All Chapters of The Tycoon's Contract Bride: Chapter 1 - Chapter 5

Celeste's POVFive years. I spent five fucking years pouring my soul, my sweat, and every single dime I had into Celeste’s Confections, only to watch my entire life get set on fire in a span of three hours.Standing in the middle of the grand ballroom of the Zenith Hotel, surrounded by glittering chandeliers and cold, fake smiles from high-society snobs, my chest feels like it’s being crushed by a hydraulic press. I’m staring at a massive, three-tier wedding cake—the exact same red velvet recipe I spent weeks perfecting—while my fiancé, Mark Vance, stands at the altar.Only, he isn't marrying me.Beside him is Vivian Montgomery, the daughter of the multi-millionaire real estate developer who supposedly "invested" in my bakery last year. Right. Invested. Now the brutal puzzle pieces are snapping together in my head. The sudden expansion loans, the endless delays on my solo permit approvals, the sudden coldness in Mark’s eyes whenever I talked about our future—it was all a setup. They d

Celeste's POVThe heater inside Dominic Reynaud’s custom-built SUV hums quietly, blowing hot, dry air onto my shivering legs. I stare down at my hands, which are still trembling slightly against the wet fabric of my skirt. Across the leather console, Dominic sits with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, his fingers tapping a rhythmic, impatient beat against the steering wheel as we pull into the brightly lit, empty parking lot of a retro 24-hour diner on the edge of the downtown district.The windows of the diner glow with a harsh, fluorescent yellow, casting long shadows across the rain-slicked asphalt. It is the absolute last place you would expect to find a billionaire real estate mogul at midnight, yet Dominic kills the engine without hesitation, pushes his door open, and steps back out into the rain before I can even unbuckle my seatbelt.A second later, my door pulls open. Dominic stands there, holding his heavy suit jacket over his head to shield me from the downpour, offering

Celeste's POVThe crystal chandeliers of the Grand Imperial Ballroom cast a blinding, diamond-like reflection across the polished marble floor. Every corner of the hall is packed with the city’s elite—politicians, filthy-rich venture capitalists, and high-society socialites sipping champagne while string quartets play a soft, classical melody in the background. It is the annual charity gala hosted by the Montgomery Foundation, which means the room is crawling with the exact kind of people who treat human lives like stock portfolios, measuring a person's worth strictly by the commas in their bank accounts.And tonight, I am walking right into the lions' den.I take a slow, deep breath, smoothing out the fabric of my backless, midnight-blue silk gown that hugs my figure like a second skin. My hair is swept back into a polished, intricate braid, and the heavy diamond necklace resting against my collarbone practically screams wealth. Beside me, Dominic stands tall and untouchable in a bes