Chapter 79: Forced Mates

The moment Lewis looked at Yenik, the air changed.

It felt like something heavy pressed down on my chest, like the room itself was holding its breath. No one spoke, yet that silence screamed louder than any shout ever could.

Lewis didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t need to.

His eyes were dark, calm, empty of mercy. The kind of gaze that peeled you open and laid every ugly thought bare. He wasn’t just powerful he was dangerous in the quiet way. The kind of man who could end you and still walk away untouched.

His fingers tapped once against the armrest beside him.

Slow. Measured.

“Mr. Yenik,” he said at last, voice low and even, “after what you did to Ms. Camilla last night, how do you plan to take responsibility?”

Yenik stiffened like prey caught under a spotlight.

I could see it on his face the realization that he had no ground left to stand on. No allies. No protection. His father, the man he once thought untouchable, stood rigid and obedient before Lewis. If even Anthony had bowed his head, what hope did Yenik have?

Theo’s earlier lesson had already been carved into his body. Every bruise was a reminder that Lewis never threatened without following through.

Yenik swallowed hard, then lowered his head.

“I’ll… take responsibility for her,” he said hoarsely.

The moment those words left his mouth, the room exploded.

Lincy spun toward him, eyes wide. “What did you just say?” Her voice cracked with disbelief.

Camilla recoiled like she’d been insulted. “You must be dreaming. I would never mate with you.”

The Morrigans erupted.

“How dare you suggest such nonsense!”

“This is humiliating!”

“We’ll never agree to this!”

But Yenik didn’t even look at them.

Lincy no longer mattered to him. Neither did her anger. In his eyes, she was already discarded something that had lost its value the moment the board shifted.

His focus was locked on survival now.

Aligning himself with Lewis was the only move left. And Yenik knew it. One wrong step, one flicker of defiance, and he wouldn’t just lose his standing he’d lose everything.

Across the room, I felt the Morrigans’ hopes collapse in real time.

They had gambled everything on Camilla. On her pregnancy. On forcing their way into the Hale inner circle. But now, with the Hudsons standing firm, that fantasy was dead.

Anthony folded his arms, his expression cold and unimpressed.

“Mr. Morrigan,” he said sharply, “you seem to think we’re desperate to take your daughter in. Let me correct you we are not.”

His gaze slid to Camilla, filled with open disdain.

“Your daughter tried to trap a grieving man and turn shame into leverage. That alone is disgrace enough. Do you truly believe someone like that deserves to step into my family?”

Malcom flushed red. “Watch your mouth!”

Anthony didn’t flinch.

“The truth doesn’t need permission,” he replied coolly. “The only reason this is even being discussed is because reputations are on the line. Don’t confuse obligation with desire. Your daughter is not worthy of my son.”

I stood back and watched, saying nothing.

It was almost… satisfying.

Anthony was ruthless, sharp, and mercilessly honest. And as much as I hated cruelty, I understood something in that moment sometimes it took someone just as cold to crush people who only understood force.

That was when it finally clicked.

This was why Lewis had guided things so carefully. Why he had steered the Hudsons into this corner. Why Camilla was being handed off like an unwanted burden.

Watching Sera step forward so calmly, accepting Julian without hesitation, I finally understood something about her.

She wasn’t innocent. Not at all.

The way she spoke, the way she carried herself gentle, reasonable, supportive it was all deliberate. That woman knew exactly what she was doing. She had patience. She had timing. And maybe… she had her own plans.

The Hudsons always did.

Behind their polished smiles was a family that never wasted an opening. Give them a weakness, and they’d press it until something broke.

And since there was no solid proof tying Camilla directly to what nearly killed me, letting the Hudsons deal with her was Lewis’s cleanest move.

Cold. Precise. Effective.

Brilliant.

I scanned the room, and the shift in power was almost unreal. The Morrigans who once treated Camilla like their golden ticket and looked down on me like dirt now stood frozen and helpless. Their pride had been stripped bare. Anthony didn’t even raise his voice, yet they shrank under his presence like scolded children.

Lewis had flipped the board completely.

Survival rules were simple. You either stayed on top… or you got crushed.

And right now, with Lewis beside me, I wasn’t the one bleeding.

Camilla’s voice suddenly cut through the room, trembling but stubborn.

“Last night didn’t happen. I’m not marrying him.”

Anthony’s eyes narrowed. His reply was sharp and final.

“Ms. Morrigan, there were witnesses. You don’t get to erase reality. Maybe your family doesn’t care about how things look, but we do. I won’t allow my son to be seen as someone who takes advantage of a woman and walks away clean.”

He paused, letting his words sink in.

“You’ll mate with him. If you want out later, you can sever it in a year or two. But for now, you’ll fix the mess you helped create.”

That was it.

A marriage on paper. A public solution. A way to bury a scandal.

And just like that, everything Camilla had worked for every scheme, every step toward Julian collapsed in a heartbeat. Her dream of stepping into the Hale circle turned to ash. Even the child she carried no longer held power.

She wasn’t being welcomed.

She was being disposed of.

“I won’t do it!” Camilla cried, turning to her parents. “I’d rather die than be tied to him!”

Vivian looked broken, like the ground had fallen away beneath her feet. She glanced at Malcom, silently begging him to stop this.

But he couldn’t.

They had nothing left to bargain with.

Their last hope was Jeffrey.

Vivian rushed toward him, desperation written all over her face. “She grew up here. Please, Jeffrey. Just help her this once.”

Vicky stepped forward too, her voice shaking. “Marriage isn’t something you force. It’s for life. Dad, please… don’t do this to her.”

The room went quiet.

Everyone looked at Jeffrey.

He sat still, his face unreadable, but the truth was obvious. This wasn’t his call anymore. Not really.

This was Lewis’s territory now.

Still, the child complicated things. It gave weight to the situation, whether anyone liked it or not.

In the end, Jeffrey turned away from Camilla and looked at Julian.

“You’ve known her for years,” he said slowly. “You were raised close. What do you think should happen?”

Camilla turned to Julian, tears spilling down her face.

“Julian…” she whispered.

But whatever bond had once existed between them was gone.

Too much had happened. Too much had died.

When he looked at her, there was no warmth. No regret. Just distance.

“I think she should marry Mr. Yenik,” he said calmly.

Camilla froze. “What…?”

Julian didn’t blink.

“She and Yenik suit each other,” he continued, voice flat. “I agree to the marriage.”

I didn’t bother hiding my smile.

That’s how it works, Camilla.

What you give out… always comes back.

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