All Chapters of Married to the Man I came to Destroy : Chapter 1 - Chapter 7

Emma’s POVHow do you look a man in the eye and say “I do” when the only thing you want from him is the key to the room that destroyed your family?I stood in the narrow hallway outside the private ceremony room on the thirty-eighth floor of Hammer Holdings and asked myself the question one more time, but the answer refused to come. I only knew the practical version: you do it the same way you do everything else that hurts. Quietly. Precisely. Without letting anyone see the ledger you keep in your head.I smoothed the front of the ivory dress I had bought second-hand two weeks ago. No jewelry. My hair was pulled into a knot tight enough to survive scrutiny.I moved through the corridor, my heels clicking softly against the floor. When the door opened, Will Hammer stood on the other side in a dark suit that had never seen a crease. He looked exactly like the man the board trusted—controlled, expensive, already thinking about the next meeting.His eyes flicked over me once, taking in my

Emma’s POV“How long have you been standing there?” I asked.“Long enough.” His voice was quiet, but his expression gave nothing away. “Who was that?”My heart skipped a beat. I locked the tablet and placed it face-down on the desk before turning to face him. “A former colleague. He was just checking that I arrived safely.”He didn’t move. Instead, his eyes remained fixed on me, as though he were waiting for an explanation I had no intention of giving.“And you cut him off,” he pointed out.“I was finished talking.” I shrugged, keeping my voice even.Will’s gaze briefly dropped to my hand before returning to my face. His jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.“You told him you knew exactly why I married you.”So he had heard that much?My pulse stayed steady only because I forced it to. I stood, smoothing the front of my dress even though it didn’t need it.“I do know,” I said. “The board vote. Larkspur terminal. Stable image. I’m not stupid, Will.”Something shifted in his eyes, perhaps

Emma’s POV“He’s nobody to me,” I said. “He only introduced himself.”Will studied my face for a moment, expression unreadable. “Tom Reilly doesn’t usually waste time on introductions.”I kept my voice even. “It was nothing.”He didn’t argue. He simply leaned in slightly, voice low enough that only I could hear.“Stay away from people like that. Journalists, especially. We still have a contract, Emma. The arrangement only works if both of us keep things clean and quiet. I need you to remember that.”I met his eyes and gave a single nod. “I remember.”Will didn’t ask what we had talked about. He simply steered me back toward the main floor, voice low near my ear.“Ten more minutes. Then we leave.”I nodded.We stayed the full ten minutes. I smiled when required. I answered two harmless questions from a trade journalist about the coastal development and the expected timeline for the terminal. The white card sat against the lining of my clutch the entire time, a thin rectangle of risk I

Emma’s POVThe kitchen island held a second coffee mug beside the usual place setting, already filled with black coffee, just the way I liked it. There was no note or explanation, just the mug waiting as though someone had quietly decided that the household routine now included two people who preferred their coffee before seven.I stood there a moment longer than necessary, studying it.Will walked in from the private wing while I was still deciding whether to take it. Already dressed in a suit, with his phone in hand, he carried the same composed, businesslike air he wore to board meetings. His gaze flicked from the mug to me, but he said nothing.I finally picked it up.“Thank you.”“You’re welcome.” He poured his own and leaned against the opposite counter. For a moment the only sound was the quiet hum of the city below the glass. Then he said, “Thursday still stands. Black formal. Dana will have the car.”“I’ll be ready.”He studied me over the rim of his cup. “You’re following th