What's marriage without the ring

Alina's POV---I kept walking down the stairs.Each step brought me closer to him. The air between us grew thicker, charged with something I couldn't name. My heart was pounding so hard I was sure he could hear it. My palms were clammy. My legs felt unsteady beneath me.Breathe. Just breathe. I told myself. I reached the bottom of the stairs. I stopped in front of him.The flicker in his eyes was gone now replaced by that familiar cold mask. But something lingered. A shadow. A ghost of whatever had been there moments before. I could see it in the way his jaw was still tight. The way his fingers still gripped the glass a little too hard.He was affected. He was trying to hide it.But I'd seen it."You clean up nicely," he said. His voice was flat, controlled. The same cold tone he always used.I didn't know if it was a compliment or an insult. The words hung between us, impossible to read."Thank you," I said anyway. My voice came out steadier than I expected.He nodded. Then, as if r

Last Updated : 2026-07-28

Daughter in-law

Damien's jaw tightened. "Ethan.""What? I'm just stating facts." Ethan took my hand, lifted it to his lips, and pressed a soft kiss to my knuckles. "Wow. Damien, you didn't tell me she was this stunning.""Ethan," Damien warned again."Oh, hush," Eleanor said, swatting her son's arm. "Let the man compliment your future wife." She looped her arm through mine. "Come, sit with me. I want to hear everything about you."I glanced back at Damien. He gave me a small nod. Permission? Encouragement? I couldn't tell.Ethan offered me his other arm. "I'll escort you, my lady."I took it. He led me toward the dining room.---The dining room was breathtaking.A long mahogany table stretched across the center, draped in crisp white linen and set with gleaming silverware. Crystal glasses caught the light from a massive chandelier overhead, casting tiny rainbows across the walls. Fresh flowers, white roses and eucalyptus ran down the center of the table in elegant arrangements.The table was laden w

Last Updated : 2026-07-28

Alina's POV --- The dinner ended with Eleanor kissing my cheeks. I stood in the middle of the dining room, suddenly aware of how alone I was with Damien. The candles flickered on the table. The remnants of dinner sat between us like a barrier. "Your mother is lovely," I said, filling the silence. "She's something," Damien said. His voice was flat. Unreadable. "You don't get along?" "We get along fine." He moved toward the table, picking up his empty glass. "We just don't see eye to eye on certain things." "Like what?" He looked at me. His grey eyes were cold. Unreadable. "Like her decision to remarry." I felt a pang of sympathy. "You don't approve of Richard?" "Richard is fine." He set the glass down. "I don't approve of her forgetting." "Forgetting what?" He didn't answer. He just stood there, staring at the glass like it held all the answers. I thought about what Eleanor had said at dinner. I haven't been a Black for years. The way she'd said it, like she was relieved.

Last Updated : 2026-08-07

Invasion

Alina's POV---I was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, when I heard it.Voices. Loud, insistent voices. I sat up, disoriented, my heart pounding."Mother, you can't just..""Nonsense, Damien. It's already decided."I froze. That was Eleanor's warm, melodic voice. And Damien's cold, controlled one.I threw on my robe and walked to the top of the stairs. Below, in the foyer, Damien stood with his back to me, his hands clenched at his sides. Eleanor was in front of him, elegant as ever in a cream silk blouse and tailored trousers. Behind her, Ethan was carrying two large suitcases, grinning like he'd just won a prize."Mother," Damien said, his voice strained. "You can't just move in without telling me.""I'm not moving in," Eleanor said smoothly. "I'm visiting. For a few weeks. There's a difference.""A few weeks?""Your home is big enough for all of us," she said, waving a hand dismissively. "And I want to get to know my future daughter-in-law. Is that so wrong?"Damien's jaw tigh

Last Updated : 2026-09-04

All Chapters of His contract, my chains : Chapter 11 - Chapter 14

What's marriage without the ring

Daughter in-law

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Invasion