Withering Rose

Chapter 8

I shot up from my sleep as the blaring sound of my alarm filled the room. Groaning, I reached over to turn it off, sighing heavily as silence returned. Today was my first day as Josh's personal assistant—a position I never wanted—and I wasn't looking forward to it.

Dragging myself out of bed, I laid my uniform on the bed before heading to the bathroom. The warm water from the shower soothed my nerves, but my thoughts wandered back to everything that had happened over the past few years.

The constant weight of staying afloat, the mounting pressure of my situation—it was enough to make me want to quit and disappear. But with Josh, even that wouldn't be enough. He'd find me. He always did.

I closed my eyes, remembering the day this nightmare truly began. What I thought had been a mutual breakup turned into something far more sinister. He had reached out months later, pretending to want to "be friends." Naively, I believed him. One day, he invited me over to "hang out." Instead, I walked into a trap.

Flashback

"Why am I here, Josh?" I asked, sitting stiffly on the love seat in his living room.

Josh didn't answer. He just sat behind two men in suits, that smug, infuriating smirk plastered across his face.

"Mr. McNeal has asked us to speak on his behalf," one of the lawyers began, his tone formal and detached.

I frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"We brought you here today to discuss funds Mr. McNeal provided for an intestinal transplant and additional university expenses," the lawyer continued, pulling out a stack of papers from his briefcase.

Confusion clouded my thoughts. Why was this being brought up now? Why were his lawyers here? My heart raced as one of them handed me the papers.

I hesitated before taking them, my hands trembling. My eyes scanned the text, the words blurring together as tears welled up.

"I... I don't understand," I choked out, my chest tightening painfully.

"You are in debt for $1,148,400," the second lawyer said bluntly. "While this matter could go to court, Mr. McNeal has offered to handle this privately—out of generosity. He has presented you with two options."

I froze, staring at Josh, who leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, watching me with a predatory glint in his eyes.

"What options?" I asked, my voice barely audible.

The first lawyer cleared his throat. "Option one: you agree to work for Mr. McNeal. You will be compensated generously and provided with benefits. However, should you quit or be terminated, this will result in a legal case to recover the full debt."

I swallowed hard. My pulse pounded in my ears as the second lawyer continued.

"Option two: you agree to a legally binding marriage to Mr. McNeal, which will nullify the debt entirely."

The room spun. My heart sank lower and lower with each word. I was speechless, my mind spiraling as I processed what they had just said. I turned to Josh, silently begging him to intervene, to say this was some kind of cruel joke. But he just smiled.

"Why?" I whispered, tears spilling freely down my cheeks.

Josh leaned forward, his voice soft and mocking. "Nothing in life is free, babe."

He stood, walking over to sit beside me. Tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, he whispered, "Just marry me, and all of this goes away."

For a moment, I actually considered it. The thought of never having to worry about the debt again was tempting. But the idea of tying myself to him forever—to his lies, his manipulation, his cruelty—made my stomach turn.