All Chapters of BRIDE FOR LEASE: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Chapter The subject line read: _Confidential Contract Offer – Loriss Corporation_. Jennifer almost deleted it. Spam usually didn’t come with her name spelled right.She was elbow-deep in dog shampoo at 11 PM, scrubbing Mr. Whiskers for the third time this week because Mrs. Henshaw swore he “rolled in something suspicious” again. Her phone was propped on the edge of the bathtub, screen cracked, battery at 4%. She dried her hands on her jeans and tapped it open._Ms. Benz, We are offering you a 2-year employment contract. Position: Public Spouse. Compensation: £500,000. Terms attached. Reply within 24 hours if interested. — D. Loriss, CEO, Loriss Corp_Jennifer stared at it until the words blurred. £500,000. That was more than she’d made in 4 years of tutoring, dog walking, grocery runs, and swallowing insults from people who tipped her £2 and called her “dear.” That was enough to hire a lawyer. Enough to fight Ravenna in court for her parents’ company. Enough to stop living

Chapter 3: Jennifer didn’t sleep. She stared at the envelope on the floor outside the east wing for two hours, waiting for David to come back, waiting for the footsteps that never came. At 3 AM she finally picked it up. No watermark. No sender. Just the words: _If you want to know how your parents really died, open me._ Her fingers trembled as she tore it open. Inside was a single photo. Grainy, taken from a distance. Her parents’ car, mangled against a guardrail. Rain streaking the windshield. And in the background, a black SUV pulling away. The license plate was blurred. On the back, one line in the same typed font: _It wasn’t an accident._ Jennifer dropped the photo like it burned her. It wasn’t an accident. She’d always known that in the pit of her stomach, but hearing it confirmed felt like someone had reached into her chest and squeezed. The hallway was silent again. No footsteps. No explanation. She slipped the photo into her bag and went back to her room

Chapter 5:The handcuffs were cold. Jennifer sat in the back of the unmarked car, wrists bound, watching David argue with the officers through the partition. His voice was low, controlled, but she could see the vein in his neck pulsing. “You have no probable cause,” he said. “She hasn’t been read her rights. Release her now.” “Not until we get to the station, Mr. Loriss,” the officer replied. “Orders from above.” David’s jaw tightened. He leaned down to the window. “Jennifer. Don’t say a word until my lawyer gets there.” Jennifer nodded, throat dry. The car pulled away from the gala, leaving Harry standing on the curb, phone to his ear, smiling. ---The station was bright, sterile, and loud. They processed her like she was any other criminal. Photo. Fingerprints. Questions. “Did you access Loriss Corp’s servers on March 12th?” “Did you share confidential documents with Harry Argent?” “Why were you in the east wing of David Loriss’s penthouse at 11 PM?” Jennif

*Chapter 7The sirens were getting closer. Jennifer stared at the photo on her phone—David in the safe room doorway, gun in hand, jaw set like he was ready to burn the building down to keep her safe. Below it, the message glowed: _Your contract ends tonight. Clause 7 is in effect._ “Do you think I have?” she’d asked him. David hadn’t answered. Now he was moving, grabbing her arm and pulling her toward the hidden stairwell behind the safe room. “Second shooter is on floor 41,” he said into his earpiece. “Seal the elevators. Get Ms. Benz to the roof.” Jennifer yanked her arm free. “I’m not running to the roof while you stay here and play hero.” “You don’t have a choice,” David said. “Clause 7 isn’t just about money. If you fall for me, the board can claim the marriage was fraudulent from the start. They can void the partnership restoration. Ravenna gets the company back.” Jennifer stopped cold. “So this is about the company,” she said. “It always was.” David’s eyes

*Chapter 9:The Geneva lake water was freezing. Jennifer swam until her lungs burned, dragging herself onto the rocky shore a hundred yards from the safe house. Her clothes clung to her, heavy and cold. The USB drive in her jacket pocket felt like the only thing keeping her alive. Behind her, gunfire cracked once, twice. Then silence. She didn’t look back. She ran. Geneva at 2 AM was empty and wet. Jennifer moved through back alleys, following the route David had drilled into her two weeks ago during “contingency training” she’d thought was paranoia. _If you ever have to file alone, go to the International Court of Arbitration. Side entrance. The Night Guard's name is Lukas. Say “Clause Nine.”_ She didn’t know if Lukas would still be there. She didn’t know if the court was already compromised. She only knew that if she stopped, David died. The court building was dark, but the side door had a faint blue light above it. Security. Jennifer pounded on it. A moment la