All Chapters of The Contracted Alliance; Accidental Marriage : Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

Kara's mother POVThey thought I was dead.A car crash. A burnt body. A closed casket.How convenient.How naive.From the shadows of the forest, I watched the Grayson mansion flicker in the distance, a pale white jewel nestled in darkness. Always so pristine. So proud. So perfect.Just like her.*Leena Stanford-Grayson.*My teeth ground together at the name.The child my sister chose over her own blood. The daughter she raised with soft lullabies and gold-spun dresses while my Kara learned to fight, to steal, to survive.Leena was never meant to inherit the throne.That honor belonged to *us*.To Kara.To me.I pressed the communicator against my ear. “Report.”Zack’s voice crackled back. “Tunnel secured. Phase Two begins tonight.”“Any resistance?”“Minimal. But they’re waking up faster than we expected.”I smiled to myself. “Let them. A storm is only thrilling when it meets resistance.”He hesitated. “Charles saw me.”“He won’t act,” I replied coolly. “Not yet. His fear is stronger

LEENA'S POVThe gentle buzz of the city resonated through the penthouse while I faced the mirror, my fingers shaking as I fixed the strap of my dress. The rich green fabric hugged my figure, yet it was the burden of the secret I bore that felt most oppressive. The image looking back at me wasn’t the self-assured, self-reliant woman I once was, but rather someone trapped in a situation from which she couldn’t break free. Zack’s engagement proposal had truly been a display of dominance. He viewed me as a chance, a valuable addition to his family's empire, and now, I was merely an instrument he had employed to strengthen his standing. It wasn't solely that, however. What began as a simple game of convenience had evolved into something far more complex. An agreement in writing, yet something more profound had started to develop between us. Still, he remained unaware of the truth regarding the baby. The idea of informing him, of revealing that the baby developing within me could potentia

POV - th managing directorThe mahogany door leading to the executive floor clicked closed behind me. Quiet filled the space, broken only by the gentle hum of the air conditioning and the polished squeak of my brogues on the marble floor. Grayson Holdings remained awake. It observed, assessed, and acted without expending energy unnecessarily, yet always poised to attack. And I had also learned to walk in the same manner. I stopped by the window that stretched from floor to ceiling, looking out over Midtown. Below me, the city throbbed as if it were alive. I once believed that success would have the flavor of champagne. It did not. It had the flavor of habit. Up until her. Leena Stanford. The name ignited a fire within me, the very thing I wasn’t meant to desire, wasn’t meant to experience. As the only woman in this company beyond reproach by any standard, she was Ethan Grayson’s wife and Mr. Stanford’s daughter, the calm strategist whose smile could diffuse the tension of half the

Leena’s POVThe sun was shining over the garden terrace of the Stanford estate, painting everything gold. I stood in silence, wrapped in the satin robe Ethan had left on the edge of the bed this morning, still carrying the scent of him, cedarwood, spice, and something uniquely his.Last night’s memories played on a loop..His touch, his voice whispering promises into my neck, his lips trailing over my skin like I was a fragile glass which he didn’t want to shatter...For the first time in a long time, I hadn’t dreamt of running.I’d dreamt of staying.“Penny for your thoughts?” Ethan’s voice pulled me from the trance. I turned to see him leaning against the French doors, shirt unbuttoned at the top, tie loose, looking like he owned the world and somehow still wanted me more than all of it.“I was thinking how different everything feels here,” I said softly. “This place… you… us.”He stepped closer, hands in his pockets. “Different how?”“I don’t know, like I can finally breathe.”He re

Kara’s POVI always thought loyalty was simple.You find your people, you love them, and you stand by them... But loyalty gets messy when secrets creep in... And right now, I had a storm of secrets swarming around me.Leena was like a sister to me, I watched her grow from a shy girl with bruised dreams to a queen standing beside Ethan Grayson, powerful and glowing like a star that finally found its sky.And still… part of me missed the Leena who used to hide under my wing.I pressed my forehead to the cold mirror in the powder room of the Stanford estate..My reflection looked tired not from lack of sleep, but from carrying too much.Then I heard his voice behind me.“You look like a woman trying to hold the world on her shoulders.”I turned slowly.Willis,I hadn’t seen him in months, not since the Stanford auction night when everything turned on its head. He looked the same tailored black suit, tie loose like always, that cocky smirk on his lips.But his eyes? They were heavier and