All Chapters of The CEO's Contracted Heart: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

“The Contract”I barely slept that night.The contract lay on my tiny table like a challenge I wasn’t sure I could meet. Six months. Six months living in someone else’s world, following rules I hadn’t agreed to, caring for someone I had never met. And yet… the thought of the compensation made my fingers tremble with something I hadn’t felt in weeks: hope.By morning, my tiny flower shop smelled faintly of lilies and coffee. The streets were quiet, wet from the previous night’s rain, and my reflection in the shop window made me flinch. Pale, exhausted, anxious… and yet determined.I took a deep breath, sat down, and stared at the contract again.The terms were clear: I would live in the Ashford mansion for six months, care for a child named Chloe, follow all rules, and maintain discretion. In return, I would be handsomely compensated — enough to pay off my debts, keep the shop afloat, and maybe even start over.The handwriting of my signature felt heavy when I signed. Each letter was

“Unexpected Bond”Chloe was a mystery I wasn’t sure I could solve.I woke to the soft sunlight streaming through the curtains, golden and warm, but it did little to calm my nerves. Today felt… important. Somehow, I knew I needed to prove I could handle her — not just her lessons or meals, but the fragile trust she cautiously offered.I found her in the playroom, sitting cross-legged on the floor with her stuffed rabbit. She didn’t look up when I entered, absorbed in her own little world.“Morning, Chloe,” I said softly, kneeling down beside her.She glanced up briefly, then returned her attention to the rabbit. “Morning,” she mumbled.I bit my lip, deciding to try a small experiment. “Do you want to help me arrange these blocks? Maybe we can build a castle?”She tilted her head, skeptical. “I don’t know if I like castles.”I forced a smile. “Then we’ll build a garden instead. A secret garden.”Her eyes widened slightly. “A secret garden?”I nodded. “But only you and I can know about

“Rules and Rebellion”The rules were everywhere.Pinned to the kitchen notice board in neat black letters, as if the mansion itself wanted me to fail. Eat at scheduled times. Attend to Chloe according to the hour. No visitors without permission. No deviation. Maintain discretion. Follow directives immediately.I read them once, twice, then again, feeling the paper burn against my fingertips. Rules were one thing. Control was another. And here, in this mansion, the line between the two was invisible but razor-sharp.Breakfast was quiet. Chloe shuffled in like a shadow, dragging her little slippers across the polished floor. Cade appeared shortly after, the air around him folding into order. He didn’t need to announce the rules verbally — his gaze did it all. Still, he chose to.“New house rules,” he said, calm as a winter morning, voice steady enough to make the world bend. “I expect compliance. No exceptions.”I nodded, though the words left a sour taste in my mouth. Chloe’s small ha

“A Moment of Vulnerability”The mansion was quiet, but not in the comforting way it had been earlier. The silence pressed down on me, heavy with unspoken tension. Chloe had finally drifted to sleep, leaving me alone in the nursery with her small, abandoned drawings scattered across the floor.I bent to gather them, humming softly to myself, when the study door creaked open. Cade stepped in, surprisingly without his usual cold, guarded demeanor. Instead, there was a subtle stiffness in his posture, as if he were walking on fragile ice.“Lila…” His voice was quieter than usual, almost hesitant. I froze mid-motion, the papers trembling in my hands.“Yes?” I asked cautiously, not sure what mood he was in.He didn’t answer immediately. He just walked closer, and I noticed the tension in his jaw, the tight line of his lips. For a moment, he seemed… human. Vulnerable.“I…” he began, then stopped. His hand brushed over the edge of the desk, gripping it slightly. “I need to tell you something.

“The Contract Shifts”I had just finished tucking Chloe into bed, her small hand gripping mine like a lifeline, when Cade appeared in the doorway of her room. The dim light from the hallway cast sharp shadows across his face, and even in that half-light, he looked… impossibly commanding. My heart did that ridiculous little flip that it only did around him.“Is she asleep?” he asked, his voice low and careful.“Yes,” I whispered, trying not to sound as nervous as I felt. My chest was fluttering for reasons that had nothing to do with fear.He stepped closer, and I caught the faint scent of cedar and something masculine I couldn’t name. My pulse went haywire. “Good,” he said, tilting his head slightly. “We need to talk about… everything.”I followed him silently to the study, every step heavy with anticipation. The door closed behind us, and suddenly the mansion felt impossibly huge, yet the space between us unbearably small. He perched on the edge of the leather chair, leaning forward