All Chapters of His Bride by Contract, His Obsession by Fate: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

“Hold on a second, Rivaz,” Rory asked, probing as they stepped into his grand office. “Why did you really bring me here?”Rue stopped right in front of his executive desk, draped his suit jacket over the back of his swivel chair, and cast an icy glance at her.“I just need you to drive something away,” Rue answered simply before formally taking his seat and flipping open his laptop.Rory’s brows furrowed, caught completely off guard. “Drive away? Drive what away?”She received zero response from the man. Shrugging it off, she sauntered straight toward the plush sofa in the center of the office. Unhesitatingly, she leaned back and reclined slightly—acting as though she owned the entire company. She even propped up her legs and adjusted her position to get fully comfortable.Meanwhile, Rue quietly got to work, his fingers flying across the keyboard as he entered commands into his laptop and scanned documents on the screen, completely ignoring her presence as if he were entirely alone in

By seven in the evening, Rory was fully prepped in her suite at the Dimitrios mansion, ready for her night out with Rue. She stood before the floor-length mirror, admiring the understated elegance of her black dress—a classy, tailored silhouette that clung tastefully to her curves without being overly revealing. It struck the perfect balance of sophistication and allure, a look she knew Rue couldn't easily fault, though his opinion mattered little to her anyway. As she dabbed a hint of perfume onto her neck, a soft smile tugged at her lips as she recalled their phone conversation earlier that afternoon.“Dress appropriately tonight. I don’t want anyone else seeing you dressed like that besides me.”“Such an arrogant jerk,” Rory muttered to herself, shaking her head as she closed her eyes with a quiet laugh.She knew he was just teasing her, yet she had to admit it worked—it left a strange, fluttery nervousness lingering in her chest. Beyond trading barbs with Rue, however, she knew to

Silence hung heavy inside the car as they navigated the quiet road leading back to the mansion. Rory leaned her head against the seat, staring out the window at the blurred streetlights rushing past. Beside her, Rue kept a firm, serious grip on the steering wheel, his eyes locked onto the pavement in utter silence.Her bag suddenly vibrated as her phone chimed with an incoming call.Rory fished it out and glanced at the glowing screen. Her brows instantly knit together when she saw her mother’s name—Amanda. With a soft, weary sigh, she placed the phone face-down on her lap, letting it ring out.Noticing her hesitation, Rue cast a brief glance her way as the car came to a stop at a red light."Who's that? Why aren't you answering?" Rue asked directly."My mother," Rory muttered dryly, keeping her eyes fixed ahead. "She never has anything pleasant to say anyway."Before Rue could respond, the phone vibrated again. The relentless buzzing echoed through the car, a clear sign her mother wo

While Rory exchanged a warm smile with Mr. Dimitrios, her phone suddenly vibrated against the tabletop.Checking the screen, she saw an incoming call from Lorelie—one of the nurses she had worked alongside during her internship. Rory quickly tapped answer; Lorelie rarely called unless it was urgent."Hello, Lorelie? What's going on?" Rory asked."Rory! Thank goodness you answered!" Lorelie’s anxious voice came rushing through the speaker. "Rory, you need to get over here right now! Your mother is at the hospital!"Rory’s brows furrowed as she sat up straight. "What? Why? What happened? Was she admitted?""No! She isn't sick!" Lorelie answered frantically, the background noise of a chaotic lobby leaking through the line. "She's at the nurses' station causing a massive scene! She's hysterical, Rory! She’s demanding to know where you're hiding, screaming at doctors and security guards! She’s telling everyone you abandoned your family!"A hot wave of humiliation and rage washed over Rory.

Half an hour later, the Rolls-Royce pulled up to the entrance of the towering, modern skyscraper of the Dimitrios Group. Rory headed straight up to the executive floor where the project planning session was set to take place.Stepping off the elevator, she was greeted immediately by Mrs. Janine Alcantara—Mr. Dimitrios' trusted secretary, who was currently managing operations while the elder Dimitrios recovered at home, and who was assigned as Rory's right-hand partner for the development project."Good morning, Miss Rory," Janine greeted warmly, stepping forward in the hallway. "The conference room is prepared for our alignment on next week's groundbreaking ceremony.""Good morning, Janine," Rory smiled, smoothing down her dress. "My apologies for being slightly behind schedule. I had a personal matter to handle.""No trouble at all, Miss Rory. Right this way," Janine invited, opening the double doors to the executive boardroom.They took their seats at the center of the glass table.