Bound by a Contract

Chapter 3 The Mansion of Secrets

The black SUV sped through the rain-soaked streets of Lagos.

Its headlights cut through the darkness like sharp blades.

Amara sat in the back seat, her hands still shaking uncontrollably from the near-death experience she just had.

Tiny pieces of glass were still in her hair from the shattered window.

Everything had happened too fast.

One moment, she signed a contract. The next moment, someone was trying to kill them.

It felt like a nightmare she couldn't wake up from.

Beside her, Alexander Knight looked completely calm, staring out the window as if gunfire was a normal part of his day,

or just a slight inconvenience

Amara finally broke the silence.

Does this happen to you often?"

Alexander glanced at her.

"More often than I'd like."

Her eyes widened. "And you didn't think that was important to mention before I signed the contract?"

A faint smirk touched his lips.

"You still signed."

Amara opened her mouth to argue,

She wanted to tell him he had manipulated her. But the words refused to come.

She could not deny it.

He was right.

She had signed.

Not because she trusted him.

Not because she wanted this strange marriage.

But because she loved her father enough to sacrifice everything else.

The car suddenly turned through a massive iron gate.

Amara looked outside the window in disbelief.

Before them stood an enormous mansion surrounded by tall walls and heavy security lights.

Guards stood at every corner.

The place looked less like a home and more like a heavily protected fortress.

"This is your house?" she whispered.

Alexander stepped out of the vehicle.

"For the next year, it's our house."

Amara climbed out slowly, looking around nervously.

Who needed this much security?

The answer came almost immediately. Someone who had enemies willing to kill.

The front door opened before they even reached them.

A tall elderly man in the perfect suit stood waiting.

His eyes moved slowly over Amara.

Cold.

Careful.

Judging.

"Welcome back, sir," the man said politely to Alexander.

Then he looked at her again.

"And this must be the new wife.

Amara forced a polite smile and shifted uncomfortably.

Alexander nodded.

"Amara, this is Mr. Lawson. He has managed the household for twenty-five years. "

Mr. Lawson inclined his head slightly and gave a stiff nod.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Knight.

His words sounded polite, but his eyes did not.

We weren't informed that the wedding would happen so suddenly."

Alexander's voice became firm.

"That's because it wasn't planned."

The man understood the message immediately and said nothing more.

He bowed once more and stepped aside.

"Your rooms have already been prepared."

Amara could feel his suspicion.

As Amara entered the mansion, she could not help looking around.

Everything was breathtaking.

Huge Chandeliers hung from the ceiling. A grand staircase curved upward like something from a royal palace.

But despite its beauty... something about the place felt cold and strangely empty.

Almost haunted.

It wasn't a place filled with laughter. it was a place that kept secret.

Alexander suddenly stopped. There's something you should know."

Amara looked at him.

"My family lives here."

Her stomach tightened.

" Your... family?"

Before he could explain further, a sharp female voice echoed across the hall.

"Alexander!"

A beautiful woman in an elegant red dress stepped down the staircase.

She was strikingly attractive, with flawless makeup and expensive jewelry that sparkled beneath the chandelier.

But the anger burning in eyes overshadowed everything else.

Her high heels clicked angrily against the marble floor.

She stopped the moment she noticed Amara.

Her expression changed instantly.

Confusion.

Disbelief.

Then pure rage.

"Who is this?" she demanded.

Alexander answered without hesitation.

"My wife."

The woman's face drained of color.

For a moment, she simply stared.

Then her voice exploded through the mansion.

"Wife?!"

"You promised you would marry me!"

Her eyes filled with fury.

Amara looked from the woman to Alexander, completely stunned.

Alexander rubbed the bridge of his nose as though he had expected this confrontation and sighed slightly.

"Claire, we talked about this.

"No!"

Claire snapped.

"You avoided every conversation. You ignored my calls. And now you walk in here with...with her?"

Her eyes traveled slowly over Amara from head to toe.

The look was enough to make Amara feel unwelcome.

Claire laughed bitterly.

"So this is the woman you chose over me?"

"I didn't choose anyone," Alexander replied coldly.

"The decision has been made. Accept it".

But the woman wasn't listening.

"Do you have any idea who you just married? She snapped at Amara.

Amara hesitated .

"No.."

"Then let me be the first to welcome you properly."

She leaned closer, her voice dropping to a whisper.

"Every woman who has loved Alexander Knight ends up ruined."

And some of them...

She paused, enjoying the fear growing in Amara's eyes,

"..didnt live long enough to regret it."

The entire hall fell silent.

For the first time since signing the contract, Amara wondered whether saving her father had cost her something

even more precious.

Perhaps...

Her own life.