Vengeful Vows

The wall return

The next morning, the illusion shattered.

Eve woke up alone in Kael’s bed. The sheets beside her were cold. She sat up, pulling the blanket around her naked body, a small smile still lingering on her lips from the night before. She could still feel his touch, the way he had worshipped every inch of her, the whispered words that made her heart open.

She found him in the kitchen, already dressed in a sharp black suit, typing furiously on his laptop. The warmth from last night was gone. His face was closed off, jaw set in a hard line.

“Kael?” she said softly, stepping closer in one of his oversized shirts.

He looked up. His stormy gray eyes were distant. “We need to talk.”

Eve’s stomach dropped. She sat down across from him, suddenly feeling exposed.

Kael closed his laptop and leaned back, his expression unreadable. “Last night was… fun. The s*x was good. Really good. But we got carried away. This morning I received more reports. Damien is closing in fast. He’s digging into your real identity, and my board is questioning whether this marriage looks legitimate or just convenient. Emotions are making us sloppy.”

Eve felt the words like a punch to the chest. She stared at him, waiting for the warmth to return to his eyes. It didn’t.

He continued, voice cold and businesslike. “We’re business partners who happen to be married on paper. That’s all this can be right now. From today onward, we keep things strictly professional. Separate rooms again. No more personal involvement. No more nights like last night. We focus only on the plan — your revenge and protecting my company. Nothing else.”

Eve’s heart cracked open. The man who had held her so tenderly just hours ago was gone, replaced by the ruthless CEO she had first met. She had already started falling for him — deeply. The realization hit her like ice water.

“You’re serious?” she whispered, her voice barely holding steady.

“Dead serious.” Kael’s eyes didn’t soften. “This was always a contract, Eve. We both knew that. Last night was a mistake. It stops now. We stay focused. That’s the only way we win.”

The pain was sharp and immediate. Eve felt tears burning behind her eyes, but she refused to cry in front of him. She stood up slowly, wrapping her arms around herself.

“Fine,” she said, her voice hollow. “Strictly business.”

She turned and walked away before he could see how badly he had hurt her. Back in her guest wing, she closed the door, leaned against it, and finally let the tears fall.

She had let herself believe they were becoming something real. The way he touched her, the way he looked at her, the quiet conversations in the dark — she had foolishly started falling in love with Kael Draven.

And he had just reminded her exactly where she stood.

A tool.
A business partner.
Nothing more.

The hurt burned into anger. If he wanted strict business, she would give him that. She would get her revenge on Damien, fulfill the contract, and walk away with her heart locked away once again.

But deep down, the wound was fresh and bleeding.

Kael had just shattered the fragile hope she had begun to build.