Alle Kapitel von Three-Years Contract Marriage with the Billionaire : Kapitel 1 – Kapitel 10

Lena.I refilled the champagne glasses carefully, weaving through clusters of glittering guests who looked through me rather than at me. The black dress I wore, the same one I'd worn to every family event for the past three years had a small tear at the hem that no one had noticed. No one ever noticed."More champagne here," a woman in diamonds called out, snapping her fingers without bothering to look at my face.I moved to her, my footsteps silent on the marble floor of the Carter mansion's ballroom. Cassie's engagement party was in full swing, two hundred guests celebrating my stepsister's upcoming marriage to Liam Whitley, heir to a pharmaceutical fortune. A string quartet played in the corner. The air smelled of expensive perfume and imported flowers.I belonged to none of it.But in exactly seven days, none of this would matter anymore.Seven days until I had enough money saved. Seven days until my interview at the marketing firm in Boston. Seven days until I could disappear fro

Lena.The venue was a penthouse suite in downtown Manhattan. No flowers decorated the space, no music played. Just witnesses and lawyers scattered across leather chairs, checking their phones and waiting for the formality to conclude.I stood in the bride's preparation room, staring at myself in the floor-length mirror. The white dress Bridget had bought hung awkwardly on my body—expensive but ill-fitting, chosen by a personal shopper in a rush. She had clearly given them my measurements wrong, whether by accident or spite. No veil. No bouquet. Just a designer dress that didn't fit and made me look like I was playing dress-up. I looked like I was attending a funeral. Maybe I was."Five minutes," someone called from outside.I took a breath and walked out. The ceremony space was minimal—a simple altar, two chairs for witnesses, a stern-faced officiant who looked like he performed a dozen weddings a day. My father and Bridget sat on one side. On the other side sat an older man I recogni

Jules.I watched from my study window as Lena stood in the lobby thirty floors below, a small figure facing Cassie's dramatic gestures. I'd told security to give Lena privacy but to intervene if things escalated. I was just protecting my investment, maintaining control of the situation. That's what I told myself, even as my hand clenched around my whiskey glass hard enough to hurt.Nate's words from earlier echoed in my mind: "She's not what I expected. She's... genuine. When's the last time you met someone genuine, Jules?"I had dismissed it. Nate always saw the best in people—it made him an excellent mediator but a terrible judge of character. Lena was no different from any other woman. The trembling voice during the vows, the wide eyes, the careful politeness—all calculated to appeal to protective instincts. I'd seen it before.Except I hadn't. Not like this.I thought about lunch, watching Nate make her almost-smile. Watching her relax, bit by bit, like ice melting. The way she'd

Julian.Merger terms. Page forty-seven, subsection twelve, clause regarding asset liquidation in the event of…I read the same sentence four times and retained nothing.Across my desk, the photograph from my safe sat face-down in the locked drawer. I'd taken it out this morning. Looked at it. Put it away again.Twelve-year-old Lena, bruised and crying.Twenty-four-year-old Lena, sitting with Nate in a restaurant, smiling at something he said. Really smiling, not the careful, practiced expression she used at business dinners. Genuine warmth.The kind of warmth she never showed me.My intercom buzzed. "Mr. Blackwood? Your 10 o'clock is here."I shoved the merger documents aside and stood. Time to be the Ice King again. It was easier than whatever the hell I was doing at breakfast.The meeting was brutal and efficient, exactly how I liked them. Three hours of contract negotiations where I gave nothing and took everything I wanted. The opposing counsel left looking like they'd been profes

JULIAN"Bridget was driving."Three words that confirmed what my PI had already told me. But hearing Lena say it, watching her face go pale, seeing her hands shake, that was different than reading it in a report.I didn't move. Didn't speak. Just waited.Lena stood abruptly, pacing to the window. "You already knew." Not a question."I suspected.""How long?""The PI report came three days ago."She spun around. "Three days? You've known for three days and didn't tell me?""I needed confirmation. Evidence, not suspicion." I kept my voice level. "What else happened that night?""I don't want to talk about this.""Lena…""You had me investigated. You read about my mother's death like it was a business transaction." Her voice cracked. "I don't owe you anything."She was right. The contract didn't entitle me to her trauma.But I wanted it anyway."Sit down," I said."No.""Please."The word stopped her. I didn't say please. Not to anyone. She knew it too, because she slowly returned to the