FOREVER MINE: The ceo's fated wife🌺🌼

The night before, Nora came home to chaos. Their landlord was already inside, his voice bouncing off the thin walls. “Rent! Light bill! Three months, Miss Hale! Every single time I knock, it’s the same story!” Gloria stepped in front of him, hands shaking. “Please, sir, just a little more time. We’ll pay—” “A little more time?” He laughed, cold and sharp. “I’ve heard that for ninety days straight. Pay me now, or I’m throwing your things on the street tonight.” Nora’s knees hit the floor before she even realized it. The wood was dirty, cold, biting into her skin. But she didn’t care. “Please,” she whispered, and her voice broke. “I’m begging you. We have nowhere else to go. No family. No one. Just... two more days. That’s all I’m asking.” Tears burned her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. Not in front of him. Not yet. Gloria had lost her job three weeks ago. The café shut down without warning. That left Nora. One temp secretary job. One month contract. And her salary? Locked away until month-end. Three whole weeks away. The landlord stared at them like they were dirt under his shoes. Then he spat on the floor and said, “Fine. Two days. Not one hour more. If I don’t see cash, you’re out. Both of you.” The door slammed. The silence that followed was louder than his shouting. Gloria collapsed onto the single chair they owned. “Two days... Nora, how? How are we supposed to—” “I don’t know,” Nora admitted. Her throat felt like sandpaper. “I swear I don’t know.” Gloria grabbed her hands. Her fingers were ice cold. “Then ask them. Ask your boss for your salary early. Even if you have to beg on your knees again. Even if it means humiliating yourself. It’s our last hope, Nora. Do you understand me? Our _last_ hope.” Nora closed her eyes. The word _last_ echoed in her chest. Last hope. Last chance. Last night in a real bed before the rain and the street. She pulled Gloria into a hug. “Okay. I’ll try. I’ll beg if I have to. I won’t let us end up on the street. I promise.” But promises were easy. Facing Adrian Voss was not. --- 12 hours later, Nora stood in his office. The air was expensive. Cold. It smelled like leather and power and a man who had never been told no. She held the salary slip with both hands like it was a lifeline. Because it was. “Mr. Voss,” she forced out. “Please. Just my salary. We have two days before we’re homeless. I’m begging you. It’s only 200 dollars.” He didn’t look up from his laptop. “Company policy is month-end, Ms. Hale. I don’t make exceptions.” Two days. The word hammered in her skull. Two days until the landlord threw them out. Two days until Gloria slept on wet concrete again. Desperation made her reckless. “I’ll do anything,” she heard herself say. “Anything you ask. Just please—” That’s when he finally looked up. Gray eyes. Stormy. Cutting straight through her. And the moment they locked on hers, Nora’s breath caught. Her chest burned. Not from fear. From recognition. It was like her body knew him before her mind could catch up. Like some old wound, buried 5 years deep, suddenly started bleeding again. Adrian’s jaw clenched. His phone buzzed on the desk: _Marriage or lose the merger. Choose. - Mom_ He stood. Slow. Deliberate. Every step made the floor feel smaller. He stopped right in front of her. Close enough that she could count the scars on his knuckles. Close enough to smell his cologne. She smelled like cheap soap and rain. But underneath it... something else. Something that made his fingers twitch at his sides. “Stand up straight,” he ordered, voice low. Nora obeyed instantly. Her heart was hammering so hard she was sure he could hear it. Why was she shaking? Why did it feel like coming home and getting burned at the same time? Adrian dropped a thick contract on the desk between them. The sound was final. Like a cell door closing. “Marry me for 6 months,” he said. No emotion. “30 million dollars. Live in my mansion. Play my wife at every event. Don’t touch me. And don’t—” his eyes darkened “—don’t fall in love with me.” 30 million. The number rang in her ears. 30 million could save Gloria. 30 million could buy them time. 30 million could keep the rain off their heads for the rest of their lives. Nora stared at the contract. Then at him. _This is insane. This is a cage. This man is ice._ But the alternative was the street. Was Gloria crying in the dark again. Was failure. Her hand trembled as she picked up the pen. Every cell in her body screamed _no_. But her chest... her chest burned like it was saying _yes_. Like fate had been waiting 5 years for this exact moment. She signed her name. Nora Hale. And the second the ink dried, Adrian’s eyes flashed. Like something ancient inside him just woke up. Because his body remembered her. Even if his mind didn’t. --- Adrian took the signed contract and slid it into the top drawer of his mahogany desk. The sound of the drawer closing was final. Cold. Like a prison door locking. Nora stared at it. 30 million. Her life. Gone into that drawer with one click. Her mouth was dry. Her hands were fists at her sides. She had to ask. She had no choice. “Mr. Voss,” her voice came out smaller than she wanted. “Since I signed the papers... could you give me half of the money now? Just half. So I can settle my bills. The landlord. Please.” The room went still. Adrian didn’t look up from his computer at first. His fingers kept typing. Click. Click. Click. Like her words didn’t matter. Then he stopped. Slowly, he lifted his gaze. His eyes hit her like ice water. Cold. Empty. No warmth. No mercy. The kind of eyes that had watched the world burn and didn’t blink. “I’ll pay you full,” he said. His voice was flat. No emotion. No room for argument. Nora’s eyes widened. Shock shot through her chest. Full? All 30 million? At once? But fear followed right after. Because men like him didn’t give without a reason. She clenched her jaw. Forced the words out. “What if I run with the money?” The question hung in the air. Stupid. Desperate. But she needed to know. Adrian leaned back in his chair. The leather creaked. He studied her like she was an insect under glass. Something fragile. Something he could crush if he wanted. “You can run,” he said finally. A ghost of a smile touched his lips. But it wasn’t kind. It was dangerous. “But you can’t hide from me, Nora.” He said her name. Not “Ms. Hale”. Nora. Her heart beat faster. Nervously. Violently. Because the way he said it... it wasn’t a threat. It was a promise. Her blood ran cold and hot at the same time. “Give me your account number,” he said, already turning back to his computer. “Before I change my mind.” Nora fumbled for her phone with shaking hands. Her fingers slipped twice before she typed the number and shoved the screen toward him. For 3 seconds, nothing happened. Then—_BING_. Her phone lit up. Message from the bank. *+30,000,000.00 SLD received from h***:://A.VOSS CORP* Nora’s eyes widened. Her breath stopped. Thirty million. On her phone. More money than she’d ever seen in her life. More money than her family made in 10 lifetimes. Her hands trembled so hard she almost dropped the phone. What was she supposed to feel? Relief? Terror? She didn’t know what to feel. “Tomorrow,” Adrian said without looking up. “We head to the house after work. I’m giving you tonight to pack your things. Be ready.” Nora nodded. Speechless. Her throat was too tight for words. “Leave now,” he said. His eyes were already back on his computer screen. Dismissed. Forgotten. Nora rushed out. Her legs felt like water. Her hands were trembling so bad she could barely grip the door handle. The office door closed behind her with a soft _click_. And the second she was alone in the hallway... she collapsed against the wall and pressed her palm to her chest. Because it was still burning. --- *At Gloria’s Apartment - 2 Hours Later* Nora reached home tired. Bone-deep tired. The kind of tired that sleep couldn’t fix. Her chest still felt tight from what happened earlier. Like someone was squeezing her ribs with each breath. But she was both happy and confused at the same time. Glad that she finally had the money. The landlord couldn’t touch them now. Gloria wouldn’t sleep on the street. Confused about signing a contract and living with a complete stranger for 6 months. A man whose eyes looked like winter. A man who said _you can’t hide from me_ like he meant it. The door creaked open. Gloria was sitting on the floor, back against the wall. The moment she saw Nora, she shot up. Eyes full of hope. Desperate hope. “Did you get the money?” Gloria whispered. Like saying it too loud would make it disappear. Nora nodded. Once. Then she handed Gloria the copy of the contract. Her hands still shook. Gloria’s eyes scanned the paper. Then they widened. Then her face went pale. “Contract marriage... 6 months... 30 million... Adrian Voss...” she read out loud. Her voice broke on his name. “Nora, how... why?” Nora sank onto the floor beside her. She took Gloria’s hand. It was cold. “This is the only hope I had, Glo. Back then. That’s why I agreed. There was nothing else.” Gloria stared at her like she’d lost her mind. “You’re going to live with a total stranger. Moreover he’s cold-hearted and arrogant and even hates women. Everyone in this city knows Adrian Voss destroys people.” Nora squeezed her hand. “It’s okay. I’ll come with it. It’s just 6 months. Then I’m out. Free.” Gloria’s eyes filled with tears. “What about me? What happens to me?” “You’ll be visiting,” Nora said quickly. Too quickly. “And moreover, we’ll never be poor again. He sent all the money to me. All of it.” Gloria really stared. “Nora...” “Yes,” Nora said, voice getting stronger. “We’re going to pay rent three times over and make this place into a fancy house. And we’ll open a café. You and I will own it. No more landlord. No more fear. So right now, let’s discuss how we’ll use the money and stop worrying about the future.” Gloria was quiet for a long moment. Then she whispered, “If he just gave this kind of money to you for a contract... he must be a very rich billionaire. Rich enough to buy a life.” Nora looked down at her hands. “It’s okay now. Help me pack my things. I’m leaving tomorrow.” Gloria stared at her sister for a long time. Really stared. Then without a word, she pulled Nora into her arms and hugged her tightly. So tight it hurt. “Thank you very much,” Gloria whispered into her hair. Her voice cracked. Nora hugged her back just as tight. They both burst into tears. Silent tears that streamed slowly down their cheeks. Tears of relief. Tears of fear. Tears for the 6 months ahead. Outside, the city was dark. But inside that small apartment... for the first time in years... there was hope. Even if it came with a price. ---