The Cold CEO's Secret Contract Bride

pen, hitting the wall with a crac

thought I sme

. Her eyes, small and hard, scanned the small suitcase on the bed, the neat piles of

er voice low and even. She refused to

a week. You're a leech, Candace. Liv

er nightstand. The flimsy paper felt like a shield. "I gave Finn the

y from God knows where. You think a piece of paper cleans the stain of a criminal?" She cr

dace's lungs. "Y

tch

er cousin, Britteny Olsen, was sitting on the sofa, painting her toenails a

waving her hand to dry the polish. "Y

nn, emerged from the kitchen, wiping his hands on

hip. "Don't think I don't know you feel sorry for her. One more

pale and defeated. He wou

it would be a real shame if I had to call your parole officer. A real shame if I had to tell him wh

tion, even a reported unstable environment, could send her right back to the place she'd sworn she would never see

ornered.

didn't cry. The tears were frozen somewhere deep inside her. She sank to the floor, her back against the door, her mind a frantic, screaming

Tucked inside was a small, folded piece of paper wi

her cellmate, Pearl Montgomery. The woman who had been like a mother to

nly hope. He

could barely press the numbers, Cand

remembered-warm, steady, a stark contra

's... it's

How are you? Is e

. No, it's not alright." Her voice cracked as she explained ev

ine. When Candace finished, her voice a raw whisper, Pearl didn't offer

ood man, a manager at Trader J

hard against her ear. She thought she must have m

her soft Southern accent, "Candie, once my son marries you, you'll truly be my daughter. If that boy d

while she was sick, and just laughed it off.

perfect solution. You get a stable home, a husband. Your parole officer will be th

d. Marry a stranger?

he world. "He's simple, hardworking, reliable. He's not rich, mind you. He works long

was somehow reassuring. It was manageab

her under. The choice was between a prison cell and

g her lungs. "Okay," she whispered, the

Wonderful! Oh, Candace, you've made me so hap

legs and finished packing her single suitcase, her movements mechanical. From the living room, she could hear Den

her phone buzzed. A text

side

through the living room without looking at Denese or Brit

b. It was exactly the kind of car a supermarket manager wou

evening light, his jawline was sharp, and the breadth of his shoulders

in the eyes of others, she was a convicted criminal. What she feared most was hearing someone say, "A

nt to prison. In prison, whenever Candace was bullied, it was Pearl Montgomery who stood up for her. And whenever Pearl's arthritis flared up, Candace would s

ense, swept over her in a quick, analytical glance that felt less like a greeting and more

is voice was a low baritone,

nod, her throat

raction of a second. His skin was cool. He opened the trunk, placed the bag inside, and then walk

r's interior enveloped her. He closed the door, walked around

y from the curb, accepting that her life had just t