บททั้งหมดของ A Wife For Him (Hearts Under Contract): บทที่ 21 - บทที่ 30

Irene’s gaze snapped to the man stepping into her living room with a slim briefcase in his hand, the door still shivering on its hinges from his uninvited entrance, and for a heartbeat she simply stared because the morning had already bled too much shock into her. Then her arm lifted and she pointed straight at him, her voice cutting through the heavy air like a blade as she said, “What is going on, and in fact, who is this man that just barges into someone's home without knocking?” she asked. But Daniel did not answer at once — instead he smiled, slow and composed, as if he were in his boardroom and not in a cramped home with tired curtains and children pressed close to their mother. And then he turned back to the couch with a faint wrinkle of distaste, drew a folded handkerchief from his inner pocket, dusted the cushion with meticulous strokes that made Levi’s throat tighten. Then lowered himself and crossed one leg over the other, ankle resting neatly on his knee while he sett

Irene stood in front of the cafe, her palms pressed tightly against the strap of her bag. Her chest rose and fell as she forced herself to breathe in and out. The cool air did little to ease the heat of anxiety that churned inside her. “Oh my God,” she whispered to herself. “I just have to do this because there is no way I am going to allow anyone to take my sons from me.” Her jaw tightened as she thought of Daniel barging into her home with his threats. She already knew why Mr. Henry Blackwood had sent her the address. It was because of what his son had come to say and she was not ready to give up her children for anything. So she was going to make that clear to him. At least Henry Blackwood, she thought, should be more reasonable than his arrogant son. With that, she pushed the glass door open and stepped into the cafe. The warm scent of coffee beans mixed with fresh pastries surrounded her, but it did nothing to soften the tension in her chest. Her eyes swept the room un

“What do you mean,” Daniel’s voice cut through the vast golden-lit foyer, low but sharp, “by in a stranger’s house?” Irene froze. He took one step forward, the expensive marble beneath his shoes echoing the sound like a warning bell. “That’s what you choose to call me?” Daniel continued, his gaze searing into her. “A stranger? In the presence of my sons?” The twins, who had been staring at the chandelier moments ago—still dazzled by the breathtaking interior—whipped their heads toward their mother. Ethan’s jaw tightened; Elias’ eyes widened a little. Irene inhaled slowly, forcing calm into her voice. “Not here, Mr. Blackwood… not here.” Her eyes flicked briefly toward the boys. “This is not a conversation we have in front of them.” Daniel scoffed—quiet but dangerous. “No. I still insist.” He stepped closer, not touching her, but invading just enough space to make her breath hitch. “What did you mean by that word? Stranger. Enlighten me.” His voice echoed through the house—this

I don’t even know why I’m doing this. Or why I even agreed to it Irene thought as she paced the length of the room, bare feet brushing softly against the carpet while going ack and forth. She finally stopped at the edge of the bed, and tugged irritably at the duvet as if it had personally offended her, then turned and paced again. The robe she wore swayed with her movements, and it was loose and annoying, and clinging in places it shouldn’t and slipping in others and it felt really weird on her skin just like this house and even this whole situation she was in also felt weird.Like who the hell gives someone rules about how to live? like who tells a grown woman what she can and can’t do? She screamed to the silent room. Her jaw tightening as fragments of the day replayed themselves against her will—Daniel’s calm, infuriating voice; the way he’d stood there listing his so-called rules and regulations like she was some reckless teenager instead of a grown woman with children. “I

“You cannot be serious,” Irene said, her voice shaking as she slammed the paper onto the edge of his desk.Daniel didn’t even look up from his tablet. He simply scrolled, his thumb moving with a slow, agonizing precision. The silence in the massive, high-ceilinged office stretched until the hum of the air conditioning felt loud enough to drill into her skull.“Daniel, look at me!” she snapped, her knuckles turning white against the wood. “A disciplinary committee? Over twenty minutes? You are doing this on purpose. You know exactly what happened last night with your grandfather, and now you’re punishing me for it!”Slowly, Daniel set the tablet down. He leaned back in his leather chair, crossing his arms. His dark eyes locked onto hers, entirely unbothered, carrying that chilling, mocking calm that always made her skin itch.“First of all,” he said, his voice dropping to a low, smooth purr, “it is Mr. Blackwood when you are on this floor, Irene. Have you already forgotten the rules we