บททั้งหมดของ Billionaire Contract Marriage: Her Quest : บทที่ 1 - บทที่ 10

Prologue The first crack in the night came long before the car crash. It had started at the dining table. Eight-year-old Sophia, seated at the far end of her grandparents' enormous dining table, her pretty leather shoes barely brushing the floor, that was caught her attention. Crystal teardrops hung from the chandelier, making the chandelier look like it was crying, catching candlelight, and scattering fractured rainbows across the pristine white tablecloth. It was so beautiful and somehow sad. " The quarterly reports show a fifteen percent increase." Her father's voice broke through her thoughts, very calm and edged with quiet pride. Sophia looked up. Uncle Richard's face had already darkened to an awful shade she immediately recognized. His fork clattered against his plate. " Your expansions," he spat. " Always your projects, your success. Some of us have been here just as long, James. Some of us have sacrificed just as much." Sophia tensed. Beside her, her mother's hand

By morning Sophia had completely made up her mind. She didn't need days or options she needed things to be in control. "Cancel all non-essential meetings." Her voice was calm and precise as she walked into the conference room. Executives straightened immediately, conversations dying mid-sentence. "Reschedule the board review. Postpone the acquisition call till tomorrow." No one questioned them, as they never did, because when Sophia Ashford spoke, things had to move. "Miss Ashford," one of the senior directors hesitated, "the investors..." "Will wait." Two words, flat and final. The man swallowed and nodded. Minutes later she stood alone in the elevator, glass walls reflecting her image at her from every angle. She looked perfect in her head there was a plan unfolding. 'They wanted to choose her husband, they thought they could trap her using marriage as a leash.' Sophia smiled faintly. 'If they wanted a husband she would give them one just not the one they expected.

The moment the contract was signed, everything changed. Not physically or immediately. But Sophia felt it. "Draw up the announcement," she said, her voice calm as she walked to her desk the next morning. Mr Thomas hesitated. "Now?" Sophia didn't look at him. "Yes. Engagement, effective today." Across the room, David sat still. "Engagement?" He repeated slowly. Sophia finally looked up. Her gaze met his. Steady and unapologetic. "You didn't think we'd wait, did you?" she said. "My family moves fast when they smell an opportunity." His jaw tightened. "And this..." he gestured faintly between them "... is part of the performance?" "All of it is." The silence stretched heavily. "Fine," he said. One word. Flat. But beneath it something simmered. Sophia rose from her seat, smoothing invisible creases from her dress. "Then we start now." The first rule of the contract: Appearance is everything. Within hours the news had spread wildly, it was explosive. 'Sophia Ash

Morning came too quickly, and for the first time in years, Sophia woke up feeling... unsettled. Not weak or broken, just off. The kind of feeling she couldn't categorize and that alone irritated her. She sat up slowly, the memory of the night pressing faintly against her mind- water, panic, breath stolen and then him. David standing in her doorway like he belonged there. Like he had a right to see her like that. Her jaw tightened. That couldn't happen again. By the time she stepped into the living area, she was already back in control. Or at least, she looked like she was. He was there, standing in her kitchen like he'd been there for years, sleeves rolled up, coffee in hand feeling comfortable. That alone annoyed her. He turned slightly as she approached him, his gaze sweeping over her face, sharp and observant. "You didn't sleep," he said. It wasn't a question, it was a statement. Sophia reached for a glass of water, her movements smooth and deliberate. "I sleep when I need to.

The silence in the car was louder than the press conference. It pressed in from all sides, thick and unrelenting, wrapping around Sophia like something alive. The city lights blurred past the window, streaks of gold and white against the glass, but she wasn’t really seeing any of it. She was replaying his words. Because some things are worth the risk. Her jaw tightened slightly. That wasn’t part of the contract. That wasn’t part of anything she had planned. And yet it had worked. “You keep doing that.” David’s voice broke through her thoughts, calm and observant. Sophia didn’t turn. “Doing what?” “Thinking like something just went wrong.” Her lips curved faintly. “Nothing went wrong.” “Right,” he said. The disbelief in his tone was quiet—but it was there. Sophia finally turned her head, her gaze sharp. “If you have something to say, David, say it.” He met her eyes easily. “I already did.” Silence stretched. “That press conference?” he continued. “That wasn’t just busines