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All Chapters of The CEO’s Contract Bride: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

90 Chapters

Chapter 21

ETHAN’S POV The building was almost empty when Caleb arrived.The executive floor lights were dimmed to night mode, only a few offices still glowing. I stood by the window of my office, staring down at the city without really seeing it. Sophia’s words kept re-echoing in my head.I had called Caleb an hour earlier with no explanation. Just a request. He hadn’t asked questions.The door opened quietly.“You look like someone who hasn’t slept,” Caleb said as he stepped inside, closing the door behind him.“I haven’t,” I replied.Caleb dropped his tablet onto the desk and studied my face. “You want to tell me why you dragged me out here at this hour?”I turned from the window. “I need you to pull someone’s files.”Caleb raised an eyebrow. “Whose?”“Isabella’s,” I said.His expression shifted, just slightly.“Your wife’s?”“Yes,” I replied, nodding my head.“Personnel or personal?”“Personnel. From her time at Dexter Holdings.”There it was. The pause.Caleb didn’t sit. He crossed his arm

Chapter 22

ISABELLA’S POV Sophia’s voice would not leave my head.I sat alone in the back seat of the car, my phone dark in my hand, the city passing by outside the window. I had replayed the moment too many times already. The exact tone. The careful pause. The way the words had been chosen to sound harmless.There’s no way I built ISMARA alone.It wasn’t the accusation itself that tightened my chest. It was what the accusation erased.The nights.The early contracts.The mistakes that nearly ruined me.The deals I had walked away from because they came with conditions I refused to accept.I closed my eyes briefly and forced my breathing to steady.This had nothing to do with Ethan.That realization surprised me.It would have been easier if it had been about him. About his opinion. About whether he believed me. But the anger burning under my ribs had nothing to do with Ethan’s doubt.It was about being reduced.Lucia’s office was quiet when I arrived. No staff. No tablets on the table. The win

Chapter 23

ISABELLA’S POV The first property smelled like fresh paint and impatience.I stood near the entrance while the agent talked. Lucia walked slowly, already dismissing it without needing to say a word. The ceilings were low. The offices were narrow. Everything felt temporary.Temporary was something I had outgrown. ISMARA was no longer something I needed to prove. It was something I needed to protect.“This won’t work,” I said quietly.The agent blinked. “It’s one of the fastest growing areas in Midtown.”“It’s cramped,” I replied. “And too visible.”Lucia nodded. “Next.”We were back in the car within minutes.The second building was glass and steel, all angles and open floors. Too exposed. Every wall transparent. Too many eyes.Lucia stopped near the window. “This invites scrutiny.”“It invites performance,” I said. “I don’t want ISMARA to look like a statement. I want it to look inevitable.”“Yes,” Lucia replied.We left again.By the fourth property, my patience was thinning. I watc

Chapter 24

ETHAN’S POVThe office was quiet in the way that only came after midnight.Most of the floor was dark. The city beyond the glass was still awake, but inside Dexter Holdings everything had slowed to a deliberate hush. I sat at my desk, jacket discarded over the back of my chair, sleeves rolled to my forearms. My laptop screen glowed softly.The notification had come in the afternoon.I had not opened it right away.Now it sat at the top of my inbox, unread, its subject line plain and professional.Lease Inquiry. ISMARA Group.I stared at it for several seconds longer than necessary before clicking.The request was formal. Clean language. No personal note. No unnecessary explanation. A New York expansion. Interest in a specific property. Terms to be discussed.My building.My jaw tightened slightly.ISMARA.I leaned back, eyes narrowing as I reread the name. Of course it would be that building. Of course it would be now.I closed the file without responding.Caleb’s office light was sti

Chapter 25

ISABELLA’S POV If you’re available, we can meet publicly to discuss the lease. Dinner. Neutral ground. No pressure.My thumb hovered over the screen for a moment.“I’m not replying,” I muttered to myself, leaning back in my chair.Lucia appeared in the doorway almost immediately, her tablet in hand. “Already saw it?” she asked, her voice calm but curious.“I decline,” I replied flatly, tossing the phone onto the desk.Lucia glanced at the screen anyway. “You do?” She raised an eyebrow. “That was fast.”“I want the building, not a social engagement. He can wait,” I said, folding my arms.Lucia leaned against the doorframe. “Isabella…” She paused, studying me. “You do know why he suggested dinner? This isn’t personal. It’s optics. Public visibility matters.”“I know exactly what it is,” I said, irritation creeping into my tone. “I have work to do.”Lucia didn’t flinch. She simply pulled up a chair and sat across from me. “The building won’t wait for your pride.”My gaze dropped to the

Chapter 26

ETHAN’S POVI chose Le Bernardin for dinner. Expensive, visible, the kind of place where photographers lingered outside hoping to catch celebrities or politicians.The kind of place that would guarantee our appearance made headlines by morning.When Isabella’s confirmation message came through, I found myself checking my watch every fifteen minutes for the rest of the afternoon.At four, I left the office early and went to my usual barber. Antonio raised an eyebrow when I walked in without an appointment.“Special occasion, Mr. Dexter?”“Just a trim,” I said, settling into the chair.He worked in silence for a while before speaking again. “You look tense. Big meeting tonight?”“Dinner.”“Ah.” He nodded knowingly. “With your wife?”I didn’t answer. Antonio was too smart to push further.By six, I was back at the penthouse, standing in front of my closet. I pulled out a charcoal suit, then put it back. Too formal. The navy one instead. I paired it with a white shirt, no tie. Approachabl

Chapter 27

ISABELLA’S POV“What do you want in return?”Ethan leaned back in his chair, studying me with an expression I couldn’t quite read.“What do you have to offer?”“Just charge me for the building. I’ll pay whatever price you name.”“No.”The single word was flat, final.“What do you mean, no?”“I mean I don’t want your money.” Ethan picked up his wine glass, swirling the deep red liquid without drinking. “I want the past put behind us. That’s my condition.”I stared at him. I had prepared for demands and complicated negotiations. I had not prepared for this. “Why?”“Because I’m tired.” He set the glass down, his fingers still curved around the stem. He finally looked directly at me. “I want peace, Isabella. Is that so hard to believe?”I wanted to say yes. I wanted to tell him that after everything that had happened, after all the ways he had hurt me, peace seemed like a fantasy.But something in his voice stopped me. Something that sounded almost like exhaustion.“I have a condition o

Chapter 28

ISABELLA’S POV My phone started buzzing early the next morning.I groaned and reached for it on the nightstand, eyes still half-closed.“What?”“Have you seen the news?” Lucia’s voice was too bright, too awake for this hour.“I was sleeping.”I squinted at the clock. 6:47 AM. The curtains were still drawn, the room dim except for the glow of my phone screen.“Not anymore. Check your phone. We’re everywhere.”I sat up, pushing my hair out of my face. “What are you talking about?”“The dinner with Ethan. The photos are everywhere, Isabella. Every single tabloid, gossip site, and news outlet is running the story.”I knew the photos would be published. I just hadn’t expected enough chaos to justify a call this early.The first headline filled my screen.Married and Mesmerizing: Ethan and Isabella Dexter Share Intimate DinnerMy stomach dropped. I scrolled faster, my thumb moving almost frantically across the screen.Below it was a photo of Ethan and me at the restaurant. I was mid-laugh,

Chapter 29

ETHAN’S POV The reports from Paris arrived at six in the morning, delivered by encrypted email to my private server. I had been awake for an hour already, coffee cooling on my desk while I stared at the city skyline.I opened the first file. Financial records for ISMARA, spanning three years. Revenue streams, profit margins, investor contributions. Everything looked legitimate on the surface. Clean. Professional.Too clean.My accountant had flagged several large deposits that coincided with major fashion shows. All properly documented as sales proceeds. Nothing suspicious if you weren’t looking for it.But I was looking.I pulled up the second report, the one from the private investigator I had hired. Bank statements, wire transfers, business registrations. ISMARA had expanded methodically. Paris first, then London, now New York. Each location was funded through Isabella’s own capital and strategic investors.The investors. That was where I needed to focus.I scrolled through the li

Chapter 30

ISABELLA'S POV The space was quiet when I stepped inside. The lights were on but low, illuminating clean walls and wide floors that still smelled faintly of fresh paint.Large windows lined one side of the room, looking out over the city. New York moved relentlessly beyond the glass, unaware of what was beginning here.ISMARA New York.I walked slowly, heels clicking softly against the floor, my coat still on my shoulders. The furniture had not arrived yet. No mannequins. No displays.Just the bones of something real.Something mine.I stopped near the center of the room and turned in a slow circle, taking it all in. The measurements Lucia and I had debated endlessly were suddenly tangible. The placement of the front desk. The flow of foot traffic. The private fitting rooms tucked discreetly toward the back.I exhaled, long and steady.“This is it,” I said quietly.Lucia stood near the window, arms folded, watching me with an expression that held both pride and calculation.“You did

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