Contract Marriage: Bound To A Notorious Tycoon

e buried studying with frantic intensity. In the middle of that tens

diary and decided to read it out loud to the entire cl

shared no blood, yet she al

d he was taking me home. The first days in his house were terrifying. Every night, fear kept me awake long after the lights went out. Uncle Jason noticed. He gave me a plush bunny to hug and sat by my bedside, reading story after story until I finally drifted off to sleep. On my birthday, Uncle Jason surprised me with a stunning white grand piano. We sat

voice, each sentence dripping with ridicule. The feelings Kristina had guar

er blow, splintering what litt

rembling as tears blurred her vision. She lunged

it out of reach. In a deliberately syrupy

apped a desk and yelled, "No wonder you're cursed! Your parents died because of yo

Seductress! S

other cruel remark. Before long, the ridicule had moved

eyes blazing, she seized a chair nearby and swung it up without hesitati

.

sibly striking, he carried himself with effortless authority. The moment he appeared, th

earlier instantly abandoned her harsh attitude. "Exc

nly, his gaze drifting to Kristina's

clicked into place. No wonder Kristina had pour

ad bowed, staring fixedly at her shoes. Her fingers knotted together

, she found herself follow

e, that scent had been her refuge-the smell that meant she was safe, protected, and no l

umiliation; it was the possibility t

gh courage to glance at him. His jaw was tight, his exp

to cut her off, th

d a pale haze. Kristina sank her teeth into her lower lip

k. "You won't be taking the SAT. Instead, you'll be stu

urged through her as she shook her head. "I have to take the SAT. I have t

ter that, come back and enter public service. I'll arrange a stable position

was the brightest among them. Despite his age, he had already secured

bite down on her lip as tears

d how unforgiving the world could be. In her eyes, there was nothing wrong wi

she'd done was write down her feelings, yet Jason ha

years later, her father-a police officer-lost his life while rescuing two college students from the s

it. Kristina grew up half-starved and dressed in worn-out clothes. Beatings were common. On some nights,

ther had died saving. After learning about her s

r knew what it felt like to be cherished. Little by little, Jason helped her heal. He gave

person was pus

ain. Please... let me take the SAT. I won't apply to Plence Universi

ly, Jason felt the hardness i

The thought of destroying her hopes was some

ngs she harbored for him had to be cut off completely. If that meant

ticket, intending to return

e SAT, he never considered that a real concern. The life he had given her

made it clear he had no intention of

fore the SAT rolled around, Kr

papers had left rough calluses along her fingers. The mountain of prep books

xt. It was the battle she had spent her entire adolescence prepari

keted the Oliver estate. The entire family had left fo

of her room and made

how hard she searched, her SAT admi

er her. For one reckless moment, she almost

er cold. If she dragged the Olivers into it

do, her phone suddenly lit up with a c

y tree, which made Jason her uncle. Ever since Kristina had come to live wit

ly over the phone. "Hurry! Uncle Jason's drunk, and I just spo

.

he hotel and found E

nto Kristina's hand. "Kristina, you can do this. I'll meet you at the testing center tomorrow. You're getting into Plence University's biopha

y to pick her up from school when the disease stole a moment of awareness. Disoriented and confused, she wandered into the road. Kristina had witnessed everything. Th

When she grew up, she would dedicate herself to finding a cure. She would create a medicin

e become the reason she kept moving

With the key card Ellie had slipped her, she ma

ulled out her phone and tapped out a message. The screen bri

know that the events waiting for her that night would haunt her for years to come-or that this was the