Isabella stood at her apartment window, the city lights a blur as she read through the contract for the third time. Each word on the page seemed heavier, and each clause was more binding. This wasn’t just a business deal but a merger of lives. Every decision, every move she made, now revolved around one choice: signing this contract with Xander Blackwood.
It was simple legally but complex in every other sense. The terms were clear—a marriage meant to stabilize their respective empires, a calculated union to ward off their rivals. Yet she knew Xander’s motives went deeper than that. He wasn’t just after a business arrangement; he wanted control. And the one thing Isabella despised was being controlled.
Her phone buzzed, his name lighting up the screen. Without hesitating, she answered.
“Isabella,” his voice, cool and steady, filled her ear. “Have you decided?”
She took a deep breath, gripping the document. “Yes, I have.”
“And?”
“I’ll do it. But there are conditions.”
A pause, then a lo
