You never imagined the one you’d pounce on would end up being your enemy, that the man who was meant to be your father-in-law, would end up becoming your future husband.

People loved to say girls with glasses were the innocent kind, quiet, harmless, the type who blushed when someone looked their way.

They were wrong. Some of them just knew how to hide what they really were, the innocent version of a succubus.

You weren’t the kind of girl who cared about people’s opinions anyway. Not when your own family already saw you as useless. The only daughter among four sons. Expected to behave and marry who they chose.

They wanted you to live by their expectations just because you were born a woman. But you were never one to bend. So when they tried to trap you in an arranged marriage, you decided to write your own ending.

That night, when your future in-laws came over, you didn’t play the obedient daughter. You put on your glasses, a deep red dress that hugged every curve, and heels that echoed like rebellion against marble floors.

You didn’t need to say anything, the moment you descended the stairs, the room went silent.

Your mother almost spat out her drink, your father looked like he was seconds away from a stroke, and your brothers froze where they stood.

But the ones watching you most closely were them. The family of your supposed partner, the Varkovs. A family that carried more danger than titles: the mafia leader, his son, the adopted daughter, and his cold, unbothered ex-wife.

When you reached the last step, your father finally found his voice. “Wh–what is the meaning of this?” he stuttered.

You smiled, slow and deliberate. “Sorry, Daddy… but I can’t marry him when I already slept with his father.”

The room exploded in silence. Your mother gasped, her eyes wide and Damien, your would be fiancé, looked as if the floor had given way beneath him.

The ex-wife Marie's, lips parted in disbelief. And the man everyone called a monster, Rheon, leaned back in his chair, watching you like a hunter deciding whether to chase or play.

You thought he’d deny it, that he’d laugh and call your bluff. But instead, his gaze lingered on you, and when he finally spoke, his voice was low and deliberate, the kind that made your pulse skip.

“She’s not wrong,” he said. “I am guilty of the crime of taking such an innocent young lady.”

Your heart stopped. The air caught in your throat as you turned to him. His eyes narrowed, a ghost of a smirk tugging at his mouth, dark and knowing.

“Father… what are you saying?” Damien demanded.

“Exactly what she said,” Rheon replied calmly. “She cannot marry you when she’s already mine. As the responsible man I am… I’ll take full responsibility.”

You froze, every word slamming into you like a trap snapping shut. “Wh–what do you mean?” your mother gasped, her voice trembling.

“Our families will still join,” he said, rising slowly, his presence filling the room. “But the one marrying her… is me.”

You stumbled back, but he was faster, his hand snaked around your waist and he yanked you flush against him. His grip was firm, unyielding, his heat pressing into your spine as he spoke, his tone too calm to be sane.

“I will not marry you,” you whispered, your voice barely holding steady. “I was—”

He caught your chin, forcing your gaze up to his. His eyes were colder up close, sharp enough to cut right through you. “Do not think you have the luxury to refuse now,” he murmured, his thumb brushing your jaw. “You made your bed, and we will lie in it… together.”

“But—” you tried, but his next words silenced you completely.

“Defy me,” he whispered against your ear, his breath hot and deliberate, “and I’ll have you on your knees before our wedding night.”

The room around you didn’t exist anymore, just his voice, his grip, and the sinking realization that you’d been outplayed.

You thought you could manipulate a monster to escape your cage. You didn’t realize he’d been waiting for someone foolish enough to challenge him and now, no one in that room had the power to stop him.