chapter 7

JADE

Dominic leaned back in his chair and pressed a small button built into the side of his desk.

A soft chime sounded a few seconds later.

"Come in, Mateo."

The door opened, and a man walked into the office. He looked to be in his early forties, dressed in a neat dark suit. He carried himself with the kind of confidence that came from being familiar with his surroundings.

"Yes, sir?"

"Mateo, this is Jade Hart." Dominic gestured towards me. "Jade, this is Mateo Ruiz. He's my personal assistant."

Mateo gave me a polite smile and a small nod.

"Nice to meet you, Miss Hart."

"Nice to meet you too," I replied.

Dominic didn't waste any time with further introductions.

"I'm entering into a business arrangement with Miss Hart. We need to draw up a contract."

"Of course, sir."

Mateo didn't ask a single question. He simply walked over to the desk, picked up his laptop, and waited for further instructions.

Dominic stood.

"Let's use the table."

I followed them to the long table at the other end of the office. It was still part of his office, but away from the large desk where we'd been sitting earlier.

Dominic took the seat at the head of the table. Mateo sat on one side, facing me, with his laptop open in front of him. I took the opposite seat.

Dominic folded his hands on the table.

"I'm going to list the terms of our arrangement. Mateo will put them down, and you'll have a chance to speak up if there's anything you disagree with."

I nodded and tucked a strand of my shoulder-length bob behind my ear.

I was really doing this. A marriage contract. With Dominic Cross.

"Let's start with exclusivity," he said.

I waited.

"There will be no romantic or sexual involvement with another man during this marriage. No private affairs, no side relationships, and nothing that could suggest infidelity."

I raised my eyebrows slightly.

He continued as if he hadn't noticed.

"Any hint of infidelity could affect my stock price. The press doesn't need much to create a scandal, and I won't have my business dragged into one because of a careless decision."

Mateo typed without looking up.

I glanced at him, wondering if he was surprised by any of this. He wasn't. His expression remained completely neutral.

Perhaps he was already used to his boss's demands.

"Next," Dominic said, "the marriage will end when I decide it does."

I sat up a little straighter.

"Sorry?"

"You heard me."

"Why do you get to decide that?"

He looked at me calmly.

"Because I will decide when Julian has been ruined enough."

I frowned. "And what does that have to do with our marriage?"

"Everything. This arrangement is built around bringing him down. Once that's done, we can discuss ending it."

I shook my head slightly. "I don't understand why I don't get a say in that."

"Because you know Julian too well, Miss Hart. You were with him for years. You might think you hate him now, but what happens when things get worse for him? What happens when he loses everything and you start feeling sorry for him? You might decide you've done enough and want to walk away."

"I wouldn't."

"You believe that now."

His tone remained relaxed, but there was something firm about it.

"I know how these things work. I don't intend to let sentiment interfere with what needs to be done. I'll decide when he's suffered enough, and I'll decide when our arrangement has served its purpose."

I pressed my lips together. I didn't like it, but I couldn't pretend I didn't understand his reasoning.

"All right," I said quietly.

Dominic turned slightly towards Mateo.

"Put it down."

Mateo continued typing.

"The next term concerns Julian. I will handle him myself. Every move against Sterling International will be planned and controlled by me. I decide when we act, how we proceed, and how quickly things move. You can provide information when necessary, but you don't get to interfere with my plans."

I looked at him.

"So I just sit and watch?"

"You'll be involved when I need you."

"And if I think you're making a mistake?"

"Then you can tell me. I'll decide whether I agree."

I almost laughed, but stopped myself. He really did intend to have the final say in everything.

"Fine," I muttered.

Dominic seemed satisfied.

"Now, you'll be moving into my house as soon as possible."

I blinked.

"Moving in?"

"Yes."

"When?"

"As soon as we can arrange it."

I looked down at the table, thinking about what he had just said. I hadn't even considered that part. I had never lived with Julian, not even when things between us were going well. I only visited him from time to time.

Now I was expected to move into a strange man's house.

"Do I have to move in before we're married?" I asked. "Can't I just visit until then?"

"No."

His answer came without hesitation.

"Why not?"

"I don't want you visiting my house like a guest. You'll live with me. We'll be seen together, and the press will have something to talk about."

I shifted in my seat.

"Isn't that a little too soon? It's only been a few days since Julian..."

I stopped myself.

Dominic watched me.

"Since Julian what?"

"Since he betrayed me."

He leaned back slightly.

"Miss Hart, who knew you were dating Julian?"

I stared at him.

"My family. A few people close to us."

"Exactly. The public didn't know. You weren't a public couple. There are no photographs of you two attending events together, no interviews, no public declarations of love. To everyone else, Julian was a single man who announced his engagement to another woman."

His words stung more than I expected.

"So there's no public story of a betrayed girlfriend for anyone to gossip about," he continued. "You have nothing to explain. And no one is going to accuse you of betraying him when they didn't even know you were together."

I looked away.

He was right, and that somehow made it worse.

Seven years of my life, and the world didn't even know I had been part of Julian's.

I swallowed the unpleasant feeling in my throat and focused on the laptop in front of Mateo.

"Anything else?" I asked.

"Yes. Public displays of affection."

I looked back at Dominic.

"They need to be convincing," he said. "Holding hands, kissing, touching. Whatever is necessary to make people believe we're genuinely involved."

I nodded slowly.

"There's also the matter of our private arrangement."

My eyes narrowed slightly. "What private arrangement?"

His gaze settled on me.

"You offered me your body, Miss Hart. I intend to take you up on that offer. Not just when we're in front of cameras, either. When I want you, I expect you to make yourself available."

Heat slid low in my stomach, slow and deliberate. I didn't look away. I didn't blush or fidget. I just let the words sink in while my body already answered for me.

"You're saying whenever you want?"

"Is there something wrong with that?"

I studied his tall, athletic frame filling the chair, shoulder-length hair framing those sharp blue eyes that never seemed to miss a thing. The kind of man who looked like he could pin someone down without effort and keep them there until he was finished.

"I agreed to give you my body," I said, voice steady. "But what if I don't feel like it?"

A slow smile touched his mouth.

"You're worrying about something that won't be a problem."

I smirked. “You sound so sure.”

He leaned forward slightly, those blue eyes locking onto mine. His voice dropped, low and smooth, the kind of sound that felt like a hand sliding under clothes.

"Because once I put my hands on you, Miss Hart, I doubt you'll be asking me to stop. You'll be the one asking me for more."

The words landed straight between my legs. A deep, pulsing ache settled there.

I let my gaze travel over him again, unhurried. The breadth of his shoulders. The way his shirt stretched across a chest that looked solid enough to bruise against. Those hands resting on the table, long-fingered and capable. I imagined them holding me still while he took what I'd already offered.

I lowered my eyes just long enough to gather myself, then looked back at him without flinching.

Dominic watched me for another moment, as if he could see exactly what was happening under the table. Then he sat back.

"That will be all for now."

I looked up.

"Of course, there may be other things we'll need to include later, but these are the main terms for the moment." He added.

I nodded.

Dominic turned to his assistant.

"Did you get everything?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Prepare a draft and send it to me for review."

"I will."

Mateo closed his laptop.

I remained in my seat, staring at the table for a moment while the ache between my legs refused to fade.

It was happening. I was about to become Dominic Cross's wife. I would move into his house, share his name, stand beside him in front of the cameras, and let the world believe I was in love with him. And somewhere along the way, we would destroy Julian Sterling.

I had wanted revenge so much that I hadn't stopped to think about what it would actually cost me.

Now, sitting across from Dominic—tall, controlled, and already promising to take everything I'd offered—I was beginning to understand.

There was no turning back.