All Chapters of THE 6-MONTH TROPHY HUSBAND : Chapter 1 - Chapter 5

Elena's POV“Your uncle Victor just called another informal meeting with the board members at the main office. He made sure to emphasize to them that your twenty fifth birthday is exactly thirty days away."Clara stood in the doorway of the private fitting room, her face pale against the rich mahogany walls and heavy velvet drapes of the boutique. "Let him talk," I said calmly.I did not move from the velvet stool. Two tailors knelt at my feet, their fingers trembling as they pinned the hem of my trousers. The boutique was dead silent except for the faint hum of the air conditioner and the soft rustle of silk."Elena, he is not just talking," Clara pushed on, her knuckles white around her tablet. "He reminded the board that according to your late mother's trust agreement, you must be legally married by your twenty fifth birthday to take full control of her fifty one percent stake in Rostova Atelier. If you remain single when the clock strikes midnight on the thirtieth day, control au

Elena's POVI barely slept. Every time I closed my eyes, the image of Dante effortlessly dismantling those two men outside the St. Regis flashed behind my eyelids. I kept trying to rationalize it as the morning light poured into my bedroom. Maybe he had hired temporary muscle. Maybe those men were loan sharks who realized he didn't have the money yet.By nine in the morning, I was standing in a private room at City Hall.Dante walked in right on time. He was dressed in a charcoal suit that fit his tall, broad frame impeccably. There was no trace of exhaustion or anxiety on his face. He looked calm, collected, and dangerously composed."Miss Rostova," he said smoothly, stepping up beside me at the clerk's counter."Mr. Hayes," I replied, keeping my voice flat and distant.The marriage clerk pushed two plain gold bands across the desk alongside the legal certificate. "Please exchange the rings to finalize the registration."I picked up the band meant for him. My fingers brushed his as I

Elena's POVVictor sat frozen at the head of the long table, his face as pale as fresh paper. He stared down at the stack of stamped financial reports Dante had tossed in front of him, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. He tried to speak, tried to gather what was left of his pride, but no words came out.The two senior board members beside him wouldn't even look up from the floor. They had already hidden Dante’s white envelopes deep inside their suit pockets, terrified of what those tax records would do to their lives if anyone else saw them.Slowly, Victor pushed back his chair. He didn't say a word to the room. He couldn't even look Dante in the eye as he practically ran toward the heavy glass doors, his hands shaking as he pulled them open and practically fled into the hall. The remaining board members quickly gathered their papers, muttering rushed excuses before leaving one by one until the room was empty.I sat completely still in my leather chair, keeping m