All Chapters of The CEO’s Contract Bride: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

61 Chapters

Chapter 41 - THE MOTION

ISABELLA’S POVThe emergency board meeting was called for two in the afternoon. I arrived fifteen minutes early, dressed in a charcoal gray suit that made me look older, more authoritative. Lucia walked beside me, her tablet already open with counterarguments and documentation."Remember," she said quietly as we approached the boardroom. "Stay calm. Don't let Samuel provoke you.""I know.""I mean it, Isa. He wants you emotional. Don't give him that."I nodded. We entered the boardroom together.The space was already half full. Board members stood in clusters, speaking in low voices that stopped when they saw me. I felt their eyes follow me as I moved to my seat. Marcus was already there, seated near the head of the table. He gave me a small nod.Samuel sat at the opposite end, flanked by two board members I recognized as his allies. He looked pleased with himself. Confident.I sat down and opened my portfolio, keeping my hands steady. Lucia took the seat beside me."Good afternoon,"

Last Updated : 2026-02-23

Chapter 42

ETHAN’S POV I watched Isabella's hands tighten on the table. I watched her knuckles go white. Watched the momentary break in her armor when Samuel twisted the knife about family.She recovered quickly. But I had seen it. The flinch. The hurt.Samuel had seen it too. And he was pleased with himself. I noticed his smile widen slightly.I felt something cold settle in my chest. Anger. Not at Isabella. At Samuel.It surprised me.I had spent weeks investigating her. Accusing her. Trying to prove she was guilty of something. And now here I was, furious on her behalf.The contradiction didn't escape me.But watching Samuel use her family history as a weapon made something clear: whatever Isabella had or hadn't done, she didn't deserve this.I had always thought Isabella was calm and controlling. I told myself she could handle him. That she didn’t need defending.I didn’t like how wrong that suddenly felt."Enough," the chairman said. "Samuel, you've made your position clear. Does anyone el

Last Updated : 2026-02-24

Chapter 43

ETHAN’S POV "What do you want, Ethan?"I held his gaze."You crossed a line.”He scoffed, gathering his papers with sharp, angry movements. "What happened is that the board made a mistake. Isabella's instability will become obvious eventually. I'm just ahead of the curve.""You're not ahead of anything. You're desperate.""Excuse me?"I stood slowly. Walked around the table toward him. Kept my movements casual. Unhurried."You tried to destroy Isabella's credibility with false allegations," I said. "You failed. Spectacularly.""Those allegations weren't false.""Yes, they were. And you know it." I stopped a few feet away from him. "Why?" Samuel took a step closer. "Why would you defend her? You hate Isabella.""I don't hate her."He let out a short laugh. “Yes you do. You had her investigated." Samuel's voice rose. My eyes narrowed.How had he found out about the investigations? "And now suddenly you're her defender? What changed?" he asked. "I learned the difference between sus

Last Updated : 2026-02-24

Chapter 44

ISABELLA’S POV I woke at six. The penthouse was quiet. No sound from Ethan's room, no indication he was awake yet.Good. I could eat breakfast and leave before he woke.I dressed quickly in a cream blouse and navy trousers, pulled my hair back, and applied minimal makeup. When I entered the kitchen, I stopped.Ethan was already there, sitting at the counter with coffee and his tablet. He looked up when I walked in.We stared at each other for a long moment. It was too late to go back now. "Morning," he said finally."Morning."I moved to the coffee maker, hyper-aware of the space between us. The kitchen suddenly felt smaller than it had yesterday.The staff had left breakfast prepared. Pastries, fruit, yogurt. I took a croissant I didn't want and poured coffee I didn't need.Ethan went back to his tablet. I sat at the opposite end of the counter.The silence stretched. Uncomfortable. Heavy with everything we weren't saying."About the board meeting," Ethan said without looking up.

Last Updated : 2026-02-25

Chapter 45

ISABELLA’S POVThe ISMARA building became my refuge. I arrived at seven every morning and left after ten every night. The launch was in two and a half weeks. Every detail had to be perfect.Lucia found me on the third day, reviewing fabric swatches for the display windows at midnight."You're going to burn out," she said, sitting down across from me."I'm fine.""You're not fine. You've been here for sixteen hours.""There's a lot to do.""You're using work to avoid something." She leaned forward. “You've been like this for over a week”“I told you it's because I miss Brahms.”"No it's not.” I said nothing. “What happened after the board meeting?"""Nothing happened.""Isa."I set down the fabric swatch. "Ethan and I agreed to maintain professional distance. Just the contract. Nothing more.""So why do you look like someone died?"I was quiet for a moment. "He didn't apologize.""For what?""For the accusations. For suggesting I slept my way to success. And implying I was prostitut

Last Updated : 2026-02-25

Chapter 46

ISABELLA’S POV I woke up with a headache that felt like someone was driving nails through my skull. The room spun when I tried to sit up. My throat was raw, my body ached.Fever. Probably from the stress and lack of sleep catching up with me.I reached for my phone. Seven missed calls from Lucia. Three texts.Where are you?The lighting team is here. We need your approval.Isa, answer your phone.I typed back slowly. Sick. Fever. Can you handle the lighting approval? I trust your judgment.Her response came immediately. Of course. Rest. I'll update you later.I set my phone down and closed my eyes. The penthouse was quiet. Ethan would be at his office by now.Good. I could sleep this off without anyone hovering.I drifted in and out for the next few hours. At some point, I got up for water and medicine. The kitchen felt miles away. I made it back to bed and collapsed.The doorbell woke me around three in the afternoon.I didn’t move at first.It rang again.I heard footsteps. The hou

Last Updated : 2026-02-26

Chapter 47

ETHAN'S POVI came home at nine, later than planned. The acquisition negotiations had dragged on for hours. My head was pounding. All I wanted was a drink and silence.The elevator doors opened to my floor. Lights were on in the penthouse. That was unusual for this time of night.I unlocked the door and stepped inside.Sophia was sitting on the couch, perfectly composed, scrolling through her phone.I stopped. "What are you doing here?"She looked up and smiled. "Ethan! Finally, I've been waiting for hours."I set my briefcase down. "Why?""I needed to talk to you. About Isabella." She stood, smoothing her blouse."What are you talking about?""I came by this afternoon to discuss the charity gala next month. You remember, the one I'm organizing? I thought Isabella might want to be involved, given her fashion connections." Sophia moved closer. "But when I arrived, she was very hostile. Accused me of all sorts of things. Said I had no right to be here."I frowned. "Did you call before c

Last Updated : 2026-02-26

Chapter 48

ISABELLA’S POVI couldn't sleep.The fever had broken around midnight, leaving me drenched in sweat and shivering.My skin felt raw, oversensitive, like even the air brushing against it was too much.I changed my shirt twice. I tried lying down. I tried sitting up. Nothing worked.My throat still burned. My head still pounded. But now I was awake, staring at the ceiling, unable to stop replaying the evening.Ethan letting Sophia stay. His voice saying, "She'd have to spend the night," like it was inevitable. Like my objection didn't matter.The blank look on his face when I asked him to make her leave.I also remembered the afternoon before it.Lucia's call about Brahms. The panic that had flooded through me when she said something had happened at his school. The ten minutes of terror before I finally got through to his teacher and learned he'd just fallen on the playground. Scraped his knee. Nothing serious, but he'd cried for me."Maman, maman," the teacher had said he kept repeatin

Last Updated : 2026-02-26

Chapter 49

ETHAN’S POVI woke at six to find Sophia beside me, still asleep.I tapped her shoulder lightly. She groaned and turned over."You have to leave," I said, sitting up."What?" Her voice was thick with sleep."You have to leave," I repeated. "I need to get to work early."She propped herself up on one elbow. "I can stay. Make breakfast. We could–""No, you can't. You have to leave."Her expression shifted. Hurt. Confused."Ethan, last night–""Last night was a mistake." I stood, moving away from the bed."Yet you didn't push me away.""Sophia, I already explained this arrangement to you. We can't be doing this until the arrangement is over. So that makes last night a mistake that shouldn't repeat itself.""A mistake?""Yes," I answered, pulling out clothes from my closet."Does Isabella know that?"I stopped and turned to look at her.Sophia smiled slightly. "I'm just saying. From certain perspectives, it might look different, sound different.""Get dressed," I said coldly. "You're leav

Last Updated : 2026-02-27

Chapter 50

ISABELLA’S POVI didn't see Ethan for the next few days.He left early each morning before I woke up. Came home late after I'd gone to bed. We existed in the same space without occupying it together.I threw myself into work. The ISMARA launch was in less than two weeks.Every detail had to be perfect.But underneath every decision, the sounds from that night haunted me.Sophia's voice. Ethan's response. The intimate rhythm I'd heard through the walls.I told myself it didn't matter. That Ethan could sleep with whoever he wanted. But every time I closed my eyes, I heard those sounds again.And underneath the sounds, a question I couldn't silence: Why did it hurt so much?Lucia found me at the ISMARA building at midnight on the third day."You need to sleep," she said."I will. After I finish reviewing the display layouts.""Isa. You just recovered from a fever. You're going to make yourself sick again.""I'm fine."She sat down across from me. "What happened with Sophia?"I looked up.

Last Updated : 2026-02-27

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