Chapter 5

ZARA’S POV

Cael Ashford stood there in the doorway like he owned the place.

Which, apparently, part of me now did too. He was dressed in a fresh black shirt and trousers, looking far too composed for a man who had just walked into a woman’s apartment uninvited.

In his right hand, he held my missing panties like some kind of twisted trophy. His brown eyes scanned over me slowly, taking in the towel wrapped around my body, my wet hair, and the obvious panic on my face.

“We need to talk, wife,” he said calmly, stepping inside and closing the door behind him with a soft click.

I backed up until my legs hit the bed. “How the hell did you get in here? And who the fuck do you think you are, to just walk into my apartment?”

He didn’t flinch. Instead, he placed my panties on the dresser as if we were having a normal conversation. “You left them in my penthouse. So I figured you might want them back.” His voice was still that same smooth, unruffled tone from last night. The one that should have scared me more than it did.

I clutched the towel tighter around my chest. My body still ached in places that reminded me exactly what we’d done, but I pushed those memories away because now was not the time.

“Get out,” I snapped. “I’m calling the police if you don’t leave right now.”

Cael tilted his head slightly, watching me with those unnervingly calm eyes. There was something in them, it was like a knowing look that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

Like he had expected this exact reaction from me, like none of this was surprising to him at all.

“You’re not going to call the police,” he said quietly. “Because deep down, you know this situation is bigger than both of us right now. Sit down, Zara. Please.”

The “please” sounded almost gentle, but there was control underneath it. I hated how steady he was. Most men would be awkward the morning after a drunken Vegas-style wedding.

But Cael? He looked like he had everything under control. It felt like this was all part of some larger game I couldn’t see yet.

I stayed standing, even though my legs felt weak. “You don’t know anything about me.”

“I know more than you think,” he replied. He didn’t elaborate, but the way he said it sent a chill down my spine. He was being subtle.

I laughed bitterly. “Great. Another controlling man who thinks he can just walk into my life and fix everything. First Victor, then Marcus, now you. I’m really winning at picking men lately.”

At the mention of Victor, his facial expression went sour for a few seconds, it was so quick I almost missed it. His mandible constricted for just a minute.

Interesting. So the calm mask wasn’t completely unbreakable.

He took one step closer but stopped when I tensed. “I’m not here to control you. I’m here because we’re legally married, and from what I overheard on your phone call with the lawyer in the car, you can’t annul this marriage for thirty days without losing everything your mother left you.”

My blood went cold for a minute. “You were listening to my conversation?”

“I was waiting downstairs when your driver brought you home, plus the windows were down.” He shrugged like it was nothing. “I’m not trying to trap you, Zara. But I’m also not walking away from this. Not yet.”

I stared at him, trying to read past that perfect calm exterior. Who was this man? Yesterday he was just a stranger at a bar whose drink I spilled.

Today he was my husband, standing in my bedroom like he belonged there, talking about my mother’s will like he had studied it.

“Why are you doing this?” I asked, my voice was cracking despite my best efforts. “Most men would be running for the hills after a crazy night like last night. But you… you made me breakfast. You followed me here and now you’re here acting like this is normal.”

Cael was quiet for a long moment. He leaned against the wall, and crossed his arms over his chest.

The movement made his shirt pull tightly across his broad shoulders, reminding me again of how strong he had felt last night when he held me up against the door.

“Because I don’t do accidents,” he said finally. His brown eyes met mine directly. “And last night wasn’t one. Wel…not completely.”

I sank down onto the edge of the bed, the towel still clutched tightly around me.

The tears I thought I had cried out earlier formed behind my eyes again. Everything was too much. Marcus and Nadia’s betrayal. The realization that I was trapped in this marriage for thirty days.

Victor circling me like a vulture, ready to push Gerald Holt on me the second I made the mistake of failing. And now this stranger—this dangerously attractive, too-composed stranger standing in my room saying cryptic shit.

“I walked in on my fiancé fucking my half-sister yesterday,” I whispered, more to myself than to him. “In my own bed. And instead of dealing with it like a normal person, I got drunk and married you. What the hell is wrong with me?”

Cael slowly moved towards me then. He pulled the chair from my vanity and sat down a few feet away, giving me space but not leaving. “Nothing is wrong with you. You were hurting. You wanted control back and I get that.”

His voice was so damn gentle it made me angry.

Because part of me….the stupid, lonely, grieving part wanted to believe him. I wanted to lean into that calmness like I had last night when his hands were on my body and his mouth was making me forget everything.

But I couldn’t trust it. I couldn’t trust him.

“You don’t know me,” I said again, wiping my eyes roughly. “And I don’t know you. This whole thing is insane.”

Cael leaned forward, with his elbows on his knees. “Then let’s make it less insane. We stay married for the thirty days. Publicly, we play the part—happy newlyweds. Privately, we keep our distance if that’s what you want. After thirty days, you get your inheritance, and we divorce cleanly without any complications.”

It sounded reasonable, way too reasonable. It sounded like the kind of offer that made warning bells ring in my head.

“Why would you agree to that?” I asked, searching his face. “What do you get out of this?”

For the first time, Cael hesitated. “Let’s just say I have my own reasons for wanting to keep Victor Calloway unhappy,” he said softly. “And right now, being married to you helps me do that.”

There it was again. That subtle hint. He knew Victor. He had opinions about Victor. This wasn’t random, none of this felt random anymore.

I stood up slowly, clutching the towel. “I need time to think. And I need you to leave.”

Cael rose too, towering over me but not crowding me. He pulled a business card from his pocket and placed it on the dresser next to my panties.

“Call me when you’re ready to talk properly. Or show up at my office. Ashford Capital. Top floor.” He paused at the door, looking back at me one last time. “And Zara… last night wasn’t just about forgetting for me either.”

Then he was gone.