The CEO's Second Marriage Contract

The familiar scent of sandalwood and masculine cologne invaded Liora Arden's senses the moment the gold-plated elevator doors slid open on the sixtieth floor of Laurent Holdings. Three years had passed. Yet the fragrance alone was still enough to make her knees weak. She straightened the faded black blazer clinging to her slender frame. The worn fabric around her elbows looked painfully out of place against the luxurious surroundings. Her father was fighting for his life after suffering a heart attack. Her family's architecture firm, Arden Design, had officially declared bankruptcy that very morning. Their creditors had given them until tomorrow before seizing the house she had grown up in—unless they could produce a guarantee worth fifty billion rupiah. There was only one person in Jakarta who could make that amount disappear with a single signature. The man she had abandoned three years ago... After letting the entire world believe she had cheated on him. "Miss Arden? The President Director is waiting for you." The expressionless secretary led her toward a pair of towering teakwood doors. Liora drew a slow breath. The doors opened. Behind an enormous glass desk stood a man with his back turned, gazing over Jakarta's glittering skyline through floor-to-ceiling windows. His broad shoulders looked even stronger than she remembered. A perfectly tailored charcoal three-piece suit wrapped around his athletic frame with effortless elegance. Damien Laurent. Her ex-husband. The man who used to kiss her forehead every morning... Now radiated nothing but cold authority. "Leave." His deep baritone echoed across the room. The secretary silently obeyed. The heavy doors clicked shut. Silence swallowed the office. Slowly, Damien turned around. His piercing black eyes locked onto hers without hesitation. There was no warmth in them. Only a hatred so carefully restrained that it felt far more dangerous than anger itself. Liora swallowed hard. Then her gaze drifted to his left hand. Her breathing stopped. The silver wedding band engraved with both of their initials... Was still resting on his ring finger. "Three years, Liora." Damien crossed the room with slow, measured steps. Every tap of his leather shoes against the marble floor sounded like a countdown to her execution. "And you only come back when you need money?" Liora lifted her chin despite the tremor running through her fingers inside her pockets. "I didn't come here for small talk, Damien." "My father is in the hospital. Arden Design needs fifty billion rupiah, or everything will be taken from us." "I know you're the one who bought most of our company's debt." A humorless chuckle escaped Damien's lips. He stopped only inches away from her. Close enough for Liora to feel the warmth radiating from the body that had once been her safest place. "You shattered my heart." "You let every newspaper in the country label me as the husband whose wife ran away with another man." "And now you expect me to save your family?" His hand rose. Long fingers gently—but firmly—cupped her jaw, forcing her to look directly into his eyes. The grip wasn't painful. It was possessive. Controlling. "Where is your lover now, Liora?" "Why don't you ask him for help?" Her heart screamed. There was never another man, Damien. I left because my womb was damaged... because your mother threatened to destroy my father's company if I couldn't give the Laurent family an heir. I sacrificed our marriage to protect you from your family's war. But none of those words escaped. Instead... Liora smiled. A smile she despised. "He ran out of money." "You know me." "I'm an expensive woman." Something dark flickered inside Damien's eyes. Rage. Desire. Bitterness. His fingers tightened for a fleeting second before he released her with quiet force. Without another word, he returned to his desk, picked up a thick folder, and tossed it onto the polished surface between them. "Fifty billion rupiah will be transferred to Arden Design within ten minutes..." "...after you sign that." Liora lowered her gaze. The bold title on the first page stole the air from her lungs. SECOND MARRIAGE CONTRACT Her eyes widened. "You want me..." "...to come back to you?" Damien leaned casually against the edge of his desk. A predator watching trapped prey. "Not as the wife I once loved." His voice was calm. Cold. "One year." "A contractual marriage." "You'll live under my roof." "You'll accompany me to every business event." "You'll play the perfect wife in public..." "...and you'll endure every ounce of resentment I've carried for the last three years." "I want to buy one year of your life." "As repayment..." "...for the one you destroyed." Liora clenched her fists until her nails dug into her palms. This wasn't a contract. It was a prison. But then she remembered her father lying unconscious in the ICU. She had no choice. "...Fine." Barely above a whisper. She reached for the pen. Without allowing herself another second to think... She signed. Damien walked over and took the contract from her hands. A slow, chilling smile curved across his lips. "Smart choice..." "...Wife." He tucked the contract beneath his arm before meeting her gaze once more. "Pack your things." "Starting tonight..." "...you'll be sleeping in my house."