Beauty and the Unconquered Beast

Chapter 16: The Marriage Must Happen

Chapter 16: The Marriage Must Happen

The black sedan remained across the street.

Its engine was still running.

Inside, the man behind the wheel watched the iron gates of the Valcero estate slowly close.

Beyond them, the mansion stood against the night like a fortress.

Every window was illuminated.

Security personnel moved along the perimeter.

Cameras turned silently above the walls.

No one could see the man sitting in the darkness.

He checked his phone.

The photograph he had taken only minutes earlier remained on the screen.

Evren and Vireya.

Standing together.

Closer than they had been when this entire arrangement began.

His thumb moved across the screen.

A new message appeared.

THE MARRIAGE MUST HAPPEN.

He stared at it.

Then another message followed.

NO MATTER WHAT IT COSTS.

The man looked toward the estate.

For several seconds, he said nothing.

Then he started the engine.

The sedan disappeared into the night.

The Valcero Estate

Inside the mansion, Evren stood beside the floor-to-ceiling windows of the second-floor corridor.

Boston stretched beyond the glass.

The city was still awake.

Thousands of windows glowed in the darkness.

Cars moved through distant streets like streams of white and red light.

But Evren wasn't looking at the city.

He was thinking about the photograph.

His grandfather.

Blackhaven.

The unidentified man.

The missing two days.

And now—

the marriage.

Vireya had already gone to the guest room after the long night.

She had refused to leave the estate.

Neither of them trusted the people watching them anymore.

Evren's fingers rested against the cold window.

He could still hear her voice.

You don't have to face it alone.

He had heard many promises in his life.

Most had been broken.

His family had promised to protect him.

They had abandoned him.

People had promised to tell the truth.

They had lied.

Even inside Blackhaven, promises were usually just another way to manipulate someone.

But Vireya hadn't promised anything grand.

She had simply said she would stay.

Somehow, that meant more.

Footsteps approached.

Evren turned.

Vireya stood at the end of the corridor.

She had changed out of her clothes from the investigation and now wore a simple ivory blouse and dark trousers. Her hair was loose around her shoulders, slightly messy from the long night.

She looked exhausted.

But she was still standing.

"You haven't slept," she said.

"Neither have you."

She walked closer.

"I was thinking."

"About?"

She stopped beside him.

"The marriage."

Evren looked at her.

"So was I."

Vireya folded her arms.

"Do you think it's connected?"

"Yes."

"To the attacks?"

"Yes."

"The people watching us?"

"Probably."

"The Crown?"

Evren paused.

"Maybe."

She looked at him.

"You don't sound certain."

"I'm certain about one thing."

"What?"

"Someone wants us married."

Vireya's expression became thoughtful.

"Why?"

"I don't know."

"Then let's figure it out."

Evren turned toward her.

"You should reconsider."

"Reconsider what?"

"Marrying me."

She stared at him.

"Why?"

"Because your life was already complicated before I returned."

Vireya gave a quiet laugh.

"My life was complicated because of my family."

She stepped closer.

"You're not the reason."

Evren remained silent.

"You know what I think?"

"What?"

"They chose you because they thought you were weak."

His eyes shifted toward her.

"You're not."

Vireya's voice softened.

"And neither am I."

A faint silence settled between them.

Then Evren asked:

"Are you afraid?"

She looked toward the dark city.

"Yes."

He didn't expect that answer.

Vireya continued.

"I'm not afraid of marrying you."

She looked at him.

"I'm afraid of marrying you without knowing why everyone else wants it."

Evren understood.

That was the difference.

Neither of them was afraid of the marriage itself.

They were afraid of the people standing behind it.

The Morning Meeting

At seven thirty the next morning, Lucien Montclair summoned an emergency family meeting.

The Montclair estate had rarely felt so tense.

The main dining hall had been cleared.

No servants remained inside.

Only family.

Lucien sat at the head of the long table.

Vireya sat beside him.

Across from her sat Darius.

Adrian remained standing near the fireplace.

Several senior members of the Montclair family occupied the remaining chairs.

The smell of freshly brewed coffee filled the room, but nobody touched it.

Lucien placed a folder on the table.

"The wedding date."

Vireya looked at him.

"So soon?"

"We need to discuss it."

Darius leaned back.

"I believe we should move quickly."

Vireya's eyes moved toward him.

"Why?"

Darius smiled.

"Because the families have already announced the engagement."

"We haven't even finished investigating the attack."

"Exactly."

Vireya frowned.

"That makes no sense."

Darius folded his hands.

"The attack proves that the situation has become dangerous."

"And your solution is to get married?"

"Yes."

Vireya stared at him.

"Why?"

Darius's expression remained calm.

"Because a marriage between the Montclairs and Valceros creates stability."

Vireya almost laughed.

"Stability?"

"Political stability."

"Business stability."

"Family stability."

She leaned back.

"Since when do you care about stability?"

The room became quiet.

Darius's smile faded.

Lucien interrupted.

"Enough."

Vireya looked toward her father.

"You're agreeing with him?"

Lucien sighed.

"I'm saying we need to consider all options."

"Why?"

"Because the attacks are escalating."

Vireya looked down at the folder.

"Who's setting the wedding date?"

Lucien hesitated.

"The Valceros."

Her eyes narrowed.

"Of course."

She opened the folder.

A proposed date was printed on the first page.

Three weeks.

Vireya stared at it.

"Three weeks?"

Darius nodded.

"Yes."

"That's absurd."

"It's reasonable."

"No."

Vireya closed the folder.

"Someone attacked me twice."

Darius's eyes narrowed.

"Exactly why we should strengthen the alliance."

She looked directly at him.

"Or perhaps that's exactly why we shouldn't."

Darius smiled.

"You've always been suspicious."

"And you've always given me reasons."

Lucien's hand struck the table.

"Enough."

Silence.

He looked at both of them.

"We will not destroy this family from inside."

Vireya lowered her eyes.

Then she noticed something.

Darius wasn't angry.

He was satisfied.

That disturbed her more than his anger would have.

The Valcero Family

Across the city, the Valcero family was having its own meeting.

The atmosphere was colder.

Alistair sat at the head of the table.

His sons and grandsons surrounded him.

Caelan sat to his right.

Several senior family members discussed the wedding arrangements.

Evren wasn't there.

Caelan leaned back.

"So we're really doing this?"

Alistair looked at him.

"What do you mean?"

"Three weeks."

Caelan laughed.

"That's fast."

One of the older family members smiled.

"Marriage between powerful families should not be delayed."

Caelan glanced toward the empty chair where Evren should have been.

"Does Evren even want this?"

Nobody answered.

Caelan smiled.

"Of course he doesn't."

Alistair's expression hardened.

"Enough."

Caelan looked at him.

"What?"

"You will show respect."

Caelan laughed.

"Respect?"

His voice became sharper.

"For him?"

Alistair's hand tightened around his cane.

"Yes."

Caelan leaned forward.

"He spent five years in Blackhaven."

The room became silent.

"He came back with nothing."

Caelan continued.

"No position. No business. No influence."

He looked around the room.

"And now he's marrying Vireya Montclair."

He shook his head.

"It's ridiculous."

Alistair's voice became cold.

"You underestimate him."

Caelan smiled.

"I've known him his entire life."

"No."

Alistair stared at him.

"You knew the boy."

Caelan's smile disappeared.

"You don't know the man."

Evren

Evren stood inside the Valcero training room.

The room was hidden beneath the eastern wing of the estate.

It was large.

Bare concrete walls.

Wooden flooring.

Heavy punching bags.

Training equipment.

A row of weapons mounted behind glass.

Knives.

Batons.

Training swords.

Nothing decorative.

Everything had a purpose.

Evren stood in front of a heavy bag.

His shirt sleeves were rolled above his elbows.

He struck the bag.

THUD.

Again.

THUD.

Again.

THUD.

The chain above the bag rattled.

He stopped.

His breathing remained controlled.

A voice came from the doorway.

"You still train like you're expecting someone to attack you."

Evren turned.

Alistair stood there.

Evren wiped his hands with a towel.

"Someone usually does."

His grandfather smiled faintly.

"Fair."

He walked inside.

For a moment, neither spoke.

Then Alistair said:

"They've chosen a date."

Evren's expression didn't change.

"When?"

"Three weeks."

Evren looked away.

"That's fast."

"Too fast."

"Why?"

Alistair watched him carefully.

"Because everyone is afraid."

"Of what?"

"You."

Evren looked at him.

"Me?"

"Not the man you are."

Alistair paused.

"The man they think you could become."

Evren didn't respond.

His grandfather stepped closer.

"You need to understand something."

"What?"

"The marriage isn't what concerns me."

Evren waited.

"It's why everyone wants it."

Evren's eyes narrowed.

"You know."

Alistair didn't answer.

"Grandfather."

The old man sighed.

"I know part of it."

"What part?"

"Years ago, there were agreements between the Montclairs and Valceros."

"Business?"

"More than business."

Evren's expression hardened.

"How much more?"

Alistair looked toward the training equipment.

"Blackhaven."

The word changed the room.

Evren stepped closer.

"What agreement?"

"I can't tell you yet."

"Why?"

"Because I don't know who is still involved."

Evren's eyes hardened.

"Someone is."

"Yes."

"Who?"

Alistair looked at him.

"That's what you need to find out."

Evren stared at his grandfather.

Then asked:

"Does Vireya know?"

"No."

"Should she?"

Alistair hesitated.

"Eventually."

Evren nodded.

Then his phone vibrated.

He checked the screen.

A message.

THE WEDDING DATE HAS BEEN SET.

He stared.

A second message appeared.

THREE WEEKS.

Then a third.

DON'T TRUST THE PERSON WHO CHOSE IT.

Evren slowly lowered the phone.

Alistair saw his expression.

"What happened?"

Evren looked at him.

"Someone knows the wedding date."

His grandfather's face tightened.

"Who?"

"I don't know."

Serena's Office

At nearly noon, Serena sat alone inside the police department's records division.

Stacks of files surrounded her.

Coffee had gone cold beside her keyboard.

She hadn't slept.

The Blackhaven records remained open on her monitor.

She had found another discrepancy.

Evren's official transfer date.

September fourteenth.

But the prison intake record showed September twelfth.

Two days.

Two missing days.

She opened another file.

The original arrest report.

Then the sentencing report.

Then the transfer authorization.

Every document had the same problem.

Someone had removed sections.

Not accidentally.

Deliberately.

Serena leaned back.

"Who erased you?"

Her phone rang.

She answered.

"Vale."

Her partner's voice came through.

"We found the courier's identity."

"Tell me."

"His name was Marcus Hale."

Serena sat forward.

"Any criminal history?"

"Nothing major."

"Employment?"

"Private security."

She frowned.

"Who hired him?"

"That's the interesting part."

"Go."

"He worked for a company called Blackstone Risk Management."

Serena typed it into her computer.

Her eyes widened.

The company had multiple clients.

Banks.

Private corporations.

Shipping companies.

And one name stood out.

Montclair Holdings.

Serena stared at the screen.

"How long?"

"What?"

"How long did he work for Montclair?"

"Eight months."

She ended the call.

Then immediately searched another database.

Blackstone Risk Management.

Montclair.

Westbridge.

Valcero.

Three separate companies.

Three connections.

Her eyes narrowed.

"You're all connected."

She opened a new document.

At the top, she typed:

EVREN VALCERO — INVESTIGATION

Underneath, she added:

BLACKHAVEN

MONTCLAIR HOLDINGS

WESTBRIDGE CAPITAL

BLACKSTONE RISK MANAGEMENT

Then she added one final word.

MARRIAGE

She stared at it.

Something about the word bothered her.

Why would criminals care whether Evren married Vireya?

Serena slowly leaned toward the screen.

Then she remembered the message she'd received.

Stop investigating Evren Valcero.

Her expression hardened.

"No."

She opened another file.

"Now I'm definitely investigating."

The First Wedding Meeting

That evening, Vireya arrived at a private hotel in downtown Boston.

The hotel was one of the Montclair family's properties.

A massive chandelier hung above the marble lobby.

The scent of fresh flowers filled the air.

Staff members moved quietly between guests.

Vireya walked toward a private conference room.

Evren was already there.

He stood near the windows.

He wore a black suit without a tie, his jacket perfectly fitted across his shoulders.

Vireya entered.

"You came early."

"Again."

She smiled faintly.

"I expected that."

Evren looked at her.

"They chose three weeks."

"I know."

"Do you want to marry me?"

The question caught her completely off guard.

She stopped.

Evren's expression remained serious.

"I want an honest answer."

Vireya slowly walked toward him.

"Do you want to marry me?"

He thought about it.

Then answered:

"Yes."

Her heart skipped.

Not because of the word.

Because he had said it without hesitation.

She looked away.

"Why?"

"Because I trust you."

She turned back.

"That's all?"

"No."

He stepped closer.

"I don't want them to decide what happens to us."

Vireya stared at him.

"What does that mean?"

"It means if we're going to do this..."

He paused.

"...we do it because we choose to."

Her eyes softened.

She looked down at the engagement ring.

Then back at him.

"I agree."

For a moment, the room became quiet.

Outside, Boston glowed beneath the evening sky.

Then the conference room door opened.

Lucien entered.

Behind him came Alistair.

The two patriarchs stopped when they saw Evren and Vireya standing together.

Lucien smiled faintly.

Alistair said nothing.

Neither noticed the man standing at the end of the hotel corridor.

He watched through the narrow gap between the doors.

Then he pulled out his phone.

A message appeared.

THEY AGREED.

The reply came immediately.

GOOD.

He looked back through the doorway.

Evren and Vireya were standing beside each other.

Neither knew they had just stepped into a plan far older than their engagement.

The man typed one final message.

BEGIN THE WEDDING PREPARATIONS.

Then he added:

AND BEGIN PHASE TWO.

He put the phone away.

Inside the room, Vireya suddenly felt a strange chill.

She looked toward the hallway.

Nothing.

Only an empty corridor.

She turned back toward Evren.

He was already watching the same hallway.

Their eyes met.

Neither spoke.

Because both had felt it.

Someone was there.

Someone was watching.

And this time—

they weren't hiding very far away.