جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 20

The ballroom was filled with an energy. The music was playing softly. Elena could feel the tension between Adrian and his rival. She was standing close to Adrian. Her hand would touch his every now and then. This helped her feel more grounded in a situation that felt really uncertain. Every time the man across the room looked at her Elena felt like he was trying to challenge Adrian, not her. But it was still affecting her. She felt scared, fascinated and jealous all at the time.Adrian noticed that Elena was looking at him. He leaned in a bit closer. Said in a low voice "Elena, pay attention. Things are not always what they seem. The person with control has the power."Elena nodded. Her mind was all over the place. The rival was moving around the room talking to people and being really charming.. He never stopped looking at Adrian. Elena's heart was beating faster. She was feeling really protective of Adrian. She did not realize how much she cared about him until now.Adrian said, "Yo

The party had gotten smaller. The tension was still there.Soft music was playing in Adrians hall but Elena didn't feel calm. Guests were still talking in groups laughing quietly and looking around with curiosity. Tonight had changed something. Something she couldn't quite figure out.Adrian was standing next to her looking as calm as always. Elena had started to notice small things that others might miss. The way he watched people across the room. The way his jaw tightened when the rival showed up.She turned to him."Who is he?" she asked quietly.Adrian didn't look at her.He kept watching the rival, who was talking to some investors looking relaxed and confident."You shouldn't worry about him " Adrian said."That wasn't an answer."For a moment Adrian was silent.The quiet between them felt heavier than before."Elena " he said, his voice calm but firm "some past things are not good to remember."She frowned."But he clearly knows you " she said. ". You know him."Adrian took a b

Morning came quietly to the house. The sun shone through the windows of the guest wing. It made gold lines on Elenas bedroom floor. The morning warmth did little to ease her thoughts. They had kept her most of the night. She thought about Adrians words again and again. You were already walking into it. What did that mean? Elena sat on the edge of the bed. She stared at her phone. The anonymous messages were still there. They were like shadows waiting to grow. Her instincts told her one thing clearly now. Someone was watching her. Not Adrians rival. Someone else. Someone who knew more than they should. If Adrian wouldn't explain everything… She would find the answers herself. The big house was quieter during the day. Most of the staff moved quietly through the halls. They were doing their jobs with professionalism. Adrian had already left for work that morning. The house manager told her that. Elena found herself walking through the corridors of the estate.

The next morning arrived with an unsettling quiet. Elena woke slowly, the memory of the previous night lingering in her mind like a shadow she couldn’t shake. The hidden clause in the contract had changed everything. What had once felt like a bold, impulsive decision now felt like stepping into a world she didn’t fully understand. She sat up in the massive bed, pushing aside the silk covers. The room was bright with morning sunlight filtering through the tall glass windows, but the warmth did little to calm the uneasy feeling in her chest. Five years. And protection from enemies she had never even heard of. Elena stood and walked toward the window. The view of the Blackwood estate stretched endlessly before her—perfectly trimmed gardens, long winding driveways, and towering gates that separated the mansion from the outside world. But today, something felt different. Her eyes narrowed slightly. Two black security vehicles were parked near the entrance of the main drivewa

The mansion was unusually quiet that evening.Elena sat alone in the study connected to Adrian’s private library, a thick folder on the polished wooden desk in front of her. The soft glow of the desk lamp shone on the stack of documents she had been staring at for twenty minutes.The marriage contract.When she had signed it weeks ago everything had happened fast. She had been humiliated by Victor’s betrayal. Then Adrian Blackwood appeared with a proposal that changed her life in one night.At the time the contract was paperwork.Now it felt like a cage.Elena turned another page her brows furrowed as the dense legal language continued.Most of it she had already skimmed before. Financial arrangements. Public appearances. Confidentiality clauses. Obligations regarding the media.Everything expected in a high-profile marriage agreement.Tonight something felt different.Her eyes paused at a paragraph buried within the document.She leaned forward.“Clause 17: Duration and Protection Ma