Contractual Marriage With My Arrogant Boss

....The shrill alarm blared for the third time that morning. Emery slammed her palm down, silencing it with a groan. Her body begged for just five more minutes, but the cracked screen of her phone flashed 7:42 a.m. Her eyes widened. “Oh no. Not again.” She jumped from her worn out mattress, nearly tripping over the pile of lecture notes scattered on the floor. Her small one room apartment looked like a whirlwind had torn through it, clothes piled on a chair, half-open textbooks stacked beside instant noodle wrappers, and a bucket of water she’d fetched the night before still sitting untouched. There was no time to fix anything. Emery dragged on the cleanest blouse she could find, tucked it into a black skirt that had seen better days, and grabbed her bag. She slung the strap across her shoulder, ignoring the loose thread dangling by the zipper. Her

.....Emery hardly slept that night. She lay on her narrow mattress, staring at the cracked ceiling as the city hummed outside the window. Damian Cole’s words refused to leave her mind.A cage lined with gold.One year. Every debt is gone.She thought of her mother’s weary smile, Ethan’s innocent questions about whether he could join the school football team, the landlord’s last warning about unpaid rent. Each thought pulled her further into the trap she swore she’d never enter.By dawn, her chest ached from the weight of her choice. Pride or survival. Freedom or family.And when Ethan shuffled sleepily into the kitchen, clutching his tattered school bag, the decision carved itself into her bones. She couldn’t let him lose his future because of her pride....The following afternoon, Emery stood once again before the towering oak doors of D

“You wanted to see me?” Emery asked, her voice steady despite the tightness in her chest.He turned slowly, those gray eyes raking over her face like he was cataloguing details only he could understand.“Yes. We need to set boundaries.”“Boundaries?” she echoed, folding her arms.Damian’s expression didn’t shift. “This is a contract marriage, Emery. Nothing more. Which means, no wandering around my house as if you own it, no casual chatter with staff, and most importantly….” his voice dropped, slicing into her like a blade, “don’t mistake my silence for affection.”Emery’s breath caught, her pride stinging. She clenched her fists at her sides.“You think I want your affection?” she shot back, her tone sharper than she intended. “Please. I just want to survive here.”For the briefest flicker of a second, something passed through his eyes—an unreadable glint that softened and hardened

The morning after the storm of rumors, Emery thought she’d have a moment to breathe. But the universe or rather, Damian had other plans.He appeared in the doorway of her room, sharp in a gray suit, his gaze as cool as a winter blade. “Get dressed. Tonight, you’ll be attending the Cole Foundation’s charity auction.”Emery stiffened, sitting up straighter on the bed. “Tonight? After—after everything that’s being said about me?”“That,” Damian replied, buttoning his cufflink, “is exactly why you’re going.”Her chest tightened. Of course. He wasn’t offering her a choice. This was strategy. Damage control. She was just another piece on his chessboard.“Wear something that makes them choke,” he added before turning on his heel and leaving the room.---The AuctionThe hall shimmered with gold and glass, chandeliers throwing fractured light across polished marble floors. The city’s elite filled t

.........His excitement bubbled through, spilling stories about school, games, and friends. Emery clung to every word, soaking in his innocence, his light. For a moment, it made her forget the chains around her wrists.But then the doctor’s voice came faintly through the background, speaking to her mother. Something about extending her stay in the hospital. Treatment taking longer. More observation.Her mother’s voice returned, softer, hesitant. “Emery… with me here, your brother.....he needs somewhere safe. I’ve been thinking… maybe he should come stay with you. At least then I’ll know he’s close, that he’s not alone.”Emery’s pulse stuttered. Her eyes flicked to the grand walls of the Cole mansion, its silence like a tomb, its halls echoing with secrets and cruelty.Her brother? Here?“Mom…” her voice cracked. “I don’t know if that’s—”“Please.” Her mother’s plea was heavy with desperation. “It will give me peace of mind. I can’t focus on my treatment knowing he’s… drifting. You