Chapter 5: Rules, Do's and Don'ts

The black marble fortress of the Sterling Mansion loomed against the twilight sky like a monument to power. Adrian didn’t wait for the engine to cool. The moment the limousine door hissed open, he swept Lila off her feet. It was a performance for the stone-faced staff lining the driveway, a calculated display of a man too obsessed to let his new wife’s feet touch the ground.

He didn't lead her to a guest wing. He carried her straight to the master suite.

The air inside smelled of expensive scotch and the heavy, masculine scent of cedarwood. He kicked the door shut, the lock engaging with a final, metallic click. The "lovestruck" mask vanished instantly. He set her down on the edge of the massive, slate-gray bed and stepped back, shedding his suit jacket with a dismissive flick.

"Strip," he commanded, still from the heat of what happened at the Vance's

Lila’s breath hitched, her cheeks flushing a deep, hot pink against the emerald silk. She clutched the hem of the dress, her heart hammering a war drum against her ribs. "Adrian..."

"The pet name we agreed on, sweetheart," he murmured, unbuttoning his shirt to reveal the hard, tanned expanse of his chest.

"Tesoro mio," Lila bit out, the Italian pet name— his strange, obsessive request—feeling awkward and heavy on her tongue. "I don’t think this part is in the contract."

"Clause four," he smirked reminding her, his eyes dark as he watched her stare at his unbuttoned chest. He knew she was taking him in. He knew she was almost drooling. "Obedience is the bedrock of this merger."

"I want the rules, Adrian," Lila snapped, tilting her chin up despite the way her pulse spiked. "I won't play a game where only you know the moves."

Adrian walked to a crystal decanter, pouring a finger of amber liquid. The ice clinked sharply against the glass as he turned. "The rules are simple. And they are non-negotiable."

He stepped into her personal space, the heat radiating from him nearly dizzying her.

"Rule one: This is a transaction. I am securing the Al-Hamad deal, and you are securing your survival. There will be no emotional expectations. No 'getting to know' each other. You are here to play a role."

"I think I can manage not to fall for a man who just made my father sign me away the second time," Lila countered, her voice trembling with a mix of fury and unwanted electricity.

"See that you do," he moved closer, his thumb catching her lower lip and dragging it down. The touch was a violent contrast to the ice in his eyes. "Rule two: For the sake of the staff, the media, and the investors, we share this room. Every night."

"There are a dozen rooms in this house! The public doesn't need to know..."

"They need to hear the bed frame against the wall, Lila," he whispered, his voice a low, dangerous rumble. "They need to see you looking breathless when we walk down for breakfast. They need to 'hear' how much I love my wife every night. Perception is the only truth that matters."

Lila felt a flush of pure fury. "You want me to be a prop in your bed."

"I want you to be a professional. Rule three: Public affection is mandatory. You will touch me. You will smile. You will look at me as if I am the only man who matters. Rule four: If I give you an order in the presence of Marcus, you follow it. If I tell you to kiss me, you kiss me."

"And if I don't?"

"Then the debt deal is voided, and I hand you back to Marcus Thorne myself."

The threat hit her like a physical blow. Lila stepped back, breaking contact. She felt reduced to a silhouette, a hollow image designed to fit into his ruthless world. Her phone buzzed in her hand, a relentless stream of I*******m notifications and DMs. She had gone from a ghost to a goddess in four hours. Was this the beginning of her reign, or the start of her ruin?

"One last thing." Adrian stopped at the door of his dressing room. "Don't mistake my protection for affection. I saved you because you were useful. The moment you cease to be, you are on your own."

The door clicked shut, leaving her alone in the center of the cold, sprawling room. Lila looked at the massive bed—the stage for the lie of her life.

Go ahead, Adrian, she thought, her eyes hardening with a lethal new light. Own the image. But you will never own the woman.

The door to the suite opened again, but it wasn't Adrian. A team of six women in charcoal uniforms marched in, carrying a garment bag that looked like it held a fallen star.

"Mr. Sterling’s personal dressers," the lead woman announced. "We have forty-five minutes to prepare you for the Gala."

Lila stood still as they swarmed her. They stripped the emerald silk and began to drape her in a gown of midnight blue that felt like liquid midnight. They painted her skin, jeweled her hair, and stepped back to reveal a masterpiece in the mirror.

She looked like a doll. A beautiful, high-priced doll that got dressed whenever the master demanded. Fascinated and repulsed, Lila realized the scale of the world she had entered. Everything was big. Everything was expensive. And everything was fake.

As they finished, Adrian stepped out of his dressing room, now in a sharp black tuxedo. He stopped dead in his tracks. His silver eyes darkened as they swept over her, taking in the way the midnight fabric clung to her sexy curves, the way her small, plump lips looked ready for a bruising, and the startling beauty of her facial features under the crystal chandelier.

The air in the room grew heavy, charged with a tension that made Lila’s skin itch. He walked toward her, his presence devouring the space between them until he was looming over her. He reached out, his fingers tracing the line of her jaw with a slow, agonizing deliberation.

"Enjoy the spotlight at the gala, Lila," he rasped, his voice dropping to a dangerously dark pitch that sent a shiver of pure heat through her. "Because once we return to this room tonight, I’m done playing the gentleman. The 'fake' part of this marriage ends the moment I lock that door. And I promise you... it’s going to be a disaster you won't want to survive."

Lila gulped. what has she really signed herself up for?