Price of Loyalty 1

Stephanie’s POV

The steady beeping of the IV machine matched the frantic rhythm of my heartbeat. My expensive heels clicked loudly on the hospital floor as I paced the small, cold room. Outside the window, the city I loved looked dull and gray, as if the world itself knew what was coming. The man lying in the hospital bed was nothing like the grandfather who raised me. William Fiore, the fierce founder of Fiore Enterprises, now looked small and fragile under the white sheets. His skin was pale, his breathing shallow. But his eyes those sharp blue eyes still held the same fire I remembered. Even dying, he was still trying to control everything.

"Stephanie." His voice scratched like sandpaper. "Come here."

I forced my legs to move closer, my throat tight. I knelt by the bed, ignoring how the floor chilled my knees through my designer pants. The smell of medicine and cleaning products burned my nose. His hand felt papery thin when he grabbed mine, but his grip was surprisingly strong.

"Fiore Enterprises," he said, each word a struggle. "My legacy... needs protection." He coughed, the sound dry and painful. "Ethan..."

My stomach dropped. Ethan Fiore—my cousin, the golden boy, the one who’d barely spoken to me since we were kids. The last time I saw him, he’d been more interested in his phone than talking to anyone at Christmas dinner. Now Grandfather wanted me to marry him?

"Ethan knows business," William wheezed, "but he’s cold. No heart. You..." He paused to catch his breath. "You understand people. You’ll balance him."

I stared at the papers in his other hand. A prenup. A marriage contract. My freedom traded for shares in the company. Anger bubbled up—how dare he plan my life like one of his business deals? But then I looked at his sunken face, the tubes keeping him alive, and remembered the man who taught me to ride a bike, who cheered when I graduated top of my class. The man who’d been more of a parent than my own mother.

"Okay," I whispered. The word tasted bitter. "I’ll do it."

His lips twitched in something almost like a smile. "Good girl. You’ll save the company... and maybe save Ethan too."

The pen felt heavy as I signed my name. Marriage. To Ethan. This wasn’t how I pictured my life at thirty-two. I ran a successful marketing firm—I didn’t need Fiore Enterprises. But Grandfather’s breathing grew shallower with each second, and I couldn’t say no to his last wish.

He handed me a sealed envelope with shaky hands. The red wax seal glowed under the hospital lights, the Fiore lion staring up at me. "Open this... when you’re ready," he rasped. "Our family... secrets..."

Before I could ask questions, the heart monitor screamed. Doctors rushed in, pushing me against the wall. Their shouts blurred together—"Crashing!" "Epinephrine!"—as they blocked my view of Grandfather. I stood frozen, clutching the unsigned papers, the envelope digging into my palm. The machines kept wailing until suddenly... silence.

A young doctor turned to me, his face grim. "I’m sorry. We lost him."

The world tilted. I slid down the wall, tears burning my eyes. Nurses moved around me like ghosts, removing tubes, covering his face. My chest hurt so badly I couldn’t breathe. In one horrible moment, I’d lost my only real family and agreed to marry a stranger.

For three days, I moved through meetings with lawyers like a robot. Sign here. Initial there. The envelope stayed buried in my purse, too dangerous to open. What secrets could matter now? Grandfather was gone. I was stuck marrying Ethan, a man who probably didn’t even remember my favorite color.

At the funeral, I stood apart from the crowd of mourners in their black clothes. Reporters snapped photos of the "Fiore heiress," whispering about the sudden CEO change. Ethan stood across the grave, his face blank behind designer sunglasses. Tall, sharp-suited, and utterly unreadable. My future husband didn’t look at me once.

That night, I sat alone in my apartment with a glass of wine I didn’t drink. The envelope sat on the coffee table, taunting me. Grandfather’s last words played on a loop—"save Ethan from himself." What did that mean? Ethan had everything—money, power, a penthouse overlooking Central Park. What could he possibly need saving from?

I traced the Fiore crest on the envelope. My fingers shook as I broke the seal. Inside were two items—a faded photograph and a handwritten letter. The photo showed a young William Fiore smiling beside a woman I didn’t recognize. She had my eyes. The letter began: "My dearest Stephanie, if you’re reading this, I’ve failed to tell you the truth about your mother..."

The wineglass slipped from my hand, shattering on the floor. I barely noticed. The words on the page blurred as I read faster. Secrets. Affairs. A hidden will. My breath came in short gasps. All these years, Grandfather had lied. The family empire I’d just agreed to protect was built on lies.

A knock at the door made me jump. I shoved the papers under a couch cushion just as Ethan walked in without waiting. His cold gaze swept over me, the broken glass, my tear-stained face.

"Pack a bag," he said flatly. "We leave for the Chicago office tomorrow. The board wants us married by Friday."

I stood, anger pushing aside the shock. "You don’t get to order me around. This isn’t a real marriage."

He removed his sunglasses slowly. For the first time, I saw the dark circles under his eyes. "You think I want this?" His voice stayed calm, but his jaw tightened. "But here we are. So play your part, and I’ll play mine."

The door slammed behind him. I sank back onto the couch, clutching the letter. Grandfather’s final secret changed everything. The company he loved so much? The legacy I’d sacrificed my life for? It was never really his to begin with.