บททั้งหมดของ Love Beyond Contract: บทที่ 11 - บทที่ 18

Adrian's POV (Special POV) I sat in my office staring at absolutely nothing.The city stretched beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, glass and steel and movement, the whole world continuing like yesterday had not happened. Like a woman had not walked out of my life with signed divorce papers and a goodbye letter so final it still sat like a blade under my ribs.The papers were done.Signed by me. Sent to my lawyer first thing this morning.The shares had been released. The inheritance issue was over. Clean. Final. Exactly the way it was always supposed to be once the contract ended.So that should have been it.No more ties. No more obligations. No more Elena.And yet she was all I could think about.I leaned back in my chair and pressed my thumb against my temple, eyes closing for a moment.She had left without a word beyond that letter. No scene. No demands. No tears in front of me. Just a few neat lines on paper and a disappearing act so complete it made the house feel haunted.I

Melissa started complaining the second Adrian stepped into the bedroom.“Oh my God, Adrian, what is wrong with you?”He loosened his tie with one hand, already exhausted, the weight of the day clinging to him. “Melissa—”“No, don’t Melissa, me.” She folded her arms, irritation sharp across her face. “The past two days, you’ve barely spoken to me. You come home, and you zone out. You hardly touch me. We haven’t had any intimacy, nothing. It’s like I’m not even here.”Adrian remained silent at first. The truth was unpleasant. She was right; he had been distant, distracted, and preoccupied. But it wasn’t due to work, no matter how often he tried to convince her of that. It was the silence that Elena had left behind. He wasn't going to admit that.The strange, aching gap her absence had carved into the penthouse. The way the space felt too large now, too quiet, like something essential had been stripped from it. And no matter how many times he reminded himself that the contract was ove

The stock drop caught me off guard. Eleven percent in less than a day. That shouldn’t have happened unless something serious went wrong.“Repeat that,” I said, not taking my eyes off the report.Daniel, one of my analysts, spoke up with clarity. “The Eastern regional stock has plummeted eleven percent since yesterday afternoon, sir.” I met his gaze with a steady focus. “What’s the reason?” Lara, my operations assistant, quickly interjected after exchanging a confident glance with Daniel. “There was an incident at one of the warehouses yesterday morning.” I lifted an eyebrow, intrigued. “An incident?”“A worker died, sir,” she said quietly.The words hit harder than I expected. My chest tightened, and for a moment I felt unsteady, though I forced my expression to remain calm.“And this was only reported to me now?”Daniel shifted. “The report was delayed. There were protests in that region as well, workers claiming unsafe conditions and unfair pay.”I ran a hand over my face. “Un

By the time we left the gala, the night had transformed. The noise, the lights, the relentless movement of people—all of that stayed behind as the doors closed softly behind us. Outside, the air was cooler and calmer, like stepping into a completely different realm. I didn’t realize how much I craved that until I inhaled deeply.“Cold?” Daniel’s voice came from beside me, drawing my attention. I hadn’t even acknowledged the slight chill against my skin until he brought it up.“A little,” I admitted effortlessly.He didn’t respond with a lot of words—just shrugged off his jacket and held it out toward me. I paused, considering my next move. It wasn’t just the offer itself—it was the way he made it seem so natural. There were no theatrics, no expectations, just quiet thoughtfulness.“You don’t have to,” I pointed out.“I know,” he replied, calm and sure.That was all. No insistence, no pressure; just a genuine offer. There was something powerful in that simplicity that made it hard to