บททั้งหมดของ wife by contract, lover by mistake : บทที่ 11 - บทที่ 18

“I’m offering you fifty million dollars to become my wife.” Elena blinked. For a moment, she was sure she had misheard him. The man sitting across from her in the small, cluttered office of Lang Events didn’t look like someone who joked. Everything about him was controlled — the perfectly tailored black suit that fit his broad shoulders like it was made for intimidation, the calm, almost indifferent expression on his sharp, handsome face, and the quiet authority that made the air in the room feel heavier. “I need a wife,” he said simply, his voice low and steady, the kind that didn’t need to rise to be heard. “You need money. This is a transaction.” Elena let out a short, disbelieving laugh and leaned back in her chair, studying him more carefully. Men like him didn’t walk into small offices like hers unless they wanted something, and technically, he was here because of her. “You’re the one whose wedding I ‘ruined,’ remember?” she said, her tone edged with sarcasm. “So l

By seven, Elena was ready.She took her time getting dressed, not because she cared about impressing Adrian, but because she refused to walk into another room full of his world looking like she didn’t belong there. The dress she chose was black, smooth against her skin, fitted in a way that didn’t beg for attention but didn’t hide her either. Her hair fell naturally over her shoulders, and her makeup was clean, sharp, just enough to make a statement without trying too hard.When she stepped into the living area, Adrian was already there, standing near the window with his back partially turned.He looked at her.Not quickly. Not carelessly.His eyes moved over her once, slow and deliberate, taking in every detail like he was assessing something he hadn’t expected. For a second, there was something in his expression—something darker, quieter—but it disappeared almost immediately.“Let’s go,” he said.Nothing else.The ride to the event was silent, but it wasn’t the same silence from bef

Morning came quietly.Too quietly.Elena woke before the sun had fully risen, the soft gray light of the ocean slipping through the curtains and settling across the room. For a moment, she didn’t move. She just lay there, staring at the ceiling, her body still aware in a way she didn’t want to admit.The bed.The closeness.The way his arm had been around her.The way he had pulled away.Her chest tightened slightly.It wasn’t supposed to feel like that.Nothing about this was supposed to feel like that.She turned her head slightly.Adrian was already awake.Dressed.Standing near the window with his back to her, phone pressed to his ear, voice low enough that she almost didn’t catch it.Almost.“…yes. It’s done.”A pause.Elena stayed still.Something about his tone made her listen.“She signed. That’s all that matters.”Her fingers tightened slightly against the sheets.Signed?Another pause.His voice dropped further.“Of course it’s strategic. You think I would do something like

By seven, Elena was ready.She had taken her time with it, choosing something simple but deliberate—nothing loud, nothing that begged for attention, just enough to look like she belonged wherever he intended to take her. It wasn’t about impressing anyone. It was about not being caught off guard again.She waited in the living room, the quiet stretching slowly around her. At first, she sat. After a while, she stood, walking to the window, then back again. Time passed in small, unnoticed pieces until it became something she could feel.When her phone finally lit up, she didn’t reach for it immediately.Adrian: Something came up. Don’t wait.No explanation. No apology.Just instruction.Elena read it once, then again, before locking her phone and setting it down on the table.For a brief second, habit almost took over. Stay. Wait. Adjust.But the thought didn’t settle the way it used to.She picked up her bag, slipped her heels back on, and walked out without giving herself time to recon