The Contract Bride

Thirteen– Her POV (Cracks in the Ice)

The ride home from the dinner was silent.

Too silent.

I sat with my arms folded, eyes glued to the city lights blurring past the tinted glass, trying not to think about the way Alexander had practically branded me in front of everyone.

Elena Steele.

He’d said it like it was truth. Like it was law.

And the worst part? No one questioned it. Not once.

Finally, I snapped. “You had no right.”

From the corner of my eye, I saw him turn his head. Calm. Composed. Infuriating. “No right to what?”

“To call me your wife like that.” My voice wavered, but I didn’t stop. “To parade me in front of everyone as if this is—this is real.”

“It is real.” His tone was maddeningly even.

“No,” I shot back, twisting to face him fully. “It’s a contract, Alexander. Paper. Ink. That’s all.”

His jaw flexed, a flicker of something raw flashing across his face before he masked it again. “Tell me,” he said, voice lower now, “when Damien looked at you, what did you feel?”

I blinked, caught off guard. “What?”

“Answer me.” His eyes pinned me, sharp and unyielding.

I swallowed hard. “Uncomfortable.”

“Unsafe?”

The word hung in the air, heavy, dangerous.

“…Yes.”

His hand clenched on the leather seat between us. “Then remember this, Elena. I don’t parade you. I protect you.”

The car jolted to a stop at a red light, and for a moment the only sound was our breathing. His eyes burned into mine, and I realized his control wasn’t as unshakable as he wanted me to believe. There were cracks in the ice.

I hated that it stirred something in me.

“I don’t need your protection,” I whispered.

“Don’t lie to me.” His voice was rougher now, the calm CEO veneer slipping. “You want to hate me, Elena. Fine. But you’ll never convince me you don’t feel safer when I’m near.”

My chest tightened. I opened my mouth, desperate to deny it, but the truth sat heavy on my tongue.

The light turned green. The car surged forward.

I looked away, refusing to give him the satisfaction of my answer.

But the smirk tugging at his lips told me he already knew.