The hostile contract

Chapter 7

“Marry me, Elena, and I promise to make every single drop worth it.”

I stared at him. Marry your worst enemy's wife?

I didn't know the real Julian Edelman yet. I only knew one thing about him from the shadows of this city: he absorbs power like a black hole. And right now, power was the only thing I wanted.

I let out a sharp, dry laugh. “Hell no. Marry you? Julian, no.”

He raised a dark brow. “No?”

“No,” I repeated firmly. “We can work together. We can be allies. I’ll give you the code. You’ll give me thirty percent. We’ll break the Hales together. But I’m not signing papers to be someone’s substitute.”

Julian tilted his head, the corner of his mouth twitching. “Substitute for who? Lucas?”

“Substitute for anything, ” I said, my voice hardening. “I spent years being Mrs. Hale. I spent years being quiet, being picked apart, being grateful for whatever help came my way. I’m done. I am completely finished being claimed by another man just because we happen to share the same enemy.”

“Fair,” he said, stepping slightly closer. “You don’t want marriage. You want raw power. I get that.”

He stepped close enough that he completely filled my senses. A surprisingly sweet scent hit me.

Apples.

Seriously? The most feared, cold-blooded tech tycoon in the city smelled like a freshly picked autumn orchard. It was ridiculous.

“Give me a chance, Elena. Not as a husband. As a partner,” he urged, his voice dropping into a low rumble. “I’ll make you so strong the Hales will have to beg for a formal meeting before they even dare to talk to you. I’ll put your name on skyscrapers. I’ll make them bow their heads when they say the words Vale Industries. All I ask is that you don’t shut the door before we even start.”

I almost said yes. Not to him, but to the sheer, beautiful allure of the power he was offering.

But then I remembered the long years of being forced to stay quiet. Of being told to wait my turn. Of being called ‘broken’ the exact moment I dared to speak up for myself.

“I’m not closing the door,” I stated, looking him dead in the eyes. “I’m just not walking through the marriage one. Allies. That’s all.”

Suddenly, a massive noise cut violently through the terrace air. Below us, the elegant party sounded like it was breaking apart at the seams. A woman’s high-pitched voice screamed directly over the loudspeaker system.

“Everyone stop! Nobody leaves this building!”

Victoria.

We both turned instantly and walked back into the main hall. Victoria Hale stood dramatically at the top of the steps, her face bright red with fury, her hand clawing frantically at her bare neck where a massive chain should have been.

“My gold chain!” she announced, her voice shaking with absolute rage. “It’s gone! Two hundred million dollars, vanished! Security will search every single person in this room right now. Bags, pockets, dresses. Everyone!”

Julian glanced sideways at me. “Well. That’s fast.”

Fast indeed. Victoria wouldn't cause a public scene of this magnitude for absolutely nothing.

I reached through the high slit of my dress and pulled out my phone. “Come on,” I said, a cold smile touching my lips. “If they want a show, I’ll give them a masterpiece. But it won't be the kind they’re expecting.”

Julian followed close behind me. The corporate deal was officially sealed, but the physical war was starting right now.

“Search everywhere! No one should be left!” Victoria’s voice boomed across the marble. “I cannot harbor disgusting thieves in my own home!”

Her sharp eyes cut through the crowd until they slammed directly into me. “And where exactly have you been hiding, little rabbit?” she hissed, marching down the steps toward me.

“I always knew you were stupid, and even though you've suddenly changed your attitude, I didn't expect this level of petty from you,” she sneered. Then, she paused, her head snapping to the side as she caught a glimpse of Julian standing right behind me. “My golden chain goes missing, and out of the blue, you were completely out of sight. The only missing person here is you, which explains everything.”

Victoria pointed a manicured finger right at my chest. “Guards! Check her first! She's been near the display case all day!”

What the fuck? I thought, glancing down at myself. I am literally wearing a backless, skin-tight silk dress with zero pockets and absolutely no bag. Where exactly does she think I hid a massive, two-hundred-million-dollar gold chain?*

Before I could even speak, Celine smoothly stepped forward. She bent down right beside my feet, dramatically gasping as she lifted a heavy golden chain straight off the polished floor where I stood. It was a textbook setup, perfectly placed to make me look like a caught victim.

The room erupted. Everyone instantly pulled out their phones, screens flashing as they recorded the unfolding drama. Ugly murmurs flew through the crowded hall.

“She’s a thief...”

“The Hales' bride is just a cheap, classless woman...”

“I could tell exactly what she was from the way she’s dressed tonight.”*

I knew this was entirely Victoria’s calculated plan to publicly humiliate me. In my last life, I would have played the role of the weeping, submissive wife.

But not in this lifetime.

Suddenly, Victoria lunged forward. A hot, violent slap tore across my cheek, the force of it stinging my skin.

“You whore! You ungrateful bitch!” Victoria screamed at the top of her lungs. “We picked you up straight from the trenches and made you the person you are right now, and all you could think to do is steal from us?! Staining the pristine legacy we have fought so hard to build!”

The word "whore"vibrated through the room, hitting every single live stream and phone recording.

My freezing eyes slowly landed on Celine, who was practically glowing with sick joy at the success of her charade. Then I looked over at Lucas. He stood completely frozen in the distance, his jaw clenched, but not moving a single inch to step in or defend me.

Cameras flashed ruthlessly all around us. In my last life, I ran away frantically to avoid the media lenses. But this life, I stood perfectly tall, staring Victoria straight in the eyes—something the old Elena wouldn't have dared to do in a million years.

I stepped directly into her space—closer still, until my face was a mere inch away from hers, radiating a cold aura that made her breath hitch.

“Victoria,” I said, my voice dangerously calm and crystal clear. “You’re entirely right. The chain was found exactly where I stood. But I didn't steal a damn thing. If you were actually smart, you’d know a real thief wouldn't be that incredibly stupid.”

I slowly lowered my gaze, looking directly down at her long, sharp fingernails.

“But be warned,” I whispered, every word dripping with a lethal, quiet promise. “The very next time you dare to hit me with those hands... I promise you will never be able to use them ever again.”

Right before my eyes, I watched absolute horror and blinding rage fight for control across her face.

Turning away from her, I walked directly onto the center of the party floor where the cameras were flashing the brightest.

“I am the wife of Lucas Hale,” I announced to the entire room, my voice carrying an absolute note of command. “The woman who technically owns this entire party. I have absolutely no need to explain myself to any of you. But be warned: if a single picture or video of this leaks into the internet space by mistake... I promise I will make every single one of you rot in a prison cell. Be warned.”

A sudden wave of frantic murmurs and heavy fear rippled through the elite crowd. They looked at my cold expression and realized one thing—they wouldn't dare test me.

I marched out of the mansion and straight into the freezing cold night air. I didn’t care where I was headed; I just kept walking blindly until I was far away from the Hale buildings, far away from their disgusting, dirty games.

As I moved deeper into the shadows of the estate grounds where the lights began to fade, a sudden movement caught my attention.

What the fuck is going on?

A few yards ahead in the dark, a man was violently forced down onto his knees in the dirt. A gun was pointed directly at his head as he desperately begged for his life. I crept closer, pressing myself against the stone wall to get a clear view, being exceptionally careful not to make a single sound.

When the dim light hit the face of the man holding the weapon, my heart completely stopped. I was utterly shocked.

Worst of all, the man holding the gun was...

Before the realization could even process in my brain, I failed to hear the silent footsteps creeping up right behind me. I only felt the heavy, ice-cold circle of metal press forcefully against my temple.

“Don't move,” a ruthless voice whispered directly into my ear. “If you dare make a single sound... I will pull the trigger.”