บททั้งหมดของ Bullied Wife In A Contract Marriage : บทที่ 1 - บทที่ 10

~ Amara ~ The eggs were the wrong kind. I stood in the kitchen doorway with the grocery bag against my hip, staring at the carton I'd set on the counter, realizing too late that I'd bought large instead of extra-large. It was a small, stupid thing. But Noah was already watching me from across the kitchen with that look he'd been wearing for weeks — tight jaw, red-rimmed eyes — and I braced for something I couldn't name. "We had to let the last of the regional drivers go this morning," he said. He didn't raise his voice. That almost made it worse. "I know," I said. I moved to the counter and started unpacking the bag. Bread. Eggs. The cheapest coffee on the shelf. I kept my hands busy so I wouldn't have to meet his eyes. "You know." He repeated it slowly, like he was turning the words over. "You knew and you didn't say anything. You just went to the grocery store." "What was I supposed to say, Noah?" "I don't know, Amara. Something. Anything." He pushed off the counter, his voi

~ Amara ~"You aren't actually going to do this," Noah said. He was standing in my doorway, his shoulder leaning against the frame. He had a dish towel in his hand, and he was twisting it between his fingers. It was a nervous habit he’d had since we were kids. I didn't look up from my suitcase. I was trying to fit my favorite sweater into the corner, but the sleeve kept popping back out. "I already said I would, Noah," I replied. My voice was flat. I didn't want to give him any emotion to grab onto. "It’s a contract, not a death sentence," he snapped, throwing the towel onto my bed. "But it feels like one. You’re twenty-four. You’re supposed to be starting a life, not selling one to a man who thinks people are line items on a ledger." "If I don't do this, Dad loses the warehouse," I said. I finally got the sweater to stay down and zipped the bag. The sound of the zipper felt like a final seal. "If he loses the warehouse, he loses himself. And you? You’ll be paying off his failures

~ Gideon ~"She’s a big girl; she’ll manage." I didn't look at Adrian, my Best friend, as I said it. I didn't need to. I could feel his eyes on the back of my head while I stared out the floor-to-ceiling windows of my office at Helix Tower. Below us, Ravenport City looked like a circuit board—orderly, predictable, and entirely under my thumb. "You left her at the altar, Gid," Adrian said. I heard the squeak of leather as he leaned back in one of my guest chairs. "Literally. The judge hadn't even closed his book before you were halfway to the elevator." "The ceremony was a formality," I replied. I turned around and sat behind my marble desk. "The contract was signed yesterday. The legal requirements are met. My presence at the estate for an afternoon of awkward small talk wouldn't change the numbers on the wire transfer." "It’s not about numbers. It’s about optics." Adrian tossed a file onto my desk. "Your mother is already calling. She wants to know why the 'new Mrs. Moore' is cur

~ Amara ~“The west wing is off-limits to you,” Maribel said. She didn't look up from her clipboard. She stood in the center of the grand foyer, her black uniform pressed so sharply it looked like it could cut paper. “The master suite and Mr. Moore’s study are private. You are to remain in the east wing unless you are summoned or joining the family for meals.”I clutched the strap of my bag. It was mid-morning, and Gideon had already left for Helix Tower hours ago without a word. The house felt massive, a cavern of marble and silence that seemed to swallow the sound of my breathing.“I understand,” I said. My voice sounded small in the high-ceilinged room. “Is there anything I should know about the staff? If I need help with—”“The staff has their assignments, Mrs. Moore,” she interrupted. She finally looked at me, her eyes cold and professional. “We are quite capable of managing this household without additional input. If you require something specific, you may leave a note on the ki

~ Gideon ~ “Is she actually that quiet, or is she just terrified of you?” Adrian’s voice cut through the hum of the server banks in my private office. I didn't look up from the tablet in my hand. We were on the sixty-fourth floor of Helix Tower, and the city of Ravenport stretched out behind me in a grid of cold, electric blue. My focus remained on the quarterly projection for our logistics merger—a project that required precision, not gossip. “She’s reserved,” I said. My voice was even, the tone I used for board meetings where the outcome was already decided. “It’s one of the reasons the contract works. She doesn't feel the need to fill every silence with noise.” Adrian let out a short, sharp laugh and leaned back in the leather guest chair. He was my closest friend, which usually meant he was the only person allowed to be this annoying. “Reserved is one thing, Moore. But I saw her at the gala last night. When Selene started in on her dress, the girl looked like she was trying