Mistaken Vows, Dangerous Love

chapter 6

Chapter 6: Collateral

Nora woke up completely alone.

The dark silk sheets on Adrian’s side of the bed were already cold. The bathroom door swung open, revealing an empty space void of steam or sound. She sat up slowly, a hollow ache settling deep into her chest.

On the velvet accent chair, her black designer dress was perfectly folded. It hadn't been casually tossed; it was handled with clinical precision. It was as if someone had come in to clean up a chaotic mess, wiping away any trace of the passion they had shared just hours ago.

She threw on one of Adrian's crisp white button-down shirts, the oversized fabric swallowing her frame, and went searching for him.

She found him in his private office. He was already fully dressed—suit tailored, tie knotted perfectly, and platinum cufflinks caught in the morning light. He was calmly reading through a corporate contract, looking completely unfazed for a man whose name she had been breathless for only six hours ago.

He didn't look up from the tablet. “You’re finally awake.”

Nora remained frozen in the doorway, the oversized shirt suddenly feeling like a mocking costume. “Adrian… about last night.”

“There is nothing to discuss.” He casually turned a page on his screen. “It happened. It’s over.”

The air was violently sucked from Nora's lungs. “Over?”

Adrian finally lifted his head, his dark eyes meeting hers. They were flat, empty, and entirely unreadable.

“It was a mutual lapse in judgment,” he said, his voice smooth and devoid of any emotion. “Do not overanalyze it, Nora. And certainly do not get attached to me. That would be… highly unwise.”

Unwise. He was talking about their intimacy as if it were a high-risk stock option.

Nora’s fingernails bit into her palms, her voice trembling. “So that’s all it was? A mistake? I meant absolutely nothing to you?”

“You are my wife on paper to secure a multi-billion-dollar merger,” Adrian said, closing the folder with a sharp snap. “That is the only reality you need to concern yourself with. Ryker will bring you breakfast shortly. Stay out of the west wing today.”

He stood up, adjusted his cuffs, and walked right past her as if she were a piece of furniture blocking his path.

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By 2:00 PM, the fragile peace of the penthouse shattered.

Nora didn’t know how Maya had bypassed the lobby, but suddenly her best friend was pounding furiously on the penthouse doors, shouting into the intercom, and threatening to bring the police if she wasn't let inside.

Ryker ultimately escorted her up, standing in the private elevator bay like an iron prison guard. The moment the doors slid open, Maya rushed out. She took one look at Nora—the exhaustion in her eyes, her pale face, and Adrian's shirt hanging off her shoulders—and her face went completely white.

“What did that monster do to you?” Maya gasped, grabbing her by the shoulders.

Nora let out a broken, humorless laugh. “Nothing I didn’t choose to let him do, Maya.”

They sat together on the floor of Nora's separate bedroom. Needing an anchor, Nora spilled everything. She told her about the suffocating debt, the fraudulent contract, the real Valentina's shocking television broadcast, and the cold reality of Adrian's rejection this morning.

Maya listened in horrified silence, her hands shaking. “You have to leave him, Nor,” she whispered urgently. “Right now. Pack a bag. We’ll go straight to my apartment. Screw his billions. Screw the contract.”

“I can’t leave,” Nora said, her voice cracking. “My brother’s life support—”

“Leo is in a coma, Nora! He has no idea you’re sacrificing your entire life to a devil in a designer suit.” Maya’s voice choked up with tears. “But I know. I'm looking at you right now, and you look completely used.”

The raw truth of the word made Nora flinch.

Before she could speak, the bedroom door was violently slammed open.

Adrian filled the entire frame. His suit was still immaculate, his face carved of stone, but his dark eyes were absolutely lethal.

“Who is this?” he demanded, his voice a low rumble.

Maya stood up instantly, lifting her chin to face him—five feet of pure, unadulterated fury. “I’m her best friend. And I’m taking her out of this cage.”

Adrian’s gaze bypassed Maya entirely, cutting straight to Nora like a blade. “You permitted a civilian onto this secure floor.”

“She’s not a stranger, she's my—”

“Everyone is a stranger here, Nora. Except me.” He stepped into the room, his presence completely suffocating the space. “Ryker.”

The head of security materialized in the hallway. “Sir.”

“Escort Ms. Bennett out immediately,” Adrian ordered coldly. “She is not cleared for this floor. Erase her name from the building logs.”

“You can’t do this!” Nora shouted, stepping between them. “She is the only person I have left!”

“You have a binding contract, Mrs. Voss,” Adrian stated, his voice turning to absolute ice. “And according to Section 4.2: No unauthorized guests are permitted, and no disclosure of our marital arrangement is allowed to third parties without my explicit written consent. You violated both.”

Maya grabbed Nora’s hand tightly. “Don’t let him manipulate you, Nor. Let's go.”

“I'm not manipulated,” Nora said softly, her heart sinking as she looked at the icy resolve in Adrian’s eyes. If Maya stayed, Adrian would ruin her. Nora slowly pulled her hand away from her friend's grip.

“Maya, please. You need to leave. Right now.”

“Nora, no—”

“Go, Maya. Please.”

Maya looked at Adrian’s merciless face, then back at Nora’s pleading eyes. Cursing under her breath, she grabbed her purse and pushed past Ryker toward the elevator. “This isn’t over, Voss. I’ll expose what you're doing to her!”

The elevator doors closed, cutting off her voice.

Adrian stepped further into the bedroom, shutting the door behind him. The heavy click of the lock felt like a trap springing shut.

“Do you think this is a petty game?” His voice was dangerously quiet, far worse than a shout. “You think you can bring people into my home, expose my corporate vulnerabilities to an outsider, and compromise my security because you felt lonely?”

“I felt used!” Nora shot back, anger finally masking her heartbreak. “Because you used me last night to prove you could, and then you threw me away like garbage this morning!”

“I explicitly warned you not to get attached.” He lunged forward, bridging the gap between them, caging her against the wall with his towering frame. “I told you what this transaction was. You chose to mistake chemistry for something real.”

“You kissed me in front of your entire board! You told me our bed was cold! What was I supposed to think, Adrian?”

“That I am a man,” Adrian retorted sharply, his gaze locking onto her lips. “And you are an incredibly desirable woman. Sometimes biology is highly inconvenient.”

Slap!

The sharp crack echoed through the bedroom. Adrian’s head snapped to the side from the sheer force of her blow. In the hallway, Ryker didn't make a sound, but the entire penthouse seemed to hold its breath.

Slowly, Adrian turned his face back to her. A dark red mark was blooming across his sharp jawline. He touched it with his fingers, a look of sheer disbelief flashing through his eyes. Then, a slow, terrifying smile spread across his lips—completely devoid of warmth.

“Good,” he whispered, his voice dangerously dark. “Be furious. Fire suits you much better than tears.”

Before she could move, his large hand clamped around her wrist. His grip wasn't painful, but it was an unbreakable shackle. He pulled her flush against his chest, his breath hot against her ear.

“Let me remind you of your place in my world, Mrs. Voss. You are here for one single purpose: to play my wife when I command it. You do not have friends. You do not have confidants. You have no life outside these walls until I say otherwise.” His thumb pressed firmly against her wrist, measuring the frantic racing of her pulse.

“Break this contract again, and I won't just void it. I will send your brother’s medical bills straight to collections, and I will ensure Maya Bennett never finds employment in this city again. Do you understand me?”

Nora couldn’t breathe, the sheer weight of his ruthlessness crushing her. “You are an absolute monster.”

“I know,” he murmured, letting go of her wrist so abruptly it felt as though she had burned him. “Stay in your quarters. Ryker will bring your dinner.”

He turned and walked out, leaving her alone. Nora sank to the floor, her body trembling with a chaotic mix of fury, humiliation, and a lingering, toxic attraction she couldn't suppress.

Suddenly, the burner phone concealed in her dress pocket vibrated violently against the floorboards.

An unknown number flashed on the cracked screen. Nora answered it with a shaking hand, pressing it to her ear. "Hello?"

A cold, mocking laughter echoed from the other end.

"Did you enjoy your wedding night, Nora? Because while you were playing house with Adrian Voss, the real Valentina Laurent just signed a warrant for your arrest. Look out your window."