Unknown Caller

KAIA'S POV

The minute I walked out of Xander's office, my heart wouldn’t stop racing. A contract marriage?

It sounded insane. It was insane. But it also made sense.

He was right, Jax wouldn’t dare come near me if I were legally married to someone like Xander Kendricks. 

And the media would finally stop spreading rumors about his love life or his ability to reproduce, It solved problems on both sides.

Still, I couldn’t ignore how crazy it was. We weren’t in love. 

Hell, we barely spoke after that night and now we were supposed to fake a whole marriage?

I spent the next day thinking about it, I even drafted a pros and cons list.

Pro: Jax would leave me alone.

Pro: I'd gain some level of security. 

Pro: It would boost Xander’s public image. 

Pro: Financial stability, he’d offered compensation.

Con: It was with Xander. 

Con: We’d have to pretend in public. 

Con: What if I was pregnant?

The thought kept nagging me, but I shoved it aside. I hadn’t taken a test yet. It might be nothing.

The next morning, I made my decision. 

I texted him: "I’m in. Let’s do it."

Within minutes, he replied: "Come to my place tonight. We’ll talk about the details."

That night, Xander laid out everything like a business proposal. 

A contract would be drawn, clearly stating the terms: we would remain married for one year, maintain public appearances, and live together under one roof. 

There would be no romantic expectations unless both parties agreed. He offered a monthly allowance, plus full protection from Jax.

I read the contract three times.

"This is a lot," I said. He nodded. "If you're not comfortable—"

"No, I’m fine. Just... nervous."

He poured me a drink. "It’ll be fine. We’ll get through it."

We signed that night.

The wedding happened within the week.

It was staged for the press, with just a few close guests, some of his business associates, a few PR contacts, and two of my coworkers I barely trusted. 

The venue was luxurious, elegant, and cold, Just like him.

I wore a designer dress his assistant picked out. He wore a sharp black tuxedo. 

The fake vows were short and polished. We posed for the cameras, exchanged rings, kissed once for 

The media ran headlines like "Confirmed: Xander Kendricks Off the Market" and "Surprise Wedding Shuts Down Impotency Rumors."

Just like that, everything changed, Jax stopped calling. He stopped showing up at my job. The silence was almost unsettling.

Moving into Xander’s house was next.

He had a penthouse overlooking the city, clean, modern, filled with glass and steel. 

A full time housekeeper handled everything. My room was on the other end of the hall from his.

We mostly kept to ourselves, we had breakfast together sometimes, talked a little about work or the news, nothing deep or personal.

One night, I was in the kitchen getting water when he walked in, half-dressed in gym shorts and a towel around his neck.

"You okay?" he asked. I nodded. "Yeah. Just thirsty."

He studied me for a moment. "You still haven’t taken a test."

I froze. "I know. I’ve been... putting it off." 

"You should. We need to know."

I nodded, took the water, and left. 

The next morning, I went to the doctor. 

But it wasn't pregnancy. When I told Xander, he didn’t look surprised.

"Glad it’s not what we thought."

"Yeah. Me too."

He paused. "Still... It means no surprises. Clean slate."

Living with Xander got easier, we had routines. Shared space without stepping on each other. 

He worked long hours, often coming home late. I kept busy with my own job.

Sometimes, though, I caught him looking at me. Not with lust or coldness, but something unreadable. I wondered what he was thinking.

One Friday night, we sat on the couch watching a documentary. He handed me a glass of wine.

"You handled everything well," he said. "You mean the media circus?"

"All of it. The wedding. Moving in."

"Thanks. It’s been... weird, but manageable."

He nodded. "I know this isn’t normal. I just wanted you to know I appreciate your part in it."

It caught me off guard, that tiny flicker of humanity. 

"You’re welcome," I said quietly.

He looked like he wanted to say more, but the words never came.

He gave a small nod, turned, and left the room.

I let out a slow breath and sat down on the edge of the bed. 

My heart was still pounding for reasons I didn’t fully understand.

I grabbed my phone, flipping it open just to distract myself. 

A few emails popped up, which I replied to. I was about to put it down when the screen lit up again.

Unknown Number.

I hesitated, then answered. “Hello?”

Moments passed without response, then a voice spoke from the other end if the phone. 

"You think marrying him makes you invisible?"

My blood ran cold. “Who is this?” I said, standing up.

A quiet, humorless chuckle. “You’re playing in his world now, Kaia. But you don’t understand the rules, You’re not his equal. You’You’ leverage.”

I swallowed hard. “What do you want?”

“I want you to stop pretending you're safe,” the voice hissed. “Because he can’t protect you from what’s coming.”

Just like that, the line went dead, I stared at the screen, heart thundering in my chest.

Then the phone lit up again.

One new message popped up, no sender ID, Just a file.

I opened it.

 It was a photo of me taken today when I was leaving the building after lunch, my face turned, mid-step, as if I’d just noticed something.

Only… I hadn’t, I never saw anyone.

But someone had been watching.

And now, they wanted me to know it.