Semua Bab Becoming His Wife By Contract : Bab 11 - Bab 20

Claire froze. The phone buzzed again in her hand, vibrating against her palm like a warning she didn’t want to answer. The smile that had been resting on her lips faded, replaced by an irritation…. “Hmm Not again…” she muttered under her breath. For a second, she considered ignoring it. Then a loud noise from the door came fast. Kpom kpom. It was a knock. It was sharp and sudden. Her head snapped toward the door. Another knock followed, it was slower this time around. And Intentional. Like whoever was outside knew she was already unsettled. Claire stood up, her slippers moving softly against the floor as she walked toward the door saying who’s that knocking like a fool. Her chest tightened with each step. “I said who is…..” Before she could finish the sentence this time,the door flew open. She barely had time to react before Jason stepped in and shoved her backward. Her body hit the wall hard, a sharp gasp escaping her lips. “ Jason. What are you doing here?” she snapped,

The call ended, but Ethan didn’t move. For a second, he just stood there, the phone still in his hand, like his mind wasn't processing what he just heard well. Then it hit him and the shift was immediate. His expression hardened, something darker sliding into his eyes, something that hadn’t been there all evening. “Ethan?” Emily called carefully. “What’s going on? Is everything okay? What happened?” He didn’t answer. He grabbed his jacket instead, his movements sharper now, no longer controlled in that quiet, effortless way she had seen earlier. There was tension in every step, in the way his fingers tightened around the fabric. “We have to go,” he said. Emily frowned, rising slowly. “Go where? Ethan, talk to me.” “Not now, please Emily not know.” he snapped, and this time the fire in his voice was impossible to miss. She was still. That softness from before the man who had looked at her like she mattered, who had asked her to take the ring like it meant something wasn’t there

“What are you two talking about?”Claire said to them in a lighttone.Lila recovered first, forcing a small laugh. “Nothing serious. We were just talking.”“Talking?” Claire tilted her head slightly.Richard stepped in smoothly. “About them.”“Them?” she repeated.He smiled faintly. “The boss and Madam Emily.”Lila nodded quickly. “They look good together.”Claire’s lips curved. Richard said that purposely to get under her skin “Hmm,” she hummed. “Is that what you guys are here to do? Gossip around.”Claire got furious. Like she was angry at what they said.Then she brushed it off.“Well, is Emily done?” she asked in a harsh tone.“Yes she should or would you still like me to go check,” Lila offered quickly.Claire waved her off. “No, don’t worry. I’ll go myself.”And just like that, she walked away mummuring “can you imagine those fools. Yen leave together” she hissed and Walk towards the stairsThe moment she disappeared down the hallway, Lila let out a breath and laughed she didn’

A few hours later…The room was already alive before Emily stepped in.Cameras flashing. Voices overlapping. The low hum of expectation sitting heavy in the air.Everyone was waiting. The press was preparing their lights.And then She walked in.Emily walked in steady. Every step was speaking for itself. Not rushed. Not nervous.Her heels touched the marble floor one step at a time, soft but commanding. Conversations lowered without anyone being told to. Eyes followed her without permission.She didn’t look like someone walking into an interview.She looked like someone walking into a moment she had already decided she would win.The dress hugged her body like it was made for this exact night elegant, bold, impossible to ignore. Her hair framed her face perfectly, soft but controlled.And then there was the ring.The diamond caught the light with every slight movement of her hand.Ethan’s ring.The chain resting against her co

Present TimeBack at the Reed mansion, silence stretched between Emily and Claire like a taut wire ready to snap. The noise of the crowd laughter, overlapping conversations, and the occasional burst of camera flashes felt distant, muffled by the heavy tension hanging in the air.Emily spoke first, keeping her voice deliberately light but laced with firm resolve. “Take a chill pill, Claire. What’s going on with you? I just killed the interview. I did the right thing. That’s all you should care about. I don’t know why you’re asking me these weird questions. You’ve been acting weird all day.”Claire caught herself mid-breath, forcing a laugh that sounded brittle and strained, like glass cracking under pressure. “What’s wrong with you?” She paused, visibly wrestling for control, then quickly recovered with a practiced smile. “Oh, I understand, Emily. I’ve been stressed all day, you know? Trying to make everything go right for the boss and the entire event. I’m sorry. I