Chapter 4

　　Vivian's POV

　　I slowly opened my eyes and looked towards the hallway with confusion etched on my face. Zayn stood right by the entrance, which I had left open in my haste.

　　His presence was so massive and so suffocatingly powerful that the entire room seemed to shrink around him. This man didn't look like a Playboy. He looked like the man who owned the world and was currently deciding whether or not to destroy everyone in this room.

　　"Mr... Mr. Harris?" Gordon's voice cracked as his hand dropped to his side so fast he nearly stumbled. The fury that had twisted his features seconds ago was replaced by a look of terror.

　　"Harris?" I whispered the name, my mind spinning. The name Zayn had sounded like Zane, but the surname on the marriage license, the one I had barely glanced at through my tears, suddenly had my mind racing.

　　Nora moved first, her face pale as she rushed forward with a forced, fluttering smile. "Mr. Harris! What a... what an unexpected honor. Vivian, why didn't you say you were bringing such an esteemed guest? This is the CEO of the Harris Group, darling. The most powerful man in the city."

　　The CEO of Harris Group.

　　My heart hammered frantically against my ribs as I turned towards Zayn, searching his face for a sign of a joke. The Harris Group was the rival empire to the Wilson Group. Caleb had spent years ranting about the ruthless predator who ran that company, and I didn't want to believe I married the man Caleb Wilson feared the most.

　　I had married the wrong man.

　　Zayn ignored my mother completely as he walked into the room with a slow, predatory grace with his eyes locked on me. He saw my trembling hands and the way I was clutching my side where the surgery was still aching. Then he looked at Ivy, who was still holding her cheek, and Gordon, who was sweating under his collar.

　　"I asked a question," Zayn said, his voice a low but dangerous rumble. "Were you about to strike my wife?"

　　Gordon began to stammer as he tried to form words. "No! No, of course not, Mr. Harris. It's a misunderstanding and just a heated family discussion. We were... we were just concerned about Vivian's choices."

　　"Is that so?" Zayn stepped closer to me with his hand, finding the small of my back, making the contact send a jolt through me. "Because I heard quite a bit from the hallway. Something about her being a placeholder? A bartering chip?"

　　He looked at Gordon with a gaze so cold I felt chills up my arms. "I want to be very clear so that there is no further confusion. Vivian is my wife and we registered our marriage today. Does anyone in this room find me to be a bottom-feeding loser?"

　　The silence was deafening as Ivy looked like she wanted to melt into the floorboards and Gordon swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing.

　　"Of course not!" Nora chirped, her voice hitting a high, desperate note that made me wince. Then she turned to me, her eyes gleaming with a silent plea. "Vivian, honey! You didn't tell us you were involved with Zayn Harris. Oh, this changes everything! Gordon, the Vance deal is nothing compared to this so we must cancel it immediately. And the shares... Vivian, I was always going to give you those shares. I was just waiting for the right moment to ensure they were protected."

　　I stared at her, a bitter taste in my mouth as I was both lost and stunned. Only seconds ago, she was calling me a bartering chip and telling me I was the only choice to sell off but now she was fawning over me like I was her most precious treasure.

　　"Ivy," Gordon snapped, his voice sharp. "Apologize to your sister, now."

　　Ivy's jaw dropped in disbelief. "What? But she slapped me!"

　　"I don't care if she threw you out the window!" Gordon hissed, his eyes darting toward Zayn. "Apologize for your disrespectful tone!"

　　Ivy looked at me with her face twisting with a hatred so pure I knew she wanted to end me. But under Zayn's silent, heavy gaze, she had no choice. "I'm sorry, Vivian," she muttered through gritted teeth.

　　I didn't acknowledge her. I couldn't because I was looking at Zayn. He had known. When I burst into that hotel suite, he knew I had mistaken him for someone else and yet he had watched me sign those papers. He watched me tie my life to his and he had remained silent. He had tricked me.

　　"Are you finished here?" Zayn asked me, his tone softening just a fraction, though his hand remained possessively firm on my back. "Or do we need to discuss the transfer of those shares further? I am more than qualified to help my wife reclaim her legacy."

　　"No," I managed to say, my voice trembling with a mixture of shock and growing fury. "I am finished."

　　"Good." Zayn looked at Nora and Gordon one last time. "My lawyers will be in touch tomorrow morning to finalize the transfer of the Starry Hotel shares and if there is even a moment of hesitation, I will consider it a personal insult to the Harris Group. I trust that won't be an issue?"

　　"None at all!" Gordon promised, bowing slightly as I noticed a ball of sweat roll down the side of his face.

　　Without wasting more time, Zayn led me out of the house. He didn't ask if I wanted to go. He just steered me toward the sleek, black car waiting outside as my mind was still reeling from the dump of information.

　　By the time we got to his car, I couldn't hold it in anymore.

　　"You knew," I said, my voice finally finding its strength as I turned to look at his cold and unapologetic face. "You knew I was looking for Zane Vance. You knew I made a mistake."

　　Zayn didn't look at me as he replied. "You walked into my room, Vivian, and you set the terms. I simply accepted."

　　"You are Zayn Harris!" I shouted in frustration. "You are Caleb's rival and you used me to get back at him. You let me sign a marriage license with a man I didn't even know."

　　"I am the man who just saved you from a strike to the face," he replied calmly as we stopped by his car. "I am the man who is getting your father's hotel back. Does the name on the paper really matter more than the result?"

　　"It matters when it's a lie!" I snapped, feeling sick. Just when I thought I had a little bit of control, it turned out I landed in the lap of a man who was even more dangerous than Caleb.

　　"What do you mean?" He asked, finally turning to meet my eyes.

　　I took a deep breath as my heart pounded hard. "I want a divorce, Zayn. We can end this before the news breaks. It was a mistake."