Bound by the Billionaire's Deal Isabella Montague's life takes an unexpected turn when she is forced into a marriage of convenience with the ruthless billionaire CEO, Alexander Grey. What starts as a cold, calculated contract to secure a powerful business deal quickly becomes much more. Behind Alexander's icy exterior lies a man with hidden depths, and Isabella finds herself caught between duty and desire. As their worlds collide, the sparks between them ignite into a passionate, tangled affair neither can control. But with business rivalries, family pressures, and their own emotions at play, will their growing bond survive, or will the price of their deal prove to be too high?
Chapter 1 The Proposal
The Montague family mansion stood in eerie silence. A relic of old money, its vast halls and chandeliers had once radiated power, prestige, and invincibility. But tonight, the air was heavy with something else. Defeat.
Isabella Montague sat stiffly on the velvet sofa in her father's study, her fingers gripping the armrest as though holding on for dear life. Across from her, Alexander Grey, the man who held her family's future in his hands, watched her with a patience that was far more unsettling than arrogance.
The contract lay untouched on the table between them.
"Read it," Alexander said, his voice smooth but firm.
Isabella's jaw tightened. She had skimmed it already-a contract marriage, binding her to him for two years. In exchange, Grey Enterprises would bail out Montague Global, preventing its total collapse.
She hated the very idea of it.
"You can't be serious," she said, her voice low, controlled.
Alexander leaned back in his chair, completely at ease, his sharp blue eyes studying her like a puzzle he had already solved. "I don't make jokes about business."
Her stomach twisted. "Business? That's what this is to you?"
His expression didn't change. "That's what everything is."
She forced herself to hold his gaze. She wouldn't let him intimidate her. "You think I'll just agree? Sign my life away like it's a business deal?"
His smirk was almost amused. "It is a business deal, Isabella. A very simple one."
Her pulse pounded. It wasn't simple. It was insane.
A contract marriage? In this century? For what?
"Why me?" she demanded, arms crossed.
His smirk faded slightly. "Because you're a Montague. Your name has weight. Your marriage to me will send a message-one that solidifies power in both our industries. I get what I need, and your father keeps his company."
Her father.
Isabella felt her resolve waver. The once-great Victor Montague was a shell of the man he had been. His health was deteriorating. His mistakes had led their empire to ruin. He had once been unstoppable, untouchable-but now, the company board was seconds away from forcing him out.
And Alexander Grey knew it.
"You planned this, didn't you?" she accused. "You waited until my father was at his weakest, then swooped in like a vulture."
He didn't deny it.
Isabella's nails dug into her palm. "I won't marry you."
Alexander exhaled, almost as if he found her resistance inconvenient, rather than surprising. "Then Montague Global collapses. Your father loses everything. He's already sick, Isabella-how much more do you think he can take?"
The words hit like a slap.
She knew the truth. The weight of the company's downfall was already killing her father. If she let it crumble completely... it would destroy him.
Her hands shook slightly, but she clenched them into fists. "There has to be another way."
"There isn't."
The finality in his voice sent a chill down her spine.
Silence stretched between them. The only sound was the ticking of the antique clock on the wall.
Her eyes flickered back to the contract. Her name, printed clearly in bold black ink, was waiting for her signature.
"Two years," Alexander said, breaking the silence. "After that, you walk away. No attachments, no obligations. But until then, you'll be my wife."
The word felt foreign, suffocating.
Wife.
To him.
A man who was cold, calculating, ruthless.
Her breath was shallow. "I need time to think."
Alexander stood, adjusting the cuff of his sleeve with effortless precision. "You have until midnight."
Her head snapped up. "That's ridiculous-"
"It's generous." His voice was cool, decisive. "Because in reality, Isabella, you have no choice."
Her entire body tensed.
He was right.
She had no choice.
Alexander picked up his coat, walking toward the door with the quiet confidence of a man who had already won.
Before leaving, he paused, glancing back at her. "I'll be at your house tonight. We'll finalize the agreement then."
Her pulse quickened. He was giving her no escape.
As the door clicked shut behind him, Isabella let out a shaky breath.
Her world was crashing down around her, and the only way to save it was to marry Alexander Grey.
And she had no idea how to stop it.