Chapter Five

MONICA

Adrian crossed the room in three strides, positioning himself beside my chair. "Monica is my wife. If either of you speaks to her like that again, I'll have your monthly allowances cut to zero, starting today."

"Adrian, we were only…" Ana started, but he cut her off with a single raised hand.

"I don't care what you were only doing. I heard enough walking in." He glanced between them, his jaw tight. "You will be civil with her. That's it."

Isa's eyes narrowed, but she said nothing further. Ana just stared at her plate, cheeks flushed pink. I sat there frozen, fork still resting where I'd set it down, genuinely stunned. I hadn't expected him to say a single word in my defense. From the look on Isa's face, and even Ana's, neither of them had expected it either.

Adrian took my hand and helped me up from the chair, leading me out of the dining room.

"Thank you so much," I said once we’d left their presence.

"For what?" He looked down at me, something unreadable flickering behind his eyes.

"For standing up for me back there."

"Nah, don't thank me for that." He stepped closer, close enough that I had to tip my chin up slightly to keep looking at him. "The only person who gets to make you feel small for the next six months is me. Nobody else gets that privilege."

"What?" I blinked at him. "You're impossible."

I glared at him, though it did nothing to wipe the smirk off his face.

"Get dressed. You're coming to work with me." He turned and walked off before I could get a single word of protest out.

Hours later, we pulled up outside the  tower that housed Thorne Group's headquarters.

"Welcome, Mr. Thorne, Mrs. Thorne," The receptionist beamed at us both.

Mrs. Thorne. The name landed strange in my ears, like it was borrowed. Well, of course it was borrowed.

We reached Adrian's office, all glass walls and a view that made my stomach drop a little when I looked outside. He left almost immediately for some meeting he didn't bother explaining, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

Minutes later, my phone buzzed against the desk. Amara. I'd missed her call twice already today, but I hadn't wanted to talk to her with Adrian around. I picked up on the first ring this time.

"Girl!" Amara's voice hit my eardrum like a siren the second I answered. "You got married yesterday? How? I saw it on my feed this morning and nearly dropped my phone in the sink. You got married and didn't tell a single one of us?"

"I know, I know, just, let me explain…"

"Explain? Monica, there is a whole video of you kissing Adrian Thorne on a dance floor with a hundred cameras pointed at your face. Explain feels like an understatement right now." She paused, her voice softening into real concern. "Monica... what is actually going on? Is everything okay?"

"I'm okay, I promise," I replied, lowering my voice as I glanced at the glass walls. "I'll give you all the details when I get to work tomorrow. Every single one, I promise."

"You better. I'm clearing my whole lunch break for this." She let out a small laugh, which meant she was already forgiving me for not answering sooner. "Love you. Be careful, okay? That world... it's dangerous."

“Love you too."

I'd barely set the phone down when the office door opened. 

Adrian walked back in alone, his broad shoulders instantly making the massive office feel small.

Before he could say anything, his secretary followed a step behind him.

"Mrs. Thorne." She offered me a polite, efficient smile and held out a printed calendar. "Here's Mr. Thorne's social calendar for the month. The events marked in red are the ones you'll be attending with him."

She glanced briefly at Adrian, who gave a short nod, and then she was gone just as quickly as she'd appeared, heels clicking off down the hallway.

I stared down at the page. Red ink bled across nearly every week. Galas, dinners, a charity auction.

"Hmm." I looked up at him. "You didn't tell me this was part of it."

"It's in the contract," he said evenly.

He didn't look at me. Instead, he walked straight over to the desk, positioning himself right beside my chair. He leaned down to look at the paper, placing one hand on the edge of the wood and the other on the back of my seat, effectively trapping me between his arms.

He was so close I could smell him- expensive leather. The heat radiating off his chest made the skin on my neck prickle.

"The contract said devoted wife in public," I argued, my voice sounding a little breathier than I intended. It didn't say an event almost every week."

"Welcome to my life," Adrian finally looked at me. Because he was leaning down, our faces were only inches apart. His dark eyes dropped to my lips for a fraction of a second before snapping back to mine, the coldness in them replaced by a dark, burning intensity.

"At these galas, every camera in the city will be on us," he murmured, his low deep voice vibrating through the small space between us. "If you flinch when I touch you, they will know. When we are out there, you act like you are completely consumed by me."

To drive the point home, his fingers brushed against my jaw, lifting my chin slightly so I had no choice but to hold his gaze. A sharp spark of electricity shot down my spine at the touch.

"Do you understand?"

My heart hammered against my ribs. I could barely nod. "I... I understand."

He held my gaze for one more agonizing second, his thumb brushing the edge of my jawline.

Thankfully, his phone on the desk  buzzed violently and Adrian straightened up. He snatched the phone and answered, his voice flipping instantly back into business mode. "Mr. Blackwood?"

I watched his face change as he listened, his brows drawing together into a harsh line.

"Celeste called?" His grip on the phone tightened visibly. "Is she back home? Because if this whole disappearing act was just cold feet, she could have simply told me she didn't want to marry me. She didn't have to pull a stunt like this."

A heavy pause stretched out, long enough that I found myself holding my breath along with him. The frantic sound of Mr. Blackwood's voice carried through the speaker.

"No, Adrian, you don't understand. She didn't run away." Mr. Blackwood choked out. "She says she's been kidnapped."