The next day, the black car pulled up in front of the imposing Maxwell mansion.

Kate stared out the window, her heart pounding in her chest. Her hands trembled on her lap, over the white dress that wasn't hers.

Nothing she wore belonged to her.

The veil, the lace, the heels. Even the perfume. All of it had been chosen for Catherine.

The car door swung open, and Robert let out an impatient huff.

"Get out. We don't have all day."

She obeyed, barely able to walk in the high heels. As soon as her feet touched the marble entryway, a chill ran through her—not from the cold, but from the emptiness.

No flowers. No guests. No music.

Melinda scowled.

"Where is everyone? Where are the cameras? The press?"

A maid appeared at the door, her gaze fixed on the ground as she spoke.

"Mr. Maxwell is waiting for you in the main study."

Robert's jaw clenched, but he said nothing. They followed the maid through the quiet halls, and when they reached the study, the double doors opened wide.

Grayson stood alone, facing the large window.

He wore a custom black suit that was elegant and sharp but there was something dangerous in the way he carried it. His icy blue eyes held no warmth, only pure, calculated cold.

Kate's mouth went dry.

"What the hell is this?" Robert barked as he entered. "Where are the guests? Is this some kind of joke?"

Grayson turned and offered a slow, cutting smile.

"There won't be any guests. This wedding is private. I'm not exposing myself again, not after one of your daughters ran off with her personal trainer like the cheap slut she is."

Melinda gasped, offended.

"How dare you talk about Catherine like that!"

"Am I lying?" Grayson shot back. "You should be grateful I haven't driven you all into bankruptcy yet."

He moved toward the desk.

"And don't waste my time. The solemnizer is already here. Let's get this over with."

Melinda, flushed with rage, grabbed Kate by the arm and shoved her toward the solemnizer, who was waiting with the marriage papers in hand.

Kate stumbled forward but said nothing, swallowing the lump in her throat. She kept walking.

When she reached Grayson, she lifted the veil with shaking hands, and he made the mistake of looking at her.

His expression didn't change, but something flickered in his eyes.

Because he hadn't expected her.

Not that clear, quiet gaze. Not that soft, bare skin. Not that silence.

She wasn't Catherine. She wasn't even trying to be. She was something else entirely.

And that infuriated him even more.

He leaned in close to her.

"Don't think you impress me," he murmured, his voice like ice. "I know why you're here. You came to clean up your darling sister's mess. And what did you do? You crawled to me, sold yourself like some cheap nothing. You're just as pathetic as the rest of your disgusting family."

Kate looked at him, wounded, her heart breaking in silence.

She wanted to tell him he was wrong. That she wasn't here out of greed. That she hated every second of this.

But no words came.

She just thought of Ethan. Of how none of this was his fault. And stayed quiet.

The solemnizer cleared his throat.

"Will you both sign the documents?"

Grayson didn't look at anyone. He grabbed the pen and signed with a sharp, aggressive stroke. Then he handed it to Kate.

Her fingers closed around it. She took a deep breath… and signed.

A suffocating silence followed. It was done.

She was officially Mrs. Maxwell.

Moments later, the solemnizer exited discreetly, leaving behind a room thick with tension. Kate couldn't meet anyone's eyes. Beside her, Grayson stood still, cold, detached—like none of it meant anything.

Then, he turned to Robert and Melinda with a smile that never touched his eyes.

"Congratulations. You just sold your daughter."

Robert lifted his chin without an ounce of shame.

"Don't be dramatic. This is a business agreement between families. With the support of your company, our finances can stabilize. We need that investment, and you know it."

Melinda chimed in with a light, sugar-coated laugh.

"And now I'll finally get that house in the French Riviera."

Grayson let out a low laugh—dark, sharp, merciless.

"Of course you will," he said sarcastically, pulling his phone from his jacket pocket. "A house on the Riviera and financial salvation. What noble aspirations."

His fingers moved swiftly across the screen, and then he spoke without looking up.

"Christian… activate Protocol Umbra. Pull every Langley subsidiary off the market in the next twenty-four hours. Freeze their accounts, block their licenses. I want their empire bankrupt before midnight."

Robert's face turned ghost-white.

"What the hell are you doing?!" he shouted, voice cracking in panic.

Grayson slipped his phone back into his pocket with elegant ease.

"Giving you exactly what you deserve. Nothing."

Melinda stepped forward, panic rising on her face.

"Grayson, wait! You can't do this! You just married our daughter!"

"So what?" he said, cool and cruel. "I made sure I had the name before I crushed you."

Robert turned red with fury.

"You bastard! This won't end here!"

Grayson met him with calm, cold fire in his eyes—more threatening than any scream.

"Do you really think this is revenge for what happened with Catherine? This is for what you stole. That defense prototype you presented as your own… it wasn't yours. My father designed it. You betrayed him. You built your empire off our ideas."

Robert's face drained of color.

"You don't know what you're talking about…"

"Oh, I do," Grayson stepped closer. "And today, I'm taking back what's mine."

He gave a small nod. Two bodyguards appeared immediately, flanking Robert and Melinda.

"Get them out of my house."

"No! Kate, sweetheart!" Melinda cried, struggling against the guards. "Don't let him do this to us!"

Kate stepped back, horrified.

"Dad! Mom!"

She tried to run to them, but Grayson grabbed her by the arm. She turned to him, eyes filled with tears, completely lost.

"What are you doing? Let me go!"

"Not you." His voice was steady, his gaze locked on hers. "They have nothing to do with you anymore."

"They're my family!" Kate shouted, desperate.

"No. Now you're my wife. And you owe me a wedding night."