A kiss for Ree

Chapter 37

I sat there, quiet as stone, dressed in an elegant silk gown I didn’t pick, with light makeup I didn’t ask for. The air in the estate’s meeting room was thick, filled with fake pleasantries and legal jargon. I stared at the contract on the table, the ink still glossy, the pen beside it as heavy as the mountain sitting on my chest.

Ludwig’s father stood by the window, grinning like the devil had offered him a personal seat in hell’s boardroom. His voice was smooth, charming. “Gentlemen,” he said to the lawyers, “allow me to introduce my beautiful daughter-in-law-to-be, Ree. A smart, obedient girl. We’re proud to have her continue the legacy.”

He walked over to me and, God!! he actually hugged me. My skin crawled. Ludwig stood beside me, stiff as a wall, expression unreadable. I didn’t know whether to glare at him or ask him for help.

The lead lawyer began flipping through pages. “We’ll need your signature on page six and page ten. This will finalize the engagement legally and assign all necessary assets as discussed.”

I stared at the pen.

Just as I was about to pick it up, one of the younger lawyers raised a hand. “Sir, sorry to interrupt but... something’s come up. It’s gone viral.”

He held up a phone, tapping on the screen until a blog page popped up. The header was ridiculously unserious:

Reemar! Iconic heros!.

Under it, a video played. It was grainy, but loud and clear. It was him, Ludwig’s father.

The vile words. Everything. Even my voice shouting back. The confrontation I’d secretly recorded, the way he made fun of the country. It was all there, on a blog I instantly knew only one person could do!.

Omar.

My heart surged. I had no idea how he got it, especially after the phone was taken, but he did it. He made it public.

The room fell into a stunned silence. The lawyers looked at each other, unsure.

Ludwig’s father stuttered, “That—it’s fake. Edited. AI! This is clearly AI nonsense!”

But no one was buying it.

Another lawyer shook his head. “Voice match confirmed. This is very serious. We cannot legally continue this process under these circumstances.”

I turned slowly to look at Ludwig.

He wasn’t panicked.

He wasn’t even shocked.

He was looking right at me.

And then he said, just loud enough for me to hear, “You wanted out. I listened.”

My breath caught.

He gave a slow blink, and in that moment I understood, he didn’t destroy the phone. He never intended to. He sent it like I wanted. He protected me the only way he could without setting off his father’s wrath.

Ludwig’s father slammed a fist on the table, roaring in disbelief. But the room had already turned against him. The lawyers stood, backing away.

“This meeting is over,” one of them said firmly.

I stood up, barely believing I wasn’t dreaming. My knees trembled. Ludwig reached for my hand but I stepped away. Not out of hate. But out of breathless disbelief.

“Thank you,” I whispered. My voice wasn’t just mine anymore.

I'm not getting married after all.