A Marriage Signed In Power

e sharp, cold, and familiar, sent a shiver down her spine. Her heart pounded as dozen

she could vanish. But there was no escape. The elegant mask she

oice called again,

. Someone knew her past. Someone who could unravel everything: her

ying across his lips, eyes glinting with mischief and threat. Her mind raced.

ate father. Someone who had a grudge, someone who knew th

and control. His dark eyes flicked toward Derek, sharp and calculating. Lena felt a c

an's voice was low,

mall world, isn't it? I hear you've signed a... special arrangement." His eyes flicked toward E

carefully constructed image threatened to crumble in seconds. An

ed, frozen, as his figure loomed between her and Derek like a shadow o

n said, his voice cutting like st

is head. "Or what, Ethan? You'l

g. "I will. And trust me,

s not only a CEO but a force that could bend situations to his will. Yet, beneath the surface

hough not without throwing one last warning glance toward

, Lena Hart. Not

d Ethan, seeking guidance, reassurance, anything but he merel

very whispered conversation, felt like a potential trap. Her mind replayed Derek's words endlessly,

, her hands folded in her lap. Ethan didn't speak until the car had left the

rying an edge of judgment. "But you must understand-every future encounter wil

er voice trembling despite he

ontinued, "or it will consume you. And trust

ct was more than a document. It was a living rulebook, one that would dict

, her legs unsteady, her chest tight with anxiety. The lights of the city sprawled

ed again. Another message. She

ing. Your first official task

is life she had stepped into was more than an obligation, it was

he realized that survival

shadows of the penthouse doorway, stood someone she never expected to see, a