Vows of convenience Hearts in Collision

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in business, it’s that power doesn’t always speak the loudest. Sometimes it just stands there, towering in an Armani suit, watching the world bend at its feet.Tonight, power has a name.Caelum Drayke.And he’s standing three feet away from me, smirking like he owns the universe.The worst part? He kind of does.I force my spine straighter, every muscle tight under the shimmering emerald silk of my gown. My company’s entire future depends on tonight’s gala running flawlessly. One wrong move, one slip, and the sharks in this room will smell blood.And there is no shark bigger or more dangerous than the man watching me like I’m some kind of joke.“You missed a spot,” Caelum murmurs in a voice that’s smooth enough to cut glass. His glacial blue eyes flick to the tray of champagne flutes I’m arranging. “Right there. Fingerprint smudge.”I bite back a sharp retort. He’s not a guest tonight he’s the client. The client whose billion dollar merger announcemen

I had never hated a pen so much in my life.It gleamed under the soft light of Caelum’s penthouse office, all sleek silver and weighty elegance, resting beside a contract that looked more like a death sentence than a business arrangement. My fingers hovered over it, trembling despite my best efforts to hide it. Across the massive mahogany desk, Caelum lounged in his chair like a king surveying his reluctant subject.“Sign it, Saphira.” His voice was deep, velvet-smooth, but with an edge sharp enough to cut through my hesitation.I dragged my gaze up to his. The city skyline framed him like a crown of fire, the glowing spires of Manhattan twinkling against the glass wall behind him. The effect was maddening. Everything about Caelum Drayke screamed untouchable power from the way his suit hugged his broad shoulders to the unflinching intensity in his stormy gray eyes.“I should have my lawyer look over this,” I said, forcing steel into my voice.“You can,” he said smoothly, “but you don’

Saphira POV ---I’d always believed in ironclad contracts. They were the shield I used to protect everything I’d built the reason my empire stood tall when others had crumbled. But sitting in Caelum Drayke’s private office, a room lined with leather-bound books and filled with the smell of expensive whiskey and raw power, I realized this wasn’t a shield. This was a trap.And I’d just signed my life away.The pen in my hand trembled, and I forced myself to still it. My signature gleamed in black ink at the bottom of a stack of legal documents that would, for the next six months, bind me to a man I’d sworn I would never kneel to.“Congratulations, Mrs. Drayke,” Caelum said smoothly, leaning back in his chair. His voice was velvet and steel, calm as though he hadn’t just rewritten both our lives.Mrs. Drayke.I hated how that sent a shiver down my spine.I tucked the pen back into its holder, lifting my chin. “Don’t flatter yourself. This is strictly business.”His smirk was maddening.

I had never been one to shy away from attention. In business, confidence was as much a weapon as numbers on a spreadsheet. But tonight, as I stepped out of the car onto the marble steps of The Meridian Hotel, every camera flash felt like a sniper’s scope.Caelum’s hand settled at the small of my back, anchoring me. He leaned down, his voice a velvet murmur that skimmed my ear.“Smile, Mrs. Drayke. They’re watching.”That title still felt like a poorly tailored dress beautiful but foreign. Mrs. Drayke. A name that didn’t belong to me, not really. I curved my lips into a polite smile, the kind that made investors sign checks and rivals grit their teeth. My gown, an emerald sheath with a plunging neckline, caught the light like molten glass, and I straightened my shoulders, playing the part.The ballroom doors opened with a flourish. Music swelled, the soft strains of a live orchestra, and the scent of expensive perfume and wealth hung in the air. Chandeliers dripped crystals like frozen

The glint of a thousand camera flashes lit up the ballroom like a thunderstorm trapped in a glass dome. I stood frozen at the top of the marble staircase, my arm looped through Caelum’s as if tethering myself to him could stop my pulse from leaping out of my chest.He was composed as always sharp black suit perfectly tailored, hair slicked back, every line of his posture exuding control. Meanwhile, I felt like an imposter wrapped in emerald silk. The gown clung to me like a second skin, every curve outlined, the slit running daringly high on my thigh. His choice, of course. Caelum Drayke was nothing if not strategic, even when it came to what I wore.“Relax, Saphira,” he murmured under his breath, his warm breath ghosting against my ear. “You look perfect.”“I feel like bait,” I muttered, forcing a smile as we descended the stairs. “And I hate that I might be right.”He smirked, guiding me with steady precision. “That’s the point. Tonight, you’re not prey. You’re a queen. And a queen