Semua Bab Married to My Worst Enemy: Bab 1 - Bab 10

AlexI knew Nina would hate me.I expected it.What I didn’t expect was how quickly seeing her again would make me forget every reason I had spent three years avoiding her.I stood at the bottom of the staircase, watching her beside her mother.She looked exactly like I remembered.No.That was a lie.She looked better.Much better.Her hair was pulled away from her face, exposing the delicate line of her neck. She wore a simple dress that somehow made her look more dangerous than any woman covered in diamonds ever could.And those eyes.Those same eyes that had challenged me since we were children.They found mine.For a second, everything else disappeared.Then she lifted her chin.“Alex.”There it was.That voice.Still capable of irritating me with one word.I walked toward her.She didn’t move.Good.I stopped in front of her.“You look exactly as I remember.”Her eyes narrowed.“Disappointed?”I almost smiled.Still difficult.“Still difficult.”“Still arrogant.”“Still angry.”

AlexBy eight in the morning, I was already back where I belonged.At the top of the world.The thirty-eighth floor of Sterling International overlooked half the city, all glass towers and moving traffic beneath a gray morning sky. From my office, everything looked small.Manageable.That was how I liked my world.Numbers made sense.Contracts made sense.Power made sense.People were the problem.I loosened my black tie and dropped a file onto my desk.“Where are we with Milan?”My assistant looked up from her tablet.“The acquisition team is waiting for your approval.”“Tell them to stop waiting.”She blinked.“Sir?”“They have until noon.”She nodded quickly. “Yes, Mr. Sterling.”She disappeared.I sat back in my chair.Sterling International wasn’t simply a company.It was an empire.Real estate. Private equity. Luxury hotels. Shipping. Technology. Energy. Investments spread across Europe, America, and parts of Africa.My grandfather had built the first Sterling company in Milan w

NinaMoving into Alex Sterling’s penthouse was supposed to feel temporary.At least, that was what I told myself.Three months.Ninety days.Then I would be married to the man I had spent half my life arguing with.And somehow, that thought felt more terrifying now that I was standing in front of his penthouse with two suitcases, three boxes, and enough anger to burn down the entire building.I stared at the enormous black doors.“This is ridiculous.”My mother glanced at me.“Nina.”“I could have stayed at home.”“You know you couldn’t.”“I could have gotten my own apartment.”“You know your father needs this arrangement.”I groaned.Everyone kept saying the same thing.The arrangement.The debt.The company.The wedding.Nobody seemed to remember that I was the one being married.My mother squeezed my arm gently.“You’ll be fine.”I looked at her.“With Alex?”She smiled sympathetically.“Well…”“Exactly.”She kissed my cheek before stepping back.“Try not to kill each other.”“No p

NinaBy the end of my first week living with Alex Sterling, I had learned three things.One, he was impossible.Two, he was infuriatingly attractive when he was being impossible.And three, I desperately needed a normal person in my life.Which was why Kimora was currently sitting across from me at my favorite café, staring at me like I had personally offended her.“You live with him now?”“Yes.”“Alex Sterling?”“Yes, Kimora.”“The Alex Sterling?”I sighed.“How many Alex Sterlings do you know?”She leaned back.“Unfortunately, one is already enough.”I laughed despite myself.Kimora had been my best friend since we were children. Her mother was Nigerian, like mine, while her father was African-American, and Kimora had grown up between Lagos and Atlanta. She had inherited her mother’s warm brown skin and her father’s sharp features, and somehow managed to look effortlessly beautiful even when she was insulting someone.Which was often.She reached across the table.“Tell me everythin

NinaI couldn’t sleep.Which was ridiculous.It was almost two in the morning, and I had been staring at the ceiling for what felt like hours.All I could think about was Alex.More specifically—His lips.The way he had looked at me on the balcony.The way he’d admitted that if I hadn’t told him not to kiss me, he would have.I rolled onto my side.“This is a disaster.”I hated him.I had to remember that.He was arrogant.Controlling.Infuriating.And he was the reason I was living in a penthouse I hadn’t chosen, preparing for a marriage I hadn’t asked for.So why did my heart beat faster whenever he got close?I threw the blanket off and got out of bed.I needed water.Maybe that would clear my head.The penthouse was completely silent when I walked downstairs.Except for the soft sound of music.I followed it.The lights in the living room were dim.Alex stood by the windows.He was wearing black sweatpants and a plain white T-shirt.No suit.No expensive watch.No perfectly style