All Chapters of His Bride By Contract: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

MIA POVThe door clicked softly behind me as I left Xander in his office, the silence of the penthouse pressing down like a weight. My chest felt tight, as if I couldn’t breathe. His words replayed over and over.I will ruin him.That wasn’t protection. That was war.I sank onto the couch, pressing my palms against my face. My breath came in short, uneven bursts. “What am I doing?” I whispered, my voice barely audible against the emptiness of the room.The doorbell chimed suddenly, startling me so badly my heart leapt into my throat. Before I could move, Sophie’s familiar voice followed quickly as she let herself in.“Mia?”Relief hit me like a wave. “Sophie.”She rushed over, dropping her bag on the console without a second thought. Her eyes scanned me from head to toe, sharp and searching. “You look pale. What happened?”I shook my head, my fingers twisting in my lap as I tried to form the words. “Xander… he’s planning something. He’s not just fighting Liam in court. He’s going to d

Mia’s POV The courtroom was heavy, air tight like a cage. Every tick of the clock slammed against my ribs. I sat beside my lawyer, palms slick, throat dry, eyes fixed on the wooden table as though staring long enough could dissolve it. Liam was across the aisle, smug, his expensive suit sharp enough to cut. He leaned back like he had already won. I whispered to myself, This is it. The final trial. No more delays. No more hiding. My lawyer, Daniels, leaned toward me. “Stay calm. Answer what’s asked, nothing more.” I nodded, but inside, calm was a foreign country I couldn’t reach. The judge entered, everyone rose, then sat. The trial began. Liam’s lawyer strutted forward with practiced arrogance, tossing words like darts. “Your Honor, my client has endured not just emotional defamation, but reputational

Xander’s POV Vanessa’s perfume still clung to the air long after Mia’s footsteps faded. Sweet, suffocating. I hated it. She sat there like she owned the place, draped across my couch in a silk dress that looked deliberately chosen to provoke. Her smile was the same as always, cool, confident, calculated. “Well,” she drawled, her voice smooth as honey and twice as poisonous, “that was dramatic. She nearly cried. You do pick them soft, Xander.” My jaw tightened. I forced my hands into fists at my sides, willing myself not to rise to her bait. “Don’t talk about her.” Vanessa tilted her head, eyes glittering with the satisfaction of someone who knew she’d hit a nerve. She crossed her legs slowly, deliberately, the sound of fabric sliding over her skin sharp in the silence. “Why not? She’s nothing to you. Just a placeholder. A distraction while I was

Mia’s POV My phone lit up again. His name. Xander.I stared at it until the screen dimmed, my chest heaving. I whispered to myself, “How many times will he call before he gives up?” Another vibration. This time, a message. “Mia. Please. I can explain.” I bit down on my lip so hard I tasted blood. Explain? What explanation could erase Vanessa standing there like she belonged? What words could erase his silence? I pressed the phone to my chest, shaking. “Why didn’t you say something? Why didn’t you defend me?” My own voice broke in the night air. The phone buzzed again. This time I answered, my voice weak. “What do you want, Xander?” His tone was sharp, urgent. “Where are you?” “That’s your first question?&r

Mia’s POVI hadn’t slept in two nights. Sophie kept saying the same thing on a loop, you need rest, you have to breathe, you’re making yourself sick, but when your chest forgets how to steady itself, words feel like somebody else’s advice. I curled tighter into the couch, blanket bunched under my knees, eyes fixed on the mute glow of the TV because looking at anything else felt dangerous.“You should let me make you tea,” Sophie said, voice soft but tight. She sat opposite me, hands folded, watching for the moment I might unravel. “You look like a ghost, Mia.”“I don’t want tea,” I whispered. My voice was sandpaper. “I’m fine.”“Yeah, you’re fine,” she repeated, not convinced. “Right before you combust.”The apartment settled into a fragile silence. I listened to the whirr of the fan, the faint traffic outside, the tiny creak of the building moving its bones. Then, precise, patient, three knocks on the door. Firm. Unmistakable.Sophie’s face went still. “You know who that is,” she sa