LOGINAmelia Hayes has 30 days to save her niece. A judge’s ruling demands the 35-year-old heiress present a stable family unit to win custody of her niece, or the child returns to her abusive father. With time running out, Amelia rushes to secure the only perfect solution: her own bodyguard. Her solution? Adrian Cole. He’s 25—loyal, quiet, and financially desperate. For a staggering sum, he agrees to a two-year contract with one unbreakable rule: No love, no intimacy, strictly business. But when their fake wedding night turns into a real assassination attempt, Amelia realizes her calculated bargain has made them targets. Now, fighting a vengeful ex-friend and a killer lurking in the shadows, Amelia and Adrian must fake their way through a deadly war. The contract was just a lie. But the way he risks his life to protect his 'wife' might just be the terrifying truth.
View More(Amelia's POV)"One year later, and I still can't believe this is my office."I smiled, watching Adrian from my seat at the head of the conference table. He wasn't just my husband; he was the COO of Strategic Operations at Hayes Corp, and his presence had fundamentally changed the company. He was currently leading a complex negotiation, his voice calm, his focus absolute. He wore power not like a costume, but like a natural extension of his mind.The glass walls of the boardroom offered a stunning view of the city—a city we had fought a war to stabilize. Lucia’s laughter, a bright, clear sound, drifted in from the adjacent, childproofed executive lounge. She was playing with a massive building block set, thriving in the predictable, loving structure we had built.A Legacy of LoveI pushed the latest financial report aside. The numbers were strong—stronger than they had been under my father's often-reckless ambition. Adrian had brought integrity and discipline to the corporate structur
(Dual POV)"It's just us, Amelia. No judges, no cameras, no contracts."I murmured the words to Amelia as we stood on the balcony of our penthouse, the city lights spread out below us like scattered jewels. The evening air was cool, scented with the promise of a future we had earned through sheer will. We had just returned from a small, intimate dinner celebrating the final successful transfer of all reclaimed Hayes assets. The business was done. The fight was won.Part I: Adrian (The Vow)I held her close, feeling the steady, strong beat of her heart against my chest. This moment was crucial. The diamond ring she wore, the one I placed on her finger under the judge's watchful eye, was a symbol of the contract, a reminder of the lie that had brought us together. I needed to replace that memory, publicly and permanently."Do you remember the night we stood here, the first week of the contract?" I asked, my voice low. "We were two terrified people, pretending to be married, sharing secr
(Amelia's POV)"I think we just stabilized the stock price by holding hands."I murmured the observation, looking across the conference table at Adrian. We were in the process of finalizing the quarter's strategic report. The market had reacted fiercely and positively to the formal announcement of Adrian as the new COO of Strategic Operations at Hayes Corp. His name, once a liability, was now an asset, backed by the implicit financial strength of the Cole Dynasty."The market responds to confidence, Mrs. Cole," Adrian replied, his voice low with quiet satisfaction. He pushed a binder across the table. "And confidence is precisely what we're going to give them. I've finished the risk assessment review for the next five years."The binder contained his vision, a cold, clear, brilliant analysis of the company's future. It was focused not just on profit, but on structural integrity and ethical defense."This is aggressive, Adrian," I said, flipping through the pages. "You're recommending
(Adrian's POV) "You're quiet, Mr. Cole. The world is safe, but you look like you're still fighting."Amelia's voice, soft and knowing, pulled me from the dark loop in my head. We were sitting on the terrace of our penthouse, the quiet of the night a stark contrast to the chaos of the past year. Lucia was asleep, the company was stable, and the legal battles were over. Yet, the adrenaline in my veins refused to dissipate."I am still fighting it," I admitted, turning to look at her. "I'm fighting the memory of the rage."The Weight of the ViolenceI had to tell her the rest of it, the part I still carried like a physical wound."You know I broke that man's arm to protect you," I continued, my voice low and heavy. "But you don't know the feeling, Amelia. The absolute necessity of the violence. It was cold, immediate, and utterly efficient. When I broke that arm, I felt nothing but a dark satisfaction. And that scares me, because that's what Branwyn and the others felt all the time.""Y






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