jaw tightened.

“I didn’t ask for this arrangement,” she said calmly. “And he’s not yours.”

“Oh please,” Queenie scoffed. “You think he would ever choose you over me?”

That did it.

Khalistta walked up slowly, removed her glasses, and for the first time—let her full face show.

Thadeous froze.

So did Queenie.

“You…” he whispered.

“I knew I recognized those eyes.”

Queenie’s face drained of color.

“You’re… Khalistta Devoria?” she choked.

Khalistta smirked. “Surprise.”

Later That Night — Devoria Mansion

The brothers were livid.

Marcus slammed his fist on the table. “He knew this would provoke us. Don Emilio’s playing dirty.”

Mark Leo muttered, “I should have gutted him when I had the chance.”

Markis, the cruelest of them all, lit a cigar and said flatly, “If this marriage proceeds, it’s only to destroy them from within.”

Khalistta stood calmly in the center of the storm.

“I’ll marry him,” she said.

They all turned to her.

“What did you just say?” Marcus growled.

“I’ll marry him,” she repeated, her voice deadly. “But on one condition.”

Mark Leo narrowed his eyes. “Name it.”

“I do this my way. No backup. No interference. I’ll bring the Goldenthorns to their knees... as their bride.”

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