THE CEO'S CONTRACT WIFE

Chapter 5:THE ICE QUEEN

Eleanor Thorne was a woman made of ice, pearls, and old money. She stood in the doorway of the library, her eyes scanning the room like a hawk looking for a field mouse.

She ignored her son completely and marched straight toward Elena.

Elena felt the urge to curtsy or run away, but she remembered Julian’s command: Act like you own the building. She stiffened her spine and met the older woman’s gaze.

Eleanor stopped two feet away. She didn't say hello. She simply looked Elena up and down, her lip curling in distaste.

"So," Eleanor said, her voice dripping with disdain. "This is the emergency solution?"

"This is my wife, Mother," Julian corrected sharply, stepping to Elena’s side. He placed a possessive hand on the small of Elena’s back. The heat of his hand burned through the silk of her dress. "Elena, this is my mother, Eleanor Thorne."

"Nice to meet you," Elena said, extending a hand.

Eleanor looked at the hand as if it were covered in mud. She didn't take it.

"Don't pretend with me, girl," Eleanor snapped. "I know a gold digger when I see one. How much is he paying you? Or did you trap him with a pregnancy scare?"

"Mother, that is enough," Julian’s voice cracked like a whip. The temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees. "You are speaking to the new Mrs. Thorne. You will show her respect, or you will be escorted out by security."

Eleanor’s eyes flashed with fury. She turned to her son. "You are making a mistake, Julian. Your grandfather will see right through this charade. He wanted you to marry Victoria. Someone with breeding. Not... this."

"Grandfather wants me settled," Julian replied calmly. "I am settled. The papers are signed. The judge has just left. It is done."

Eleanor paled. She looked at the massive diamond on Elena’s finger, and her nostrils flared.

"You reckless boy," she hissed. "You’ve ruined everything. When the board finds out you married a nobody, stock prices will plummet."

She turned back to Elena, her eyes narrowing into slits. "Enjoy the money while you can, dear. But don't get comfortable. Thorne men are known for discarding their toys when they get bored. And you look very... temporary."

With that venomous parting shot, Eleanor spun on her heel and stormed out of the library, slamming the heavy doors behind her.

The silence that followed was heavy.

Elena let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Her legs felt weak. "She’s... intense."

"She is a viper," Julian corrected. He walked over to the desk and downed the rest of his whiskey in one swallow. "But she is powerless as long as we stick to the plan."

He turned to look at Elena. The anger from his mother’s visit was still visible in the set of his jaw, but his eyes were tired.

"You handled yourself well," he admitted. "Most people cry when they meet her."

"I've dealt with angry customers before," Elena managed a small, shaky smile. "Rich ladies who send back their soup aren't that different."

Julian looked at her, and for a moment, a flicker of amusement crossed his face. "No. I suppose they aren't."

He checked his watch.

"It’s late. The staff has prepared the master suite for us."

Elena’s heart skipped a beat. The master suite.

"Wait," she stammered. "You said... Rule Number One. No sharing a bed."

"We aren't sharing a bed," Julian said, walking toward the door. "But the servants talk. If we sleep in separate rooms on our wedding night, the rumors will reach my grandfather by morning. We have to share the room."

He opened the door and looked back at her, his expression unreadable.

"Don't worry, Elena. The suite has a couch. I’ll take it. You get the bed."

Elena looked at the handsome, intimidating stranger she had just married.

"Coming, Mrs. Thorne?"