The Prince's Contract Bride

The Rejection

The rejection should have ended things.

Instead, it lit a fire under Victoria Hawthorne that refused to die.

For the next three weeks, Prince Alexander Ellington became her singular obsession. She treated the pursuit like a corporate takeover, meticulous, ruthless, and unrelenting. Every resource at her disposal was mobilized.

Sophie had never seen her boss like this.

“You’re scaring me,” Sophie said one morning, staring at the wall of Victoria’s private office covered in photos, schedules, and red string connecting sightings of Alex. “This is giving ‘unhinged billionaire’ energy.”

Victoria didn’t look up from her laptop. “Good. Unhinged gets results.”

She had eyes everywhere. Private investigators, high-society informants and even a few well-paid paparazzi who owed Regal Group favors. Everywhere Alex went, a quiet hunting trip in upstate New York, a disguised visit to a charity polo match in the Hamptons, or a low-profile dinner at an exclusive members-only club, Victoria found him.

And every time, she made her proposal again.

At the polo grounds, she appeared in elegant riding attire, “accidentally” crossing his path as he left the stables.

At a discreet vineyard tasting in Napa (how he got there without flying commercial, she still didn’t know), she sat at the bar two stools away and slid a handwritten note across the counter.

Each time, Alex’s response was the same: polite, firm, and final.

“No.”

Yet he never had her removed. Never called security. He simply listened, watched her with those intense dark eyes, and walked away.

It was driving Victoria insane.

Meanwhile, the pressure at home was growing worse.

Richard Hawthorne summoned her to the Regal Group boardroom on a rainy Thursday afternoon. Brandon and Lauren were already seated like vultures waiting for carrion.

“We’ve found another candidate,” her father said without preamble. “Acceptable background. Manageable ambition. He’ll sign whatever prenup we put in front of him.”

Victoria laughed coldly. “I told you. I won’t marry down.”

Brandon leaned forward, smirking. “You don’t have a choice. Father’s threatening to freeze Regal Beauty’s operational budget unless you cooperate. How long do you think your little empire lasts without cash flow?”

Lauren added sweetly, “It’s for your own good, Victoria. You’ve always been… ambitious. But some battles you can’t win.”

Victoria’s jaw tightened. She knew this was a power play to force her into a weak marriage so Brandon could consolidate control of the entire Regal Group.

“Fine,” she said through gritted teeth. “I’ll go on the date. But don’t expect miracles.”

The date was set for Friday evening at an upscale Manhattan restaurant known for its private rooms and impeccable discretion.

The man was named Derek Langford, tall, handsome in a clean-cut way, with kind eyes and a gentle smile. He came from a respectable finance family. On paper, he was perfect.

In reality, he was exactly what Victoria didn’t want: safe, unambitious, and completely beneath her.

They sat across from each other at a candlelit table. Derek tried his best.

“You manage the art foundation as well?” he asked politely. “That’s impressive. I’ve always admired people who give back.”

Victoria swirled her wine, her mind elsewhere. She glanced at the wall where a small collection of cat-themed artwork hung, a delicate ink drawings that reminded her of Alex’s private collection. The same quiet appreciation for small, beautiful things.

She looked back at Derek and smiled sweetly.

“Oh, the foundation? It’s mostly a front for money laundering,” she said casually, as if commenting on the weather. “You know how it is in this business. Clean money in, dirty money out. Keeps things interesting.”

Derek froze, fork halfway to his mouth.

Victoria leaned in, voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “Between us? My father controls most of it. He likes his sons-in-law… obedient. Like little puppies who do what they’re told. You seem like you’d fit right in.”

Derek’s face went pale. He laughed nervously, clearly hoping it was a joke.

It wasn’t.

By the time dessert arrived, he was sweating. Victoria spent the rest of the meal checking her phone and occasionally mentioning how an only child like him would have no inheritance fights unlike her own situation.

When the check came, Derek practically fled the table after a mumbled excuse about an early meeting.

Victoria watched him go with zero remorse.

As expected, her father couldn’t accuse her of disobedience. She had gone on the date.

That same night, her phone rang while she was back at her penthouse, still in her dinner dress.

It was Alex.

Victoria’s heart jumped despite herself. She answered on the second ring.

“I saw you tonight,” Alex said without greeting. His voice was calm, but there was an edge to it. “On your date with the Langford heir. I overheard parts of the conversation. Money laundering? Really?”

Victoria leaned against her kitchen counter, a slow smile spreading across her face. “Jealous, Your Highness?”

There was a pause.

“I’ve been investigating you,” Alex continued. “You leave your home only for work. You have almost no close friends. Your personality is… formidable. I remember you were quite good at defending yourself back in school.”

Victoria’s pulse quickened. He had been watching her too.

“Yet you still turned me down,” she said.

“Because I won’t marry for convenience,” Alex replied. “No matter how tempting the package.”

The line went quiet for a moment. Victoria could almost picture him standing in that quiet residence, running a hand through his hair, fighting whatever pull existed between them.

“But you keep finding me,” he added, almost to himself.

“Because I don’t lose,” Victoria whispered. “Not when I want something this badly.”