All Chapters of His Contract, Her Revenge : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Chapter 2Bailey's POV The rain didn't stop as I stepped into the back of the sleek black car. The air inside smelled like leather and expensive cologne.Opposite me sat Raven Crest. In the dim light of the streetlamps passing by outside, his jawline looked like it was cut from dark marble. He didn't say a single word. He didn't even look at me as his driver tapped the tablet, showing a green checkmark. "The emergency transfer fee has been paid, Miss Lockett," the driver said quietly. "Your mother is being moved to the ICU at this very second."My breath hitched in my chest. Just like that, fifty thousand dollars had disappeared from his account without a blink. To him, it was pocket change. To me, it was my mother’s life.Ten minutes later, the car pulled up to the glass entrance of Saint Jude’s Private Hospital. I didn't wait for the driver to open my door. I pushed it open myself and ran through the sliding doors, my wet shoes squeaking against the polished tile floor.The hospit

Chapter 4Raven's POV The heavy steel door of the vault clicked open with a quiet, metallic sound that echoed through the quiet office.Raven stood inside his private sanctuary, a room hidden behind a seamless bookcase on the top floor of Crest Holdings. Unlike the massive glass-walled boardroom, this room had no windows. It held no bright lights or polished marble. It was a dark, private space where only one person had access, built solely to store the heaviest secrets of his family and his life.Raven stepped forward, his leather shoes silent against the dark rug. He walked over to the reinforced steel safe in the corner, punched in a eight-digit code, and pressed his thumb against the biometric scanner.The safe unlocked with a soft hiss.Raven didn't pull out stacks of bearer bonds, rare diamonds, or offshore bank accounts. Instead, his long fingers reached into the dark interior and pulled out a single, worn yellow folder.He carried it to the small mahogany desk in the center o

Chapter 6Bailey's POVA cold beat stretched between us. Most people in my position would have panicked, stammered, or tried to shrink into the floorboards. Instead, I slowly tilted my head, looking him dead in the eye with a flat, bored expression that took every ounce of my self-control to maintain.“I ran a background check on your private holdings the second your driver handed me that tablet,” I said smoothly, keeping my voice completely even. “I’m about to sign my freedom away to a man who claims to hand out ten million dollars like loose pocket change. Did you honestly expect me not to check who holds my leash, Mr. Crest?”Raven stared at me, searching my face for any crack in my armor, any flicker of fear. “You bypassed high-level corporate encryption keys in less than thirty seconds.”“Desperate people learn quick survival skills,” I replied, extending my hand toward him for the physical document. “Or would you prefer a naive, helpless wife who doesn't even know where her husb

Chapter 8: Night of the BreachBailey's POV Raven’s fingers were still warm against my jawline, his heavy grey eyes holding mine captive in the dim light of the bedroom."What is it?" Raven asked, his eyes narrowing as he noticed the sudden shift in my posture.I flipped the phone face down in one smooth movement, forcing my face to stay completely blank. "Just an automated reminder for my mother's medicine schedule."Raven stared at me for a long, heavy second, as if he was trying to read the thoughts hidden behind my eyes. But before he could say another word, the villa's power cut out completely.The glowing bedside lamp died. The faint hum of the air conditioning vanished. The entire oceanfront room was plunged into thick, pitch-black darkness, leaving only the silver light of the storm outside filtering through the floor-to-ceiling glass doors.A split second later, the deep, muffled thud of a silenced gunshot echoed from the courtyard downstairs.Raven moved instantly. The cold

Chapter 10 Bailey's POVThe heavy black silk gown clung to my body, its low back exposing the pale skin where my pulse beat fast and erratic.Raven stood behind me in the dressing room of the Grand Regency Hotel, his warm fingers adjusting the heavy diamond necklace around my neck."You look breathtaking," Raven murmured, his low voice brushing against the shell of my ear. His eyes met mine in the tall mirror. "Remember the golden rule tonight, Bailey. We smile, we hold hands, and we don't give Frank a single crack to slide his blade into.""I know how to play a role, Raven," I whispered, holding his gaze in the reflection.I was playing two roles: the grateful, starry-eyed wife from the Old District for the cameras, and the vengeful daughter hunting down her father's killer for myself.The threats from the anonymous phone call this morning still echoed inside my head. *“I will project the original, unedited video of your father's death onto every screen in the ballroom…”* My heart s