was suffocating, punctuated only by the rhythmic hum of the engine and the frantic, shallow rhythm of my breathing. The crumpled document-the non-compete clause-lay like

it was a cold, pure rage directed at the man who, even in defeat, had to retain absolute control. Jason Thor

nto fists in my lap, the charcoal fabric of my dress wrinkling under the pressure. "He ha

edan. He slowly unfurled the paper, smoothing out the egregious clauses with an unnervin

rporate control. When you signed the initial paperwork for your startup three years ago, you were still technically residing under the Thorne umbrella. Your father-Robert-has a clause in the

ure funding quickly, the foolish, inherent trust I had placed in my adopted father to protect my interests-a tru

pointing a trembling finger at the header: Duke International. "I'm in a completel

he countered. He gently plucked the paper from my grasp, his fingers briefly brushing mine, a searing contact that was shockingly intimate. "The Thorne sphere is brilliantly, maliciously defined as any entity that actively or directly competes with

ational, he has the legal right to dissolve your company, reclaim all initial assets, and sue you personally for violating

d gained emotional freedom from Jason, only to find myself chained by his legal

idn't match the cold dread gripping my chest. "Why are you still claiming me? Why the theatrical spect

nt of calculation and latent power. "Because that document only limits you as

suggesting an escape; he was proposing a cage, albeit one of my own choosing. A contractual marriage

rical laugh escaping my lips. "To spite Jason? You don't e

t definitive. "That is all that matters in a contractual marriage. You will be legally untouchable by Jason, as a spouse's assets are protected under separate legal shields, parti

But all I felt was cold, analytical clarity. Jason's rejection had

defiance I barely felt. I braced myself for a laundry

endent subsidiary under the Duke International umbrella. Full financial autonomy, a substantial private salary, and zero emotional obligations from me. This is a

the c

was foreign and intense. "The cost is that you must convincingly play the part. In public, you are mine. You are passionately, hopelessly in love with

entire body. "You must give the world-and Jason Thorne-a re

t my mind was screaming yes to the idea of finally being free of Jason's leg

an unbearable silence. "I accept the terms,

ok crossed his face. He leaned in, closer than any CEO should lean toward a

w vibration against my ear. "Th

a firm, claiming kiss-not soft or tentative, but a deliberate, dominant move designed to mark territory. He was kissing me to valid

ing Jason's cold, assessing glances had never dared to be: demanding, intense, and utte

any last flicker of resistance. He found none. He found only

you'd like to register our marriage. We do it first thing in the mo

d already calculating the next move on the corporate chess