The Champion's Contract Bride

Chapter 4: Boundaries

The penthouse was dark when Sofia returned. She moved through the rooms quietly, not wanting to wake Adrian, but when she passed the study she saw light spilling from beneath the door. She paused, listening. The low murmur of his voice, tense and clipped. He was arguing with someone.

"I don't care what the board thinks. She stays."

Sofia's breath caught. She knew she shouldn't eavesdrop, but her feet wouldn't move.

"Because I said so. Because she's the best driver we've ever had. Because I'm not letting Victor push me into a corner."

Victor. His uncle. The man who had smiled at her during the press conference with too many teeth and cold eyes.

"If they want a fight, they'll get one." A pause. "Yes, I understand the risks. Do it quietly."

The call ended. Sofia stepped back from the door, but not fast enough. It swung open and Adrian stood there, his tie loosened, his shirt sleeves rolled up. He looked exhausted and furious, and something in his expression softened when he saw her.

"How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to know you're fighting with someone about me."

Adrian ran a hand through his hair, messing it further. "Come in. We need to talk."

Sofia followed him into the study. The safe was open again, files spread across the desk. Her crash photos, race telemetry, financial records. She felt her stomach lurch at the sight of her car mangled against the barrier.

"What's happening, Adrian?"

He leaned against the desk, arms crossed. "Victor is pushing the board to delay your racing debut. He says you're not ready, that bringing you back too soon will damage the team's reputation."

"But I signed a contract."

"Contracts can be broken. Victor knows that." Adrian's jaw tightened. "He wants you gone. He's been working against me for months, and now he's using you as leverage."

Sofia moved closer, her heart pounding. "Does he know about the investigation? About the sabotage?"

"I don't know what he knows. That's what worries me."

She studied him, seeing the tension in his shoulders, the dark circles under his eyes. He'd been fighting this battle alone for three years, carrying secrets that would crush most people. And she'd been hating him the entire time.

"Let me help," she said quietly.

Adrian looked at her sharply. "No."

"Don't shut me out. Not now. I'm part of this whether you like it or not."

"It's dangerous."

"I'm a racing driver. Danger is part of the job description." Sofia stepped closer, close enough to see the muscle twitching in his jaw. "You said you'd share everything. That's the deal."

"The deal was information about your crash. Not involving you in a boardroom war."

"They're the same thing." Sofia held his gaze. "The people who sabotaged me are the people trying to destroy you. We fight them together, or we lose separately. Those are the options."

Adrian stared at her for a long moment. Then he exhaled, some of the tension leaving his shoulders.

"You're impossible," he said.

"So I've been told."

He almost smiled. Almost. "Fine. Tomorrow, after your simulator session, I'll show you everything. The financial records, the witness statements, all of it. We'll figure out who's behind this together."

Sofia nodded. "Good. Now get some sleep. You look like hell."

"Thank you for that observation."

"I'm your wife now. It's my job to point out when you look terrible."

The word hung between them. Wife. Sofia felt heat rise to her cheeks. Adrian's expression shifted, something dark and intense surfacing before he looked away.

"This isn't a real marriage," he said quietly.

"I know."

But even as she said it, she felt the lie. Because standing here, in his study, surrounded by the evidence of his three-year obsession with her case, nothing felt fake.

"I should go to bed," she said.

"Sofia."

She turned back. Adrian was watching her with an expression she couldn't read.

"The person who sent you those messages. I know about them."

Her blood went cold. "How?"

"Your phone is registered to my security network. I get alerts when you receive messages from unknown numbers."

Sofia felt her anger spike. "You're monitoring my phone?"

"Only for threats. After the press conference, I increased security. Emma mentioned she saw you looking at something that upset you." Adrian's voice was careful. "I'm not spying on you, Sofia. I'm protecting you."

"Same thing, apparently." She stepped back, putting distance between them. "You should have told me."

"I'm telling you now. The messages are coming from a burner phone. Untraceable. My security team is working on it."

Sofia's heart raced. The messages. The anonymous warnings. Someone was watching her, and now Adrian knew about it too.

"What did the last one say?" he asked.

She hesitated. Then she pulled out her phone and showed him. Adrian read the message, his expression darkening.

"Keep digging, Miss Reed. The truth is closer than you think."

He looked up at her. "They want you to investigate. They're baiting you."

"Or warning me."

"Either way, you need to be careful." Adrian stepped closer, closing the distance she'd created. "Promise me you won't go anywhere alone. Not until we figure out who this is."

The intensity in his voice made her breath catch. He was genuinely afraid for her. The realization hit harder than she expected.

"I can take care of myself."

"I know you can. But you shouldn't have to." Adrian's hand came up, brushing a strand of hair from her face. The touch was gentle, unexpected. "Let me help you."

Sofia's pulse hammered. His fingers lingered against her cheek, warm and careful. She should pull away. She should remind him of the rules, the boundaries, the contract.

Instead, she leaned into his touch.

"What happened to keeping our hands to ourselves?" she whispered.

Adrian's eyes darkened. "I'm breaking the rules."

The kiss, when it came, was not gentle. It was three years of anger and grief and longing colliding all at once. Sofia grabbed his shirt, pulling him closer, and he responded with equal intensity, his hands tangling in her hair.

This was a mistake. She knew it. But she didn't care.

Adrian pulled back first, breathing hard. His forehead rested against hers.

"Sofia, I—"

"Don't." She pressed a finger to his lips. "Don't apologize. I don't want to hear it."

He was silent, his heart pounding against her palm. She could feel the tension in his body, the effort it took for him not to kiss her again.

"This doesn't change anything," she said quietly. "The contract still stands."

"I know."

"One year. Then we walk away."

Adrian's hand came up, covering hers where it rested on his chest. "Is that what you want?"

The question hung in the air. Sofia didn't have an answer. Because right now, standing in his arms, the answer felt terrifyingly close to no.

A knock at the door shattered the moment. They pulled apart as Emma's voice came through.

"Adrian? There's an emergency. The car Sofia was supposed to drive in the season opener. Someone tampered with the brakes."

Sofia's blood turned to ice. Adrian was already moving, grabbing his jacket.

"When?" he demanded, opening the door.

"Tonight. Security caught it on camera. The person wore a mask." Emma's gaze flicked to Sofia, then back to Adrian. "They disabled the brake lines. If she'd driven that car—"

She didn't finish. She didn't need to.

Sofia stood frozen, the warmth of Adrian's kiss replaced by cold, creeping dread. Someone had tried to kill her again. And this time, they'd gotten close enough to touch her car.

Adrian turned to her, his face pale. "You're not leaving my sight."

For once, Sofia didn't argue.