The contract Bride

Anna’s heels clicked against the marble floor, echoing through the vast, intimidating hallway. The mansion was too quiet, too polished—every detail screamed wealth and power. Her fingers tightened around the strap of her handbag as a chill ran down her spine. She’d promised herself she wouldn’t shake, that she’d walk in with confidence, but right now her legs felt like lead. This was for her father. For the company. For survival. She breathed and reminded herself of the deal: marry a man she didn’t know in exchange for a contract that would save her father’s empire. No questions asked. Just a signature on a marriage certificate and her father’s debts would disappear. It’s just business, she told herself. No feelings involved. A tall figure appeared at the end of the hallway, and her breath caught. Broad shoulders, a sharp tailored suit, dark hair swept back with precision. His stride was calm, controlled, the kind of walk that belonged to someone who owned everything—and everyone—in his world. Then he looked up. Cold gray eyes locked on hers, and in that single glance, the air vanished from the room. Anna’s stomach dropped. She knew those eyes. Her heart pounded as fragments of the past slammed into her. A boy in faded jeans is sitting alone at the back of the classroom. A boy she mocked with cruel words just to make her friends laugh. No. It can’t be him. But it was. David Scott. The poor scholarship kid she used to bully in college was now the man her father wanted her to marry. And from the icy look in his eyes, he hadn’t forgotten a single thing. “Anna.” His voice was smooth, deep, and threaded with something dangerous. “Welcome to my home.” She swallowed hard forcing a smile and pretending not to know him and said hiDavid Scott I’m Anna emy It's been a while now, pretend not to know me, right? He took slow, measured steps toward her, each one deliberate, until he stood close enough for her to catch the expensive scent of his cologne. “Funny. Feels like yesterday.” Her pulse roared in her ears. He was nothing like the boy she remembered. Gone was the quiet, awkward student. This man radiated power. Confidence. And something else—something darker. “I didn’t know…” Her voice cracked, and she hated it. “I didn’t know it was you.” His lips curved into a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Surprise.” She gripped her bag tighter. “So… this arrangement. The marriage. Is this… what you really want?” He tilted his head, studying her like a predator deciding how to play with his prey. “Want?” He chuckled softly, the sound low and unsettling. “I’d say it’s… convenient.” Anna’s stomach twisted. Convenient. Not love. Not even kindness. Just business. Exactly what she told herself it would be. So why did his gaze make her feel like the walls were closing in? “Unless,” he continued, his voice dropping to a near whisper, “you’ve changed your mind. I wouldn’t want you to feel… trapped.” She opened her mouth, then closed it. Did she have a choice? No. Her father’s desperate face flashed in her mind, the company teetering on the edge of collapse. “I’ll do it,” she said quickly, the words tasting like iron on her tongue. His smile widened. “Good girl.” Heat rushed to her cheeks—not from his words, but from the way he said them, as if he owned her already. “Dinner’s at eight,” he added casually, turning away like a king dismissing his subject. “We’ll discuss… expectations.” Her heart stuttered. Expectations? “David,” she blurted before she could stop herself. He paused, glancing over his shoulder, eyes glinting with something unreadable. “Yes?” She hesitated, the question burning her lips. Do you hate me? Is this revenge? But all she managed was a shaky, “Thank you… for helping my father.” He stared at her for a long, silent beat. Then, with a faint smirk, he said, “Oh, Anna. You have no idea what I’m helping myself to.” And with that, he walked away, leaving her standing in the cavernous hallway, heart pounding, a single terrifying thought echoing in her mind: What have I done?