Chapter 6
1166 Words
The Contract
Mia's POV
The pregnancy text felt like a punch I should have seen coming but still knocked the air from my lungs.
Victoria never did anything without calculating the impact first. This was her nuclear option, the move designed to destroy me in the court of public opinion.
Pregnant woman versus vengeful ex-wife. She would win that narrative every single time.
Alexander plucked the phone from my trembling fingers. His face remained perfectly still as he read, but something dangerous flickered in his eyes.
"She's lying," I said, hating how my voice shook. "She has to be lying."
"Of course she is." He handed the phone back, already pulling out his own. "Victoria had an abortion three months ago and it was carried out by Dr. Sarah Chen at Manhattan Women's Health."
I stared at him. "How could you possibly know that?"
"Because I know everything about everyone who might hurt you." He scrolled through his phone, then showed me medical records that made my stomach turn.
The date was clear. Three months ago. The father is listed as unknown. Victoria's signature at the bottom, authorizing the procedure.
"This is private medical information. You could go to jail for having this."
Alexander's smile was cold enough to frost glass. "Only if someone reports it. And Victoria won't, because then she would have to explain why she's claiming to be pregnant now."
The car slid through Manhattan traffic, rain streaking the windows. I watched the city blur past, trying to process everything that had happened in thirty-six hours.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"Home." He said it simply, like it was obvious. "Our home."
Our home. The words felt strange, and artificial. This morning I woke up in a hotel room Alexander had arranged. Yesterday I was thrown out of my own house. The day before that, I was still Damien's hidden wife.
Now I was Alexander Kirk's very public one.
The penthouse was nothing like Damien's ostentatious display of wealth. Where Damien had chosen white marble and gold fixtures, Alexander preferred dark wood and steel. Everything was clean lines and controlled power.
It felt like walking into his mind.
"The third floor is yours," he said, shrugging out of his jacket. "Private bedroom, bathroom, office. I'm on the fourth floor. The kitchen and common areas are on two."
"We're not sharing a bedroom?"
He paused, turning to look at me. "Did you want to?"
Heat crept up my neck. "No. I just thought, for appearances."
"The staff signed NDAs. What happens in this house stays private." He loosened his tie, and I tried not to notice how the movement made his shoulders shift. "Unless you want to share a room for other reasons?"
"I don't."
"Good. Because we need to establish ground rules." He moved to the bar, pouring wine into two glasses. "This is a business arrangement. We both want revenge. We both have something to gain."
I took the wine he offered. "What exactly do you gain from this?"
"Kirk Corporation, Damien's complete destruction, and the satisfaction of watching everyone who enabled our father's cruelty finally pay." His eyes met mine over the rim of his glass. "Plus, I get to keep you safe."
"I don't need protection."
"Victoria just threatened to fake a pregnancy. Your stepmother helped murder your father and forge his will. Damien had you committed to a psychiatric facility." He stepped closer. "You absolutely need protection."
I wanted to argue, but he was right. Without Alexander's resources and connections, I would still be that broken woman on the sidewalk outside Damien's office.
"So what are the rules?" I asked.
He set his glass down, pulling a folder from his briefcase. "Standard marriage contract. One year minimum. After that, you're free to leave with a settlement."
"How much?"
"Fifty million plus whatever assets we acquire together during the marriage."
The number made my head spin. "That's too much."
"It's nothing compared to what you're giving me." He opened the folder, showing me pages of legal text. "Access to your father's company. Your testimony against Victoria and Catherine. Your presence at my side during every public event."
"Making Damien watch us together."
"Making everyone watch us together." He pulled out a pen. "But there are conditions. There’ll be complete honesty between us. No affairs, no secrets that could damage the arrangement. And most importantly, no falling in love."
The last rule hit differently than the others. "Why that one specifically?"
"Because love makes people stupid. It clouds judgment. It gives your enemies leverage." His jaw tightened. "I've seen what happens when people in our position fall in love. It destroys them."
I thought about my marriage to Damien, how loving him had made me blind and vulnerable. "Agreed. No falling in love."
Alexander handed me a black credit card. "Here is an unlimited fund. Buy whatever you need. Clothes, jewelry, anything that makes you feel powerful."
The card was heavy in my palm, stamped with my new name. Mrs. Alexander Kirk.
"I have money from my father's estate."
"Which is currently frozen in legal battles. Use mine." He checked his watch. "I have calls to make. You should explore the house. Get comfortable."
He disappeared up the stairs, leaving me alone in this massive space that was supposed to be home.
I wandered through rooms that felt more like a museum than a residence. Everything was expensive and impersonal. No photos, no mementos, nothing that revealed who Alexander actually was.
The second floor had a kitchen that looked barely used and a library with floor to ceiling windows. The third floor was mine, decorated in soft grays and blues. Beautiful but generic, like a luxury hotel.
I climbed to the fourth floor, curiosity pulling me forward. Alexander's bedroom door was open, revealing dark furniture and a bed that could sleep four. His bathroom was all black marble and chrome.
But at the end of the hall was another door. This one was locked.
I tried the handle anyway. It would not budge.
"Find everything you need?"
I spun around. Alexander stood at the top of the stairs, jacket off, sleeves rolled up. He looked more dangerous now.
"What's in that room?" I asked.
His expression went carefully blank. "Nothing that concerns you."
"We're supposed to have complete honesty."
"About things that affect our arrangement." He moved closer, and I fought the urge to step back. "That room doesn't."
"Then why lock it?"
"Because some things are private." His voice was soft but had an edge that made my skin prickle. "Some things stay buried."
I should have left it alone. I should have nodded and walked away. But four years of being kept in the dark had taught me to push for truth.
"What are you hiding?"
Alexander's hand came up, fingers catching my chin. Not rough, but firm enough to make me meet his eyes.
"That room stays locked, always. It's not for you, it's not for anyone."
- Writer
