pte
imes you have no choice but t
gainst her ribs like a trapped bird. The elevator doors glided open with a soft c
r-to-ceiling windows displayed the glittering city skyline, each l
t here to adm
because she h
ger brother, Sam. And when a stranger showed up at her tiny apartment that morning with
," the woman had said, studying Elena a
EO needs y
lena realized she should've said no. She should've closed the door,
ion was a me
mmand that made the room feel smaller. Dark hair, sharp jawline, eyes like
as though deciding whether she was a proble
drawing a shaky breath. She w
she said, steadying her v
, maybe - crossed his face, but i
ane said, without preamble.
nked. "Ex
- my fiancée. Public events, business functions, whatever's necessary. You'll have e
eople's lives as though they were t
bracing for what this cold
ight of it settled over her like iron chains. "No questions. No mistakes. And
contract placed before her - a simple sheet of p
refuse. She
ing in a hospital bed hooked to
chin, meeting Ale
l do
her ordinary, stru
a billionaire's wife - i
people, it's the silence
Alexander alone in the sprawling office. Outside, the city c
in her ears. The air felt heavier now, thick with unspoke
pockets, his gaze fixed on the horizon as th
low and steady. "You'll be moved to the penthouse tonight. A
long to her. It belonged to a woman she'd
t... them? The people in your world. What d
s gaze pinning her i
in his voice w
, his tone softening, almost thoughtfu
n cross that had belonged to her mother. A reminder that even in t
k for this,"
arp, but beneath them lay something else - bitterness, maybe even hurt. "Life
ment, neither
e distance between them until Elena could s
ot here to fall in love. You're here to protect my n
t flinching. "I don't expect fairytales, Mr. K
n his eyes - the fain
le playing at the corner of his m
ly efficient. A schedule of upcoming events, public
t," Alexander said, already moving back to his des
the folder, her
her want
ibility, and sleepless nights in hospital waitin
at the man who was now her
ntly, sh
his is... give me stre
ft the office, stepping into a future she hadn't