All Chapters of Terms of the heart : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Jesse Kane had been in some strange situations. Fistfights. Evictions. A road trip with a goat once.But this? Sitting in a high-rise office overlooking the skyline, across from a woman who looked like a luxury brand come to life, watching her slide a thick legal contract across a glass table?This was a new level of insane.Alina Sterling didn't even blink. "Read it."Jesse leaned back in the leather chair. It was stupid expensive-probably cost more than his yearly income-and yet he felt like he belonged in it. Maybe because she was watching him like he was a stock she hadn't decided to buy yet.He picked up the contract and skimmed. The basics hit him first:One-year marriage.Public appearances.No romantic entanglements outside the agreement.A $500,000 payout upon successful completion.He whistled low. "You really weren't kidding.""I don't have time to kid," she said, standing and walking to the window. Her heels clicked with that same lethal rhythm. "I have thirty days before

Alina didn't storm through the mansion-she glided, her silence louder than any scream. Jesse followed, tension pulsing in his chest like a ticking bomb."Alina, wait," he said, grabbing her arm gently.She turned, eyes ice-cold. "Don't touch me."He let go immediately. "Let me explain. That article-it's twisted, it's only half-""Half true?" she snapped. "So the rest is what? Character building?"Jesse looked genuinely gutted, the kind of expression you can't fake-not even for five hundred thousand dollars. "I didn't come into this to scam you. I needed the money, yes, but I didn't think I'd actually start-""Start what?" Her voice cracked, just once. "Caring?"He didn't answer.That silence was everything.She stepped back. "I trusted you. I let you into my home, my life-""You hired me," he cut in, anger bleeding into his voice now. "This whole thing started because you didn't believe in love. And now I'm the villain for catching feelings?"Alina flinched like he'd hit her.And that

The air in Jesse's apartment felt charged, the kind of stillness that only came before a storm. Alina and Jesse sat at the small kitchen table, a laptop open between them, scattered papers and files around the edges. Every move they made was calculated, deliberate. This wasn't just about protecting Alina's name-it was about taking the fight directly to Gregory's door."We need to hit him where it hurts," Jesse said, flipping through a file. "It's not just the company he's after. He wants control. Power. The board will give it to him if he has the legal leverage."Alina nodded, leaning in. "We already know he's been pulling strings through that shell company. But the transfer itself isn't enough. We need to prove it's a deliberate attempt to sabotage me."Jesse's fingers danced over the keyboard, his eyes scanning rapidly. "There's a pattern here. Gregory's people have been moving money through multiple accounts, each one getting smaller, then pooled together before being sent to that

The weight of the day's events settled into Alina's bones as she sat at her desk, the city lights outside casting long shadows across the room. The boardroom confrontation had been a triumph, but it was only a small battle in a much larger war. Gregory was down, but he wasn't out-yet. Alina knew that if she didn't act fast, his supporters on the board would turn the tide against her.Her phone buzzed again. Naomi's name flashed on the screen. She answered quickly."What's the status?" Alina asked, her voice steady."They're in motion," Naomi replied. "Gregory's people are already trying to pull strings. We've got leaks to the press, a lawsuit in the works, and rumors about your legitimacy starting to spread among the board members.""Figures," Alina muttered. "How bad?""It's manageable for now," Naomi said, "but the longer we wait, the more cracks start to show. We need to lock down the board members who are still on the fence."Alina ran a hand through her hair. "I'll take care of t

Alina was mid-sentence in a call with the new operations lead when the message came through. A single text from Naomi: "Turn on the news. Now."Her heart dropped. She didn't hesitate. With a few taps, the massive screen on her office wall flickered to life, already tuned to a business network. The chyron was enough to make her blood go cold.BREAKING: CEO Alina Caldwell Under Investigation for Misappropriation of Funds.Alina stared at the screen. They'd used her official headshot-the one from the internal press kit. The anchor's voice cut through the silence like a knife."...sources say that during her tenure as CFO, Caldwell may have reallocated discretionary funds into off-book projects without proper board approval. While no formal charges have been filed, anonymous internal documents suggest a pattern of questionable accounting practices..."The report droned on, but Alina had heard enough. She muted the volume just as Naomi burst through the door, tablet in hand."It's Gregory,