Contracted Hearts

Cracks Beneath The Gold

Zara did not remember leaving Adrian’s office.

One minute she was standing there trying not to cry in front of him, and the next minute she was inside a taxi staring blankly out the window while Lagos moved around her in a blur of noise and traffic.

Her chest still hurt.

Not physically.

Emotionally.

And she hated it.

Hated the fact that Adrian’s words affected her this much.

A well known cleaner.

The sentence kept replaying inside her head over and over again like a wound refusing to close.

She laughed bitterly to herself.

Because technically he was right.

She had cleaned floors in that company for years.

She had watched executives walk past her like she was invisible.

Some did not even know her name.

And now suddenly she was standing beside the CEO and people were disgusted by it.

The worst part was not even the board.

Not Eleanor.

Not Richard.

It was Adrian.

Because somewhere along the line she had started believing he saw her differently.

The taxi finally stopped in front of her apartment building.

Zara stepped out quietly and climbed the stairs slowly, exhaustion weighing heavily on her shoulders.

The moment she opened the apartment door, her younger sister Amara looked up from the couch immediately.

“You’re back”

Zara did not answer.

She simply dropped her bag carelessly near the door and walked straight past her.

Amara frowned instantly.

“Zara?”

Still nothing.

That was enough to alarm her.

Amara stood quickly and followed after her into the room only to stop immediately when she saw Zara sitting at the edge of the bed silently crying.

“Oh my God.”

Amara rushed toward her immediately. “What happened?”

Zara quickly wiped her face angrily. “Nothing.”

“That is obviously not nothing.”

“I said I’m fine.”

“You’re crying.”

Zara laughed bitterly. “Congratulations. You can see.”

Amara sat beside her slowly, her expression softening immediately. “Did something happen to Mum?”

That question made Zara shake her head quickly.

“No. Mum is fine.”

“Then what happened?”

Silence.

Heavy silence.

Zara stared at the floor for a long moment before finally speaking quietly.

“I think I’m stupid.”

Amara frowned immediately. “What?”

Zara laughed softly again, but there was pain inside it this time.

“I think I forgot what this arrangement actually was.”

Amara stayed quiet now.

Listening carefully.

And slowly, piece by piece, Zara told her everything.

The board.

The argument.

The things Adrian said.

The way he spoke about her background.

Her job.

Her status.

Amara’s face grew darker with every sentence.

By the time Zara finished talking, the younger woman looked furious.

“He said that to you?”

Zara wiped her face tiredly. “Not directly.”

“That does not matter.”

“It does matter.”

“No, it doesn’t!” Amara snapped. “The fact that he even thinks like that is enough.”

Zara looked away immediately.

And somehow that hurt worse because hearing someone else say it out loud made everything more real.

Amara folded her arms tightly. “Men like him are dangerous.”

“You sound dramatic.”

“I sound correct.”

Zara sighed heavily and leaned back against the wall behind her.

“I don’t even know why I’m this upset.”

Amara stared at her like she was insane.

“Seriously?”

“Yes seriously,” Zara muttered frustratedly. “This was supposed to be a contract. Temporary. Nothing emotional.”

“But emotions happened.”

“They were not supposed to.”

Amara’s expression softened slightly now.

“That’s not something you can control.”

Zara laughed bitterly again.

“Well apparently he can.”

“Stop defending him.”

“I’m not defending him.”

“Yes you are.”

Silence followed again.

Then Zara whispered quietly, “Why am I even angry?”

Amara blinked slightly.

“What?”

Zara shook her head slowly. “Think about it. What exactly did I expect? He’s rich. Powerful. Comes from one of the biggest families in the country. Of course image matters to him.”

“That still doesn’t give him the right to treat you badly.”

“But that’s the thing,” Zara continued emotionally. “This entire arrangement started because he needed something from me. That’s all. I knew that from the beginning. So why am I acting shocked now?”

Amara reached for her hand gently.

“Because no matter what the arrangement is, you are still human.”

That sentence nearly broke Zara again.

“You are not dirt,” Amara continued softly. “You are not beneath anybody because you cleaned floors to survive.”

Zara looked down immediately as tears burned her eyes again.

“I felt so small today.”

Amara’s expression cracked slightly at that confession.

“Hey.”

Zara shook her head. “The way he said it… God. It was like he was embarrassed to even be connected to me.”

“You know that’s not true.”

“Isn’t it?”

“No.”

Zara looked unconvinced.

Amara sighed softly before pulling her into a hug.

“You did what you had to do for this family.”

That finally broke her.

Real tears came now.

The painful kind.

Because hearing someone acknowledge her sacrifice made everything feel heavier somehow.

Amara rubbed her back gently. “You carried this alone for too long.”

“I didn’t want you worrying.”

“I’m still angry you didn’t tell me at first.”

Zara laughed weakly through the tears. “Fair.”

“But I understand why you did it.”

Silence settled quietly between them.

Then Amara pulled back slightly and looked at her seriously.

“You helped Mum when nobody else could.”

Zara swallowed hard.

“You sacrificed your peace for us,” Amara continued. “And whether this arrangement works or not, I’m proud of you.”

That almost made Zara cry all over again.

Before she could respond, a loud knock suddenly echoed through the apartment.

Both sisters froze.

Another knock came.

Firm this time.

Zara immediately frowned. “Who is that?”

Amara stood up carefully and walked toward the door.

The moment she looked through the small opening beside it, her eyes widened slightly.

Then narrowed.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Zara stood immediately. “Who is it?”

Amara looked back at her slowly.

“Your billionaire problem.”

Zara’s stomach tightened instantly.

“No.”

“Yes.”

Another knock came.

“Zara,” Adrian’s voice called from outside. “Open the door.”

Amara immediately folded her arms. “Absolutely not.”

Zara rubbed her forehead tiredly. “Amara.”

“No. He made you cry. He can stand outside.”

Another knock.

“Zara.”

Amara moved closer to the door without opening it. “She doesn’t want to see you.”

Silence followed from outside for a second.

Then Adrian spoke again calmly. “Move.”

Amara almost laughed.

“The audacity.”

“Amara,” Zara warned softly.

“No. Let me handle this.”

She opened the door slightly without removing the chain lock.

Adrian stood outside still dressed in his dark suit, tension written clearly across his face.

Amara looked unimpressed immediately.

“She said she doesn’t want to see you.”

Adrian’s eyes shifted briefly past her, clearly trying to see Zara inside.

“I came to speak to her.”

“And she doesn’t want to speak to you.”

His jaw tightened slightly. “This is between me and Zara.”

Amara smiled coldly. “Funny. Because you involved her entire existence when you decided to insult her.”

Adrian’s expression hardened instantly.

“I did not insult her.”

“You practically called her trash.”

“That is not what happened.”

“Then explain why my sister came home crying.”

Silence.

Adrian looked away briefly.

And somehow that alone irritated Amara more.

“Exactly,” she muttered.

“Can I please speak to her?”

“No.”

“Amara.”

“No.”

Behind her, Zara remained frozen.

Part of her wanted Adrian to leave.

Another part wanted to hear what he came to say.

And honestly?

That made her angrier at herself.

Adrian’s voice lowered slightly. “I need to fix this.”

Amara laughed sharply. “Oh now you want to fix things?”

“Move.”

“No.”

His patience visibly thinned now.

“I’m not leaving until I speak to her.”

“Well that sounds like a personal problem.”

Even Zara almost laughed at that.

Adrian noticed movement behind Amara and his eyes immediately landed on Zara standing further inside the apartment.

The moment he saw her face properly, guilt hit him again.

Hard.

Because she had clearly been crying for a while.

And suddenly all the anger from earlier disappeared completely.

“Zara.”

She looked away instantly.

That hurt more than he expected.

Amara noticed too.

“She doesn’t want to talk to you.”

Adrian ignored her completely.

“Please.”

That surprised Zara slightly.

Because Adrian Cole did not beg.

Ever.

But Amara remained unmoved.

“You should have thought about that before acting ashamed of her.”

“I was angry.”

“And now she’s hurt.”

Silence.

Then Adrian spoke quietly.

“I know.”

The honesty in his voice shifted the atmosphere slightly.

But not enough.

Zara finally spoke for the first time since he arrived.

“You should leave.”

Adrian’s eyes immediately locked onto hers.

“Zara.”

“I’m serious.”

“You’re emotional right now.”

That made Amara laugh in disbelief. “Oh my God. He’s actually stupid.”

Zara’s expression hardened again instantly.

“See? This is exactly the problem. You always think your feelings matter more than everyone else’s.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“But it’s what you keep doing.”

Adrian stepped closer to the door slightly. “I came here to apologize.”

Zara folded her arms tightly.

“For which part exactly? The cleaner part or the stain part?”

His face tightened immediately.

“Zara.”

“No, seriously. Pick one.”

Silence.

Painful silence.

Then Adrian finally admitted quietly, “I was wrong.”

The words stunned everyone slightly.

Because Adrian rarely admitted fault.

But Zara was still too hurt to soften immediately.

“You meant every word.”

“No.”

“You did.”

“I didn’t.”

“Then why did you say them?”

Adrian looked exhausted suddenly.

“Because I was angry and frustrated and I took it out on you.”

“That doesn’t make it better.”

“I know.”

Another silence followed.

Then Zara looked at him carefully.

For the first time since he arrived, she noticed something unusual.

He looked terrible.

Not physically.

Emotionally.

His calm billionaire mask had cracks in it tonight.

Real cracks.

And somehow that unsettled her again.

But before she could say anything else, Amara interrupted sharply.

“You’ve apologized. Leave.”

Adrian’s eyes remained fixed on Zara.

“I’m not leaving without you.”

Zara laughed softly in disbelief.

“You really think I want to go back there tonight?”

His jaw tightened.

“That house is still your home.”

“No,” she replied quietly. “It’s yours.”

That sentence hit him harder than anything else she said all evening.

And for the first time in a very long time, Adrian Cole had absolutely no idea what to say.

So eventually, after one last look at her, he left.

And somehow that felt worse than if they had continued fighting.

The moment Adrian entered the Cole mansion later that night, he already knew peace was impossible.

Eleanor sat in the living room waiting.

Richard stood beside the fireplace.

Vanessa sat quietly on the couch sipping wine.

Almost like they had been expecting drama.

And honestly?

They had.

Eleanor looked up immediately. “Where is Zara?”

Adrian removed his suit jacket coldly. “Not here.”

Vanessa raised an eyebrow slightly.

Interesting.

Richard however looked annoyed. “The board meeting today was embarrassing.”

Adrian laughed once bitterly. “You think that’s my concern right now?”

Eleanor studied him carefully.

Then slowly realized something important.

This was no longer just business for her son.

And suddenly that became far more dangerous than Zara ever was.