All Chapters of A Wild Marriage: From Contract to Craving : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Iris's POVMy legs felt heavy as I walked back into the ballroom. The hum of music and the clinking of champagne glasses filled the air, but my mind was still stuck on the terrace with Julian. Three years of buried pain sat heavily on my chest, mixed with the embarrassing memory of Vladimir pulling away from me in that room.I scanned the crowd, desperate to find him. I just needed to be near him so I could hide behind our agreement and survive the rest of the night.I spotted him standing near a group of older men in the far corner. He looked calm, powerful, and completely out of reach. But when his eyes shifted across the room and landed on mine, my breath caught in my throat.His gaze was ice-cold. The sudden warmth he had shown me in that suite was gone, replaced by a dark, unreadable wall. He looked at me like I was a complete stranger.An ache bloomed beneath my ribs.He really did regret touching me.Before I could take another step toward him, a panicked voice squeaked right b

Iris's POV I woke up in my room tired after everything that happened last night. I changed into a soft pair of track pants and an oversized shirt that belonged to Vladimir. The cloth wrapped around me like a warm blanket, and giving me a quiet sense of comfort. When I stepped downstairs, I expected the penthouse to be dark and quiet. Instead, soft light streamed from the dining room, along with the mouthwatering smell of freshly cooked food. Vladimir was standing near the long table, leaning against a chair with his sleeves rolled up. Sitting at the table were the two little girls—my daughter, Hope, and Lily. They were sitting side by side in their cozy pajamas, swinging their legs, completely unfazed. My cousin Chloe was sitting next to them, keeping an eye on their juice cups. My eyes moved back to Vladimir in surprise. I never thought he could be this thoughtful to have brought Chloe here to take care of Hope. Chloe looked up the moment I walked in, her eyes filled with

Iris's POVThe next morning, I was in the kitchen pouring juice for Hope and Lily when Zev walked into the house.His face was dark and serious, and he was holding a thick folder in his hand. He didn't even stop to say good morning before walking straight toward Vladimir's study.Curious, I left the kitchen and followed him down the hallway. I stopped just outside the slightly open door and listened.Zev dropped the folder onto Vladimir's desk with a loud smack."We have a problem," Zev said, his voice cold. "Our contact just pulled these financial papers from the Vance family company. Julian isn't just trying to talk."Vladimir opened the file, his eyes moving quickly across the pages. His face immediately turned cold."What is he doing?""He's setting a trap," Zev said grimly. "Julian is using the Vance Corporation's media influence to plan a massive public attack against Iris. He's going to use news reporters to spread it everywhere by tomorrow morning."I pressed my back against t

Iris's POV The next morning, the silence at the breakfast table was so thick you could cut it with a knife. I sat near the end of the long dining table, spooning warm oatmeal into Hope’s bowl while Lily sat right beside her, swinging her tiny legs. Across from us sat Vladimir. He looked exhausted, the dark circles under his eyes more noticeable than usual, but his jaw was set tight. He didn't look at me once. I didn't look at him either. Instead of speaking to me directly, Vladimir leaned down toward Hope, his voice calm and low. "Hope, sweetie," he said softly, keeping his eyes fixed entirely on my daughter. "Could you ask your mummy to pass the pitcher of orange juice over to me, please?" Hope blinked her big blue eyes, looking back and forth between the two of us. She didn't understand the silly game her stepfather was playing, but she dutifully turned her head toward me. "Mummy, Uncle Vlad wants the juice." I didn't break a single sweat. I lifted the cold glass pitc

Iris's POVI sat on the edge of the bed in the guest room, staring at Chloe’s text message about Silas’s emergency custody filing.My mind was spinning, and panic was slowly eating me alive. I didn’t know what to do. If Silas brought this into the public eye, Julian would find out about Hope, and there was very little I could do on my own.When Vladimir’s name flashed across my phone screen, I answered on the second ring.“Come down to my study,” he said, his voice flat and direct. “We need to talk about Silas.”I didn’t waste time arguing.When I stepped into his study downstairs, Vladimir was already standing behind his desk, holding a printed copy of the court document.“Silas is using your lost job against you,” Vladimir said, cutting straight to the point. “He’s trying to convince the judge that you’re unstable and living off charity. But he has a weakness. Silas is relying on his family connections, and those people care about public image above everything else.”I crossed my ar