Signed to Be His Sin의 모든 챕터: 챕터 11 - 챕터 20

Richard Blackwood did not linger in the morning.He never did.Lucien watched from the edge of the dining room as his father buttoned his coat with mechanical precision, movements sharp and economical. There was no warmth in the goodbye, no sentimentality. Just a brief nod in Seraphina’s direction and a measured look at Lucien that said far more than words ever could.“I expect results,” Richard said.Lucien inclined his head. “You’ll have them.”The door closed behind him with a final, echoing click.Silence filled the penthouse.Seraphina exhaled slowly, only now realizing how tightly she had been holding herself together. Her shoulders relaxed, just slightly.“He doesn’t miss much,” she said quietly.Lucien turned toward her. “No. He misses nothing.”She hesitated. “I didn’t make things worse, did I?”His brow furrowed. “Why would you think that?”“Because men like him don’t like variables,” she replied. “And I’m… unexpected.”Lucien studied her for a moment. Then, to her surprise,

The city had a different rhythm at night.Lights flickered like stars caught in steel, and the streets hummed with quiet danger. Seraphina walked slowly, heels clicking against the pavement, as if the sound could anchor her racing thoughts. Her mind refused to rest.Lucien had been distant since the contract amendment conversation. Not absent, but guarded, like a man carefully measuring his own emotions. And for the first time, Seraphina realized she was beginning to care—not just about surviving in his world, but about what she might lose if she let herself.She paused outside a small café, lights spilling warmth into the cold January air. She wanted to be alone, yet somewhere deep inside, she longed for him. For the dangerous comfort of his presence.Her phone buzzed. A message from Lucien.Meet me at the office. Now.The abruptness made her stomach knot. She didn’t like commands—but she had learned that when he said now, it wasn’t a request.The elevator ride was quiet. She could f

The gala had started as planned: shimmering lights, polished conversation, and laughter that masked the undercurrent of power. Seraphina moved through the crowd with calculated grace, Lucien always at her side, an invisible wall she could feel more than see. Every glance from him, every subtle shift in posture, reminded her she was no longer just a participant—she was part of a team.But the message from earlier that day still hung over them like a storm cloud. We have evidence that could damage your reputation.Seraphina had replayed it in her mind countless times, wondering how serious it could be. The answer came faster than she expected.A man approached, sharply dressed, his eyes cold and calculating. He greeted Lucien with a polite bow and a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.“Mr. Blackwood,” he said smoothly, “I hope you don’t mind my intrusion. I have a concern regarding a recent transaction.”Lucien’s jaw tightened imperceptibly. “I’m listening.”Seraphina felt the shift immed

The first attack came quietly.Seraphina didn’t notice it at breakfast. The penthouse was bathed in soft morning light, the city stretching endlessly below, indifferent to the lives unfolding above it. She sat at the kitchen island, scrolling absently through her phone while sipping coffee, still replaying the previous night in her mind.Lucien choosing her.Not the contract. Not the optics.Her.She was still holding onto that warmth when her screen refreshed.Then again.Her brows knitted together.A notification from an unfamiliar news outlet. Then another. And another.She tapped one.BLACKWOOD CEO’S “CONTRACT WIFE” QUESTIONED — WHO IS SERAPHINA VALE?Her stomach dropped.She opened the article, heart pounding harder with each paragraph. Speculation. Carefully worded insinuations. A vague reference to her background, twisted into something suspicious. They questioned her intentions. Her value. Whether she was a strategic plant meant to influence Lucien’s business decisions.It was

Lucien learned about the betrayal before it reached the headlines.That alone told him how close it was.He stood in the executive lounge of Blackwood Tower just after dawn, the city still half-asleep beneath a veil of gray. His phone lay on the table between two untouched cups of coffee. Across from him sat Marcus Hale—Chief Financial Officer, trusted ally, a man Lucien had pulled up from obscurity years ago.Marcus wouldn’t meet his eyes.“That was your final chance,” Lucien said quietly.Marcus swallowed. “I didn’t think it would go this far.”Lucien’s gaze was steady, cold. “You rerouted internal projections to an external firm with known ties to my competitors. You allowed them to frame my wife as leverage. Tell me where you thought that would end.”Marcus’s hands trembled. “They promised it would only be pressure. That you’d pull back. Distance yourself.”Lucien leaned forward slowly. “From my wife.”Silence answered him.“You underestimated me,” Lucien continued. “And you misju