Bound By Contract, Claimed By Fate

CHAPTER ONE KATHERINE’S POV “A signature was supposed to bind me to his world—but the fire in his eyes bound me to something far more dangerous.” The first time I saw Dominic Beaufort, he didn’t look like a man who belonged in this world. He looked like sin carved into flesh. He was trouble— the kind of trouble that wears a tailored suit and knows exactly how he looks. He was tall and broad-shouldered. His black suit stitched to him like it had been woven from shadows, he walked into the room as if the walls bent to his will. His presence wasn’t loud—it was absolute. The kind of power that made silence dangerous. His eyes found mine across the polished mahogany table, sharp and unrelenting, and my lungs forgot their purpose. And God, I hated that about him… I hated how he made me feel. I was Katherine Fontaine—property to a family name steeped in scandal and desperation. I was the kind of woman tabloids worshipped for her scandals and men desired for her body, but feared for her teeth. Beautiful, yes. Desired, always. But never owned. Yet here he was, this arrogant billionaire with ink peeking from his cuff, looking at me like I was already his. “Miss Fontaine,” Dominic said, his voice low, smooth, and dangerous in the way whiskey scorches your throat. “You’re late.” I smirked, tilting my chin higher. “And yet you’re still here, waiting. That tells me you need me more than I need you.” His lips curved, but it wasn’t a smile—it was a promise of war. “Or maybe I enjoy watching you think you have leverage,” he said, pulling out his chair to sit across from me. The air between us crackled, thick and electric, like a storm about to break. I shifted in my chair and crossed my legs slowly, deliberately, every movement calculated even though my pulse was racing. His gaze dropped—just for a fraction of a second—before snapping back to mine, sharper now, harder, like he’d caught himself wanting something he swore he wouldn’t touch. And I hated how that single flicker made my skin burn. I should have felt powerful. This was supposed to be my moment, my armour, my move in a game I had no intention of losing. But the truth pressed heavier. Every secret I had buried, every weakness I had sworn never to reveal—he made me feel like he could read them just by watching me breathe. And that terrified me more than the contract I was about to sign. The contract lay on the table, a stack of glossy paper dressed up as a prison. My father’s debt. My family’s ruin. And Dominic Beaufort—the lock on my cage and I just knew my whole world was about to collapse. “You know why you’re here,” he said, sliding it toward me. I touched the edge but didn’t open it. Not yet. “Marriage,” I said flatly, my voice laced with venom. “A convenient alliance. Your billions, my family’s last name. Cold. Calculated. Empty.” He leaned forward, cologne and heat threading through the air, dizzying me. “Don’t fool yourself, Katherine. This isn’t one-sided. Without me, your father’s empire crumbles. Without me, Daddy is going to have nothing left for you.” There goes his arrogance, the same reason I despised him as he humiliated me years ago in a business meeting. My pulse betrayed me, thrumming faster. Damn him for being right anyway. “So that’s it?” I asked, tilting my head. “You want to buy yourself a bride? You think my body comes stapled to the paperwork?” That hint of a smile again—danger wrapped in charm. “No. I think your body comes with fire in your eyes. And I like fire.” My throat tightened. Anger, I told myself. Not an attraction. But the truth… the truth was crueller. His stare made me want to burn. I signed the first page with a flourish, red nails tapping against the table like tiny bullets breaking the tension. I leaned back in my chair, crossing one leg over the other, pretending I wasn’t suffocating under the weight of his stare. “There,” I murmured, my lips curving into something between a smile and a sneer. “Satisfied?” His eyes followed the movement, dark and unreadable. “Not yet. There are conditions.” “Of course there are, ” I murmured and rolled my eyes. “Men like you don’t play fair.” “If this is going to work, you’ll live under my roof. I don't play pretend from a distance,” he said, voice casual as if discussing the weather. “Effective immediately.” I froze. That was the least thing I expected him to say. “Excuse me?” “If this marriage is going to convince anyone, you’ll move into my world. My space, my rules.” My laugh cracked like glass. “It's never going to happen, Dominic,” I snapped at him. “So you want a pet, not a wife?” His gaze sharpened. “No, Katherine. I want a wife who understands the stakes. Who can play the role to perfection? Can you?” He knew I could. Hell, I had been raised for it—smiling in diamonds, lying with lips that dripped poison and roses. But he didn’t know how close I was to splintering beneath it all. “I’ll manage,” I said, though my throat ached with the lie. His eyes lingered, peeling back the mask I wore. Then softly, “Good. Because I don’t forgive failure, and we both want this to look convincing enough to the public and avoid scandals. And you should think of your father's small company before doing anything.” He was right. We’ll lose everything if I don't agree to his terms. I thought it was done. But his voice dropped, deeper, darker. “One more condition.” The silence pressed hard against my chest. “What now? Do you want my soul, too?” He didn’t smile. His eyes cut sharper. “You’ll never speak to Adrian again.” The name detonated inside me, cold fire ripping through my veins. Adrian. My hands clenched in my lap. My mask cracked. He wasn’t supposed to know. He couldn’t know. “How do you—” My voice broke. Dominic leaned forward, elbows resting lightly on the table, his voice soft enough to brush against my skin. Yet it cut like a blade. “Don’t look so surprised,” he murmured, eyes locked on mine as if he could see right through my skin. “Did you really think your secrets were safe from me? And of course, you’re my wife now. And I don’t leave anything I own to chance.” My heart thundered. If Dominic knew about Adrian—my ex, my biggest mistake—what else did he know?