All Chapters of Contract with the Cold CEO: Terms of Possession: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

“I should have known the fairytale promotion would expire the moment the trading desk closed,” Tessa Whitmore muttered, adjusting the strap of her oversized briefing binder while hauling two wooden crates of physical stock certificates out of the basement archive vault.“Had I known I would be pulling twelve-hour shifts on inventory duty, I would have taken that offer in London,” Tessa added, wiping her forehead.“I do not know if the board would have treated us any differently over there,” Maribel said, resting her palm against the cold edge of the brass desk lamp.They had loaded their arms with every file box they could carry to avoid taking the private elevator back down to the vault level. Maisie Langford had already gone ahead of them with the rest of the Graduate Interns, tasked with clearing out the banquet hall following the high-stakes Gamma Corporate Syndicate dinner from the previous night. They had even left the entire main stage presentation rig for the lower-level staff

Maribel Westbrook wakes up the exact moment morning light filters into her private quarters at the Sterling Executive Institute. She shifts against the crisp linens, pulling a heavy charcoal hoodie over her frame until the hem drapes well past her ankles. Her thoughts remain locked on the incident from the previous afternoon—the way Maddox Sterling trapped her against the mahogany paneling of the archive corridor, pressing his lips to hers with an absolute, terrifying sense of possession. He handled her as though she were a fragile liability to be controlled, a threat to his pristine corporate empire, yet his grip had been uncompromising. She hated how completely her senses had failed her in that moment, succumbing to his dominance before her instincts finally kicked in to pull away.She still cannot fathom why the cold, calculating heir to Sterling Group kissed her. It made no strategic sense. Maddox operates purely on leverage, and kissing an unsalaried corporate intern at the botto

Maribel Westbrook lies completely still on the secluded grassy bank bordering the Waverly Lakefront Estate. The late afternoon light casts a warm crimson hue across the quiet shoreline, painting the sky in deep orange and violet shades. Maddox Sterling sits beside her, resting his elbows on his knees, his eyes fixed on the gentle ripple of the dark water. Neither of them speaks a word for several long minutes, allowing the heavy, charged silence to stretch out between them.She shifts slightly against the cool earth, her fingers digging into the damp soil as she watches his profile."Maddox," she says softly, her voice barely carrying over the quiet rustle of the surrounding trees.She can hardly process what just happened between them against the shore. She had let her defenses collapse entirely, allowing the cold, arrogant heir of the Sterling Group to touch her in ways no one ever had before. A part of her wants to rationalize it as an impulse born out of the pain Spencer Cole had

Maribel Westbrook wakes up in her plush bed wearing Maddox Sterling’s oversized designer dress shirt. She cannot recall when the powerful heir broke into the Executive Residence Wing to tuck her in after bringing her back from the private vault. Tessa Whitmore and Maisie Langford are getting ready for morning meetings around her, yet the vast suite feels entirely hollow. Maribel fists the soft silk of the shirt, pulling the crisp fabric to her nose to inhale his unmistakable lingering cologne."Hey, Belle, are you not getting up for the morning briefing?" Maisie asks, adjusting her tailored blazer in the vanity mirror."Why should I?" Maribel asks, pulling the heavy duvet up to her collarbone to conceal Maddox’s shirt."I suggest you skip the main dining hall today," Tessa says, smoothing down her pencil skirt as she checks her phone. "Unless you want to deal with the rumors.""Is it about the quarter-one portfolio results again?" Maribel asks, watching their shadowed expressions."Ev

Maisie Everhart glares across the private suite as Maribel Westbrook steps through the doorway, her arms folded tightly over her chest. "Belle, you have to tell me what happened down in the Operations Division basement. I think Tessa is completely traumatized.""Did she say anything to you?" Maribel asks, setting her designer handbag on the marble vanity."Nothing! She will not say a single word. She is curled up under her silk duvet, hiding from the world.""Maybe we should just give her some space for now," Maribel says softly, glancing toward the closed bedroom door."Did Ellis Hawthorne put hands on you girls?" Maisie asks, her voice dropping into a tense whisper."No, nothing like that," Maribel replies, brushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "It was just cold, damp, and pitch black."Maisie grimaces, shaking her head. "I hate dreary storage basements as much as anyone, but I do not think being locked in a dark room causes that kind of breakdown."Tessa's small frame quake