All Chapters of Rejected, I Entered a Contract Marriage with a Billionaire: Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

Though ambitious for a child, her parents ultimately agreed after a family discussion. She could still vividly remember the sheer ecstasy of that vacation.As the realization hit her, a stunning coincidence struck: both of them had visited the California park during that exact window twenty years ago.Unable to contain her shock, she gently grabbed his arm. "Adrián—wait. Your twelfth birthday... would that have been around mid-July?"He blinked, thrown entirely off by her sudden intensity."Tell me truthfully, was it?" she pressed urgently, searching his face."Yes... Why do you ask?" he replied, bewildered by her abrupt change in demeanor."Stay right here for a second," she declared, springing up from the sofa and dashing down the corridor toward her room.Left sitting alone in confusion, Adrián stared after her.Paying no mind to his bewilderment, Elena powered on her laptop and navigated to the cloud sto

As he loomed over her, a dark, possessive thought had flashed through his mind—if she had dared utter a single other name, he would have made her pay for it. Yet her immediate, unhesitating recognition of him sent a thrill of triumph straight through his veins.They were pressed so tightly together that every trace of her scent enveloped him, dragging his senses straight back to the night they first collided and the intoxicating hours they shared afterward.It had been his introduction to genuine passion. Though he had disciplined himself to lock those memories away during their subsequent guarded interactions, every single night had been haunted by dreams of that exact touch.Today, however, the prize was within his grasp. He shed the last remnants of his self-control and began methodically untying the buttons of her sleepwear.While the anticipation had driven her half-mad, for him, the slow unfolding was pure torture. This was their first true ni

That final sentence pushed her past her breaking point; her face felt hot enough to boil water. "Get out of here, Adrián. What are you even saying?"He chuckled, dodging her weak swing as he slipped out of bed and tossed on a shirt. "Be a good girl. I'll holler up the stairs when breakfast is ready."She didn't honor him with an answer, choosing instead to dive headfirst back beneath the covers and hide from the world.Once on his feet, Adrián checked his watch and realized he had barely an hour before needing to leave for the office. Opening the refrigerator, his options were grim—just a pair of lonely eggs and some stray greens.It wasn't the hearty meal he would have preferred to nurse her recovery, but his culinary repertoire was narrow, and the pantry offered little else.He set to work, washing and chopping the vegetables before whisking the eggs in a ceramic bowl. After scrambling the eggs and quickly tossing the greens i

"No, it's nothing critical. Let's talk later," she replied quickly, disconnecting the call.Sighing, she realized the choice ultimately rested entirely on her shoulders. Even if Adrián had answered, he likely would have encouraged her to trust her own judgment, knowing she had to live with the outcome either way.Ten minutes later, the professor returned from his lecture. Finding her still lost in thought, he prompted, "Well, have you reached a verdict?"She swallowed hard, her voice steadying as she looked up. "I'll do it. Thank you for trusting me with this, Professor. I promise I won't let you down.""I knew I made the right call," he nodded approvingly. "Be warned, though—the workload will be punishing, and there's a strong chance our initial hypotheses might fail. You need to prepare yourself for dead ends.""I'm ready for the challenge. Getting into graduate school taught me how to endure; I can handle an experimental setback," s

Her guarded expression melted into a soft smile. There were moments like this where Adrián proved himself to be a remarkably grounding and trustworthy presence in her life."I understand your logic. The reason I brought it up is that I’ve already given him my answer—I accepted," she said, her eyes bright as she looked at him. "Which means my schedule is going to get considerably more demanding starting in a few days.""I'm genuinely glad you made that choice, and I want to congratulate you," Adrián said, his tone entirely sincere. "Even if it means late nights and a packed schedule, I'll be right here supporting you. Once the wine arrives, we should definitely toast to this."The moment the words left his mouth, both of them simultaneously recalled the events of the previous night.Elena's tolerance for alcohol had been thoroughly tested just twenty-four hours prior, with disastrously lightweight results. A single glass had been