CHAPTER 18 – "Then Prove You Can Afford Me"
Zara Valtoria didn't wait.
She didn't hesitate.
And she definitely didn't adjust.
If this marriage was happening—
Then it would happen on her terms.
Lucien Valtieri's office was exactly what one would expect.
Floor-to-ceiling glass.
A skyline view that most people could only dream of.
Minimalist. Expensive. Controlled.
Zara walked in like she owned it.
Because in her world—
Every space was either hers…
Or temporary.
Lucien looked up once.
Then closed the file in front of him.
"You came," he said calmly.
Zara dropped a folder onto his desk.
A contract.
"I don't repeat myself," she replied.
Lucien didn't rush.
Didn't question.
He opened it slowly.
Scanning the contents.
Clause after clause.
Conditions.
Restrictions.
Demands.
His lips curved slightly.
"You're serious."
Zara leaned against the edge of his desk, crossing her legs elegantly.
"I don't joke about my life."
Lucien flipped a page.
"No children."
Zara didn't blink.
"Non-negotiable."
A pause.
Lucien closed the file.
"I already agreed to that."
Zara nodded once.
"Good. Now the real terms."
Lucien leaned back slightly.
Watching her.
Carefully.
"I won't live in your penthouse."
Simple.
Flat.
Final.
Lucien didn't react immediately.
Instead—
He stood.
Walking around the desk slowly.
Until he stood directly in front of her.
"And where exactly do you plan to live?" he asked.
Zara smiled faintly.
Dangerous.
"In our home," she said.
Lucien's gaze sharpened slightly.
"And where is that?"
Zara tilted her head.
Studying him like this was a test.
Because it was.
"The biggest mansion in this city."
Silence.
Lucien didn't speak.
Didn't question.
Didn't hesitate.
Zara's lips curved slowly.
"And if you can't afford it," she added casually,
"Then we cancel the marriage."
There it was.
Not a request.
Not a suggestion.
A challenge.
Lucien stepped closer.
Close enough that the space between them tightened again.
"You think I can't afford it?" he asked quietly.
Zara didn't step back.
Didn't flinch.
"I think," she said softly,
"That you haven't proven it yet."
Silence.
Heavy.
Lucien's expression didn't change.
But something in his eyes darkened.
Focused.
Certain.
"Done," he said.
Zara blinked once.
Just once.
Not expecting it to be that easy.
But she recovered instantly.
Of course she did.
"Good," she said.
A pause.
"Now the wedding."
Lucien didn't move.
"Go on."
Zara stepped closer this time.
Closing the distance deliberately.
Her voice dropping—soft, controlled, deadly.
"It has to be the most expensive wedding anyone has ever seen."
A pause.
"I'm talking about something people will never forget."
Lucien watched her.
Uninterrupted.
"If it's average," she continued,
"If it's predictable—"
Her eyes locked into his.
"I won't show up."
Silence.
Lucien's jaw tightened slightly.
Not anger.
Something sharper.
"And if I don't meet your standards?" he asked.
Zara smiled.
Cold.
Beautiful.
Unforgiving.
"Then you're not fit to marry me."
There it was.
The truth.
The ego.
The expectation.
Zara Valtoria didn't settle.
Didn't adjust.
Didn't compromise.
Lucien studied her.
Not offended.
Not shaken.
If anything—
More interested.
"You want perfection," he said.
Zara's response was immediate.
"I am perfection."
Silence.
Lucien stepped closer.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
"Then I'll match it."
Zara's eyes flickered—just slightly.
Because that wasn't arrogance.
That was confidence.
Dangerous confidence.
Lucien reached for the contract again.
Signed it.
Without hesitation.
The sound of the pen against paper echoed louder than it should have.
Then he placed it back on the table.
"Anything else?" he asked calmly.
Zara picked up the document.
Glanced over it once.
Satisfied.
Then her gaze returned to him.
"Yes."
Lucien waited.
Zara stepped even closer.
Close enough that tension sparked again.
"Don't disappoint me."
Lucien's lips curved slightly.
"I don't plan to."
A pause.
"And Zara?"
She didn't look away.
"You won't regret this."
Zara held his gaze for a second longer.
Then—
She smiled.
"Make sure I don't."
And just like that—
The deal was sealed.
Not romance.
Not love.
A contract.
A challenge.
A war disguised as marriage.