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Chapter 24
publish date:
2026-02-14 23:26:10
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The CEO’s Contract Bride Chapter 114
ETHAN'S POVThe first photo appeared on a Tuesday.It came through my morning press digest under industry appearances.A charity event for a children's arts foundation. Kane Rourke's foundation was co-sponsoring. Isabella had mentioned she would attend on behalf of ISMARA.The photo showed them standing together at the edge of a reception room.Professional.Composed.Not touching.Simply talking.Kane was looking at her while she spoke.I noted it, dismissed it as irrelevant, and continued through the digest.At lunch, I opened the photo again.I told myself I was conducting due diligence. Kane Rourke was a known rival with a documented pattern of strategic moves against Dexter Corp, and Isabella was now publicly attached to my name. Monitoring his proximity to her was a reasonable precaution.I almost believed it.~~~~The second appearance happened four days later.A private business dinner hosted by a European retail consortium.I heard about it from Caleb during a routine indust
The CEO’s Contract Bride Chapter 113
ISABELLA'S POV Lucia spent two days reviewing Kane Rourke's proposal before calling me into my office at ISMARA.That alone told me something was wrong.When I arrived, she had several folders spread across my desk, arranged in the precise order she used when building an argument."Sit."I sat.She opened the first file."Kane Rourke. Thirty-three years old. Built Rourke Industries from a single European fashion house acquisition twelve years ago. Current portfolio includes three fashion houses, a luxury hotel group, two retail networks, and a logistics company that services most of his own holdings." She turned a page. "Clean record. No litigation beyond standard commercial disputes. His reputation is aggressive but fair. His partners generally stay his partners.""That matches what I found," I said."It does." She closed that folder and moved to the next one. "This is his acquisition and partnership history for the last five years. Fourteen deals. I want you to look at the column o
The CEO’s Contract Bride Chapter 112
ISABELLA’S POV I arrived two minutes early to the restaurant Kane and I agreed to meet up at.He was already there.He stood when he saw me cross the room, and I took those few seconds to finish my assessment. Tall, well-built, dark suit, no tie. "Ms. Moretti-Dexter." He extended his hand. His grip was confident. "Thank you for making time.""Mr. Rourke." I sat across from him. "Your timing was interesting."He smiled, settling back into his chair. "I wondered if you'd open with that.""Did you think I wouldn't?""I thought you might wait until later. Most people do." He picked up his water glass. "You called me on it immediately. I respect that.""The morning after a press conference is a deliberate choice," I said. "I'd rather we both acknowledge it.""Fair." He set the glass down. "The honest answer is that I've been watching ISMARA for months. The press conference was the moment it became clear that a conversation would be welcome. You've been navigating significant personal co
The CEO’s Contract Bride Chapter 111
ISABELLA'S POVThe morning after the statement felt too normal.I stood in the kitchen reviewing reports on my tablet while Ethan helped Brahms with breakfast. It should have felt routine.It didn't.I kissed Brahms's forehead before leaving."Tu pars?" he asked."Just to the office."He nodded and returned to his mango.At ISMARA, Lucia was already waiting with coffee and a laptop."The response is mixed," she said. "But stable. No major investor panic. Some media skepticism, nothing serious.""ISMARA?"She smiled slightly. "Engagement is actually up. Especially in Europe. The transparency statement helped more than it hurt."That hadn't been the plan.But I wasn't complaining.The morning passed quickly. By ten, I had approved supplier contracts, reviewed design revisions, and finalized communications strategies. The press conference had bought us time, and I intended to use every minute of it.At 10:17, my phone rang.Unknown number.I almost ignored it."Ms. Moretti-Dexter," a wo
The CEO’s Contract Bride Chapter 110
ISABELLA’S POV We prepared the statement in four hours.Lucia joined by video call from ISMARA's legal team. Caleb handled Dexter Corp communications. We went through drafts at the dining table, Ethan and I on opposite sides, passing documents back and forth, finding the register that sounded candid without giving anything real away.Brahms stayed with Abby in the hotel suite we'd booked adjacent to the conference room. He knew something important was happening. The conference room held thirty-eight journalists. I counted them while the communications team did final checks on the podium setup, a habit I'd developed years ago in boardrooms when I needed something concrete to focus on. Thirty-eight people with cameras and recorders and the specific alertness of press who had been given a story and were waiting to see how much more they could extract from it.Ethan stood beside me at the podium. Close enough that we read as a unit. His shoulder was two inches from mine and he was compl
The CEO’s Contract Bride Chapter 109
ETHAN’S POVMy phone started at two-seventeen in the afternoon.We'd been back from the park for less than an hour. Brahms was on the living room floor with his puzzle, still wearing his coat because he'd refused to take it off, hot chocolate cooling on the coffee table beside him. Isabella was in the kitchen. I was reviewing contracts at the dining table when the first notification hit, then the second, then the phone stopped managing them individually and just began vibrating in a continuous, sustained way that meant something had broken.I opened the screen.Sixteen notifications from PR. A message from Caleb that was a link and nothing else. Four board communications flagged urgent. Two from legal.I clicked Caleb's link.The headline read: *Dexter CEO spotted in Central Park with wife Isabella Moretti and mystery child.*The photos were clear. Three of them, sequenced. The first showed Brahms at the fountain, face partially turned, features visible enough to work with. The second
The CEO’s Contract Bride Chapter 28
ISABELLA’S POV My phone started buzzing early the next morning.I groaned and reached for it on the nightstand, eyes still half-closed.“What?”“Have you seen the news?” Lucia’s voice was too bright, too awake for this hour.“I was sleeping.”I squinted at the clock. 6:47 AM. The curtains were sti
The CEO’s Contract Bride Chapter 27
ISABELLA’S POV“What do you want in return?”Ethan leaned back in his chair, studying me with an expression I couldn’t quite read.“What do you have to offer?”“Just charge me for the building. I’ll pay whatever price you name.”“No.”The single word was flat, final.“What do you mean, no?”“I mean
The CEO’s Contract Bride Chapter 26
ETHAN’S POVI chose Le Bernardin for dinner. Expensive, visible, the kind of place where photographers lingered outside hoping to catch celebrities or politicians.The kind of place that would guarantee our appearance made headlines by morning.When Isabella’s confirmation message came through, I f
The CEO’s Contract Bride Chapter 25
ISABELLA’S POV If you’re available, we can meet publicly to discuss the lease. Dinner. Neutral ground. No pressure.My thumb hovered over the screen for a moment.“I’m not replying,” I muttered to myself, leaning back in my chair.Lucia appeared in the doorway almost immediately, her tablet in han
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