All Chapters of THE BILLIONAIRE'S CONTRACT MARRIAGE : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

“Mr Blackwood, you need to see this.”Ethan slowly lifted his gaze from the documents on his desk. His assistant stood in front of him with her phone clutched in one hand, and there was a hesitation in her voice that immediately caught his attention.“What is it?”She walked closer and placed the phone on his desk.Ethan glanced at the screen, expecting to see another report from the finance department. Instead, his eyes landed on a photograph that made his fingers stop halfway across the document in front of him.It was Ella.She was standing on the dance floor from the previous night, her eyes fixed on the man in front of her while a small smile curved her lips. Daniel’s hand rested on her waist, his body close enough to hers to make the picture look far more intimate. Above it, in bold letters, was a headline he didn’t need to read twice to understand.TROUBLE IN PARADISE? MRS BLACKWOOD GETS COZY WITH MYSTERY MAN AT THE FUNDRAISER GALA.Ethan stared at the photo without saying a wor

The last investor gathered his papers and pushed his chair away from the table. The scrape of the chair legs against the polished floor broke the silence that had settled over the room. One after another, the investors stood, adjusting their jackets and exchanging a few quiet words among themselves.Ella remained seated for a moment. Her hands were still beneath the table, her fingers were loosely intertwined but she could feel the warmth in her palms. She hadn’t realized how tense she had been until the pressure of the meeting finally began to disappear.She slowly released a breath she hadn’t known she had been holding. Beside her, Ethan had closed the folder in front of him with a quiet snap. The investors approached him one after another, offering their hands.“Thank you for your time, Mr Blackwood.” Ethan stood and shook each hand. “The pleasure is mine.”His voice was as composed as it had been throughout the meeting. Ella watched him from her chair, she couldn’t understand how

The last couple of days had been harder for Ella than she cared to admit.Ella had barely slept. Every time she closed her eyes, her mind dragged her back to the reception at the Hudson. She could still feel Ethan’s hand around her waist, still remember how close his face had been to hers, and worse, she could remember the way she’d leaned towards him before he turned at the last second.She was falling for her husband, and she knew it was a dangerous game to play. She had tried convincing herself it meant nothing, but her heart wouldn’t budge, so she decided that if she avoided him, maybe the feelings that were starting to grow would eventually stop, little did she know that the heart wants who it wants.Ella curled up on the living room sofa with her laptop open in front of her, staring at the same paragraph she’d been reading for the past five minutes. The television played quietly in the background, but she wasn’t paying attention to it.She glanced at the clock.10:30 p.m.Ethan

Ella stood there for a moment, staring at Hannah.The older woman seemed to realize she had said too much. Her fingers tightened around the wooden spoon before she turned back to the pot.“Maybe another time,” Hannah said quietly.Ella wanted to ask what she meant, but the question never left her lips. Something about Hannah's expression told her that she wasn't ready to share.Instead, Ella looked at the pot. “Is the soup ready?”Hannah nodded. “Almost.”A few minutes later, the chicken noodles soup was ready. Hannah served it into a bowl, added a little chopped parsley on top, and placed it carefully on a tray with a bottle of water and a glass.“I’ll take it to him,” Ella said as she picked up the tray.Hannah nodded. “Okay.”Ella made her way upstairs, careful not to let the bowl rattle the tray. When she reached Ethan's bedroom, she pushed the door open slowly.The room was quiet but Ethan was no longer asleep.He sat against the headboard with his laptop resting on his thighs, h

The next morning came slow and steady. Ella had already woken up, she was torn in between Ethan’s words to her yesterday and the fact that she still absolutely cared for him.“Urggh,” She muttered as she placed her hand in her hair, aggressively tugging at it. “What have I gotten myself into.”For a few seconds, she lay still, staring at the ceiling as her mind went back to Ethan words to her. He was cautious with his tone but she sure noticed the anger in it.“You don’t get to hear a few things about my past and suddenly think you have a place in it.”She could still remember the words loud and clear, the way he had said it and how the word had pierced her heart into pieces. She wasn’t angry with him. At least, she didn’t think she was.Mostly, she was embarrassed. She had allowed herself to care too much. That was the problem.Still she wanted to check how he was doing, if the pain on his side has lessen but how would she when the man she was taking care of sent her out. Who does th