The CEO's Ruthless Contracts

Episode4

AMELIA’S POV

When I opened my eyes, the sharp smell of antiseptic hit my nose.

I blinked, trying to make sense of where I was, white walls, soft beeping, a bandage on my arm.

Then I saw him.

Sitting beside my bed.

“Adrian?” I whispered, thinking I was hallucinating.

He looked up, his hand still holding mine.

“You’re back?” My voice trembled. “You’ve been gone for three years.”

He didn’t answer right away. His jaw tightened, eyes dark with something I hadn’t seen before, anger, pain, worry.

When he finally spoke, his voice was low. “Amelia… who did this to you?”

I looked down at my bruised skin and quickly pulled the sleeve over it. “It’s nothing. Just an accident.”

“Don’t lie to me.” His tone hardened. “It’s your husband, isn’t it?”

I couldn’t speak. The silence between us said everything.

Adrian clenched his fists, standing abruptly. “I’ll go find him. I’ll make him…”

I reached out, grabbing his arm. “No! Please. Not now.”

He froze, staring at me. “Why, Amelia? Why wait?”

“Just… three days,” I said quietly. “After the robot launch. Everything ends then.”

He looked confused, but I couldn’t explain. Not the years of pain, not the secret I’d buried.

I tried to get off the bed, but my legs gave out.

Before I hit the floor, Adrian caught me, strong arms wrapping around me.

For a second, our eyes locked, too close to kiss.

Then I pulled away, forcing a small smile. “Thank you… but I have to go.”

That night, I didn’t go home.

I stayed in the office, working through the ache in my body.

The next morning, I heard shouting.

Damian stormed into the office, his eyes blazing.

“Who the hell was talking about Amelia?” he barked.

The room went silent. No one dared move.

“I heard someone say she’s hardworking, my wife, hardworking?” His hand came down across an employee’s face with a sharp slap.

“Damian, stop it!” I rushed forward.

He turned on me, fury twisting his features. “You love attention, don’t you?” He grabbed my arm roughly. “You like when they praise you?”

“Let her go!” someone whispered, but no one stepped forward.

Damian smirked cruelly. “From now on, Amelia, you’re no longer the project manager. You’re a cleaner. Let’s see who still respects you then.”

He let go of me and walked out, leaving the office in stunned silence.

My body trembled, but I forced myself to stand. My chest ached, my pride bruised more than my skin.

Just when I thought it was over, Damian came back, this time with a mop and a bucket of water in his hands, a wicked smirk on his face.

Before I could say a word, the cold water splashed over me, soaking my hair, my clothes, everything. Gasps filled the room.

“Damian, please…”

He shoved me to the floor, voice full of venom. “Clean up the mess you made.”

My hands shook as I reached for the mop, but he stepped on my fingers, pressing down hard until pain shot up my arm. I bit my lip to stop from crying out.

He leaned closer, his eyes dark and cruel. “Don’t try to cause trouble at tomorrow’s launch, Amelia. That’s *my* day.”

He didn’t even understand the technology, the years of sleepless nights I’d poured into the project he was planning to steal.

He didn’t know the launch he was bragging about was the same day our contract ended, less than twenty-four hours from now.

And when that clock runs out, I won’t belong to him anymore.

I cleaned every inch of the office that night. My hands were red and raw, but I didn’t stop until everything shone. By the next morning, my body ached, yet I still stood tall. Today was the launch. The day everything would change.

The room buzzed with excitement. Reporters, investors, and employees gathered around the display. The robot I created, my pride, my blood, my pain, stood gleaming under the bright lights.

Some of the employees whispered with smiles.

“She’s incredible. Amelia really made this possible.”

“She fits the Blackwell family so well. Damian’s lucky to have her.”

Those words were like fire to him. I saw his jaw tighten, his eyes turn cold.

“Amelia is worthless,” he spat suddenly, loud enough for everyone to hear. “People like her don’t belong in my world. She doesn’t even deserve to carry my children.”

Before I could react, his hand flew across my face, hard, brutal, public.

“You slut,” he hissed. “You never know your place, but I’ll keep reminding you.”

The room went silent. Cameras stopped. My cheek burned, but I didn’t move.

He had no idea how much I hated him. How I prayed never to have his children. How much I longed for this very moment, the last day of my contract.

Damian smirked, turning to the audience. “I made this company number one. Not her. She’s just another lazy woman who rides on my success.”

Laughter rippled through his friends. Shame twisted in my chest, but something inside me snapped.

Because right then, the timer on my watch hit zero.

Contract ended.

He lifted his hand again to slap me…

but this time, I caught it.

And before he could speak, I gave him back every slap he’d never given me.

One. Two. Three.

Each one echoed through the hall until the entire room fell into silence.

He stumbled back, eyes wide in shock. “Have you lost your mind, you crazy b***h?”

I grabbed the nearest glass bottle and smashed it against his arm. Once. Twice.

“You will never lay a finger on me again!”

Damian cried out, falling to the floor, clutching his bleeding hand.

Gasps echoed through the hall, but I didn’t care. I stepped forward, pressing my heel hard on his fingers, the same way he’d done to me.

He gritted his teeth, struggling to understand what was happening. “Amelia, stop!”

“No,” I hissed. “You stop.”

He scrambled up, rage twisting his face. “You b***h! You’re rebelling against your husband!”

“Not anymore.” I pulled the papers from my bag and threw them in his face. “I’m divorcing you, Damian.”

He stared down at the papers, disbelief and fury burning in his eyes. “You tricked my mother into forcing me into this marriage! You’ve spent three years sucking my money dry because you’re nothing but a desperate gold digger!”

I laughed, but it was bitter and cold. “You really think money could ever make me stay? I tried to make this marriage work, Damian. I tried to love you despite everything, but you’re nothing but a devil who doesn’t deserve anyone’s love.”

His nostrils flared, rage shaking through him. “You don’t get to talk to me like that…”

“I put up with your nonsense because the contract demanded I obey every order,” I cut in sharply. “But that contract is over. You don’t own me anymore.”

I took off my ring and threw it at him. It hit his chest, clattering to the ground.

“Sign the divorce papers, Damian,” I said, my voice calm now, deadly calm.

The crowd that had gathered started whispering, then laughing. Laughter that grew louder, echoing off the walls.

Damian’s face turned red as humiliation burned through him. “I own you!” he roared. “And you dare think you can go anywhere?”

I looked him straight in the eye, my voice sharp as a blade.

“Watch me.”

Damian’s face flushed red as laughter filled the hall.

He looked around, chest heaving, his pride shattering under everyone’s mocking stares.

“Fine!” he spat, grabbing the divorce papers from the floor. “I’ll sign it! This is what you want, right?”

He scrawled his signature with trembling fury and threw the pen aside. “Don’t come crawling back when my mother finds out I kicked you out. Here, you got what you wanted. Now get out of my sight!”

He turned to the employees gathered near the front. “You’re fired, Amelia. Fired from my company!”

A few gasps echoed through the room. One of the senior managers stepped forward, his voice trembling.

“Sir… did you just fire her? She’s the backbone of this company. Ever since Amelia joined us, Blackwell Enterprises has been rising non-stop. Without her, this may be the end of everything!”

“Shut up!” Damian roared, shoving the man backward. “How dare you talk back to me? You think I need *her* to keep this company alive?”

I wiped the blood from my lip and looked him straight in the eyes. “Save your energy, Damian. I’ve been wanting to quit for a long time.”

Gasps. Whispers. The room shifted, every investor suddenly turning their gaze to me.

Before Damian could speak again, one of the company owners stood up, voice firm.

“Miss Amelia, if you’re really leaving Blackwell Enterprises, I want you in my company. I’ll triple your current salary.”

Another one spoke, louder. “I’ll pay her even more! Blackwell’s loss will be our gain.”

The offers started coming one after another.

Damian’s expression darkened; his pride cracked deeper. He slammed his fist against the table. “Enough!” he shouted. “No one is hiring her. Anyone who dares will start a war with Blackwell Enterprises. Let’s see who will *dare* hire you now, Amelia.”

And then…

A deep, confident voice echoed from the entrance.

“I will.”

The entire hall turned toward the doorway.

A tall man stood there, framed by the bright light behind him, his presence commanding the room with quiet power. My breath caught.

He stepped forward slowly, eyes locked on me.

The crowd went silent. Damian’s jaw tightened.

Adrian pushed past Damian and walked straight to me. He takes my hand, warm, steady.

“Are you okay?” he asks, low, all concerned.

“How did you find me here?” I ask, breath still ragged from the run.

He gives me that half-smile that makes my chest unclench. “I'm here to take back my stolen treasure.”

Damian scoffs loud enough for everyone to hear. “Her? Treasure? Your eyes and brain need checking. She's trash, not a treasure. Go see a doctor.”

He jabs a finger at Adrian. Adrian grabs the finger and squeezes so hard Damian gasps.

“You must be blind and cruel,” Adrian says, voice cold. Then he kicks. Damian hits the floor.

Silence.

Adrian stands tall and looks everyone dead in the eye. “I started a tech company last year,” he says. “We need someone brilliant. Nine million a year. Fifty percent of the company. Be my partner, Amelia.”

Nine million. Fifty percent. The words land like thunder. My throat tightens. “All that… for me?”

Adrian squeezes my hand. “Isn’t that what we agreed three years ago? We’d build something together. No backing out now.”

Damian’s voice slices through.

“Oh, you think your little startup can compete with Blackwell Enterprises?” he sneers.

Adrian steps forward, calm. “Maybe not before, but now I have Amelia.”

Damian laughs. “You’ve lost it.”

“No,” Adrian says. “You’re the one who’s lost it.”

I bend, fingers trembling. I dig in my bag and pull out the truth I’ve carried: the card with every cent I earned at Blackwell. I drop it on the floor where everyone can see. Then house keys. Car keys. Receipts. Everything I bought with the money I bled for.

“All of that paid my sister’s hospital bills,” I say, voice flat. “From today forward, you owe me nothing.”

Damian’s face contorts. He points at the gathered investors. “Listen to me, everyone. Whoever hires this b***h will deal with Blackwell Enterprises. There will be consequences.”

I step forward. The room tightens around us. “You want war? Fine. From today, I, Amelia Rhodes, challenge you. I will crush Blackwell Enterprises under my heel.”

He laughs, red with fury. “You really think you can do that?”

I smile, cold. “At next month’s innovation conference, we’ll see who the real trash is.”

He opens his mouth, ready to roar, but he can’t stop what’s happening. He watches me turn, fury and helplessness warring in his face.

Outside, Adrian catches up to me, breathless. “Damian’s right about one thing,” he says. “We don’t have the technology to beat Blackwell yet.”

I look at him, steady. “Their second-generation AI is a framework. It lacks real functionality. The microexpression system, the emotional algorithm, that’s all in my head.”

Adrian’s eyes light. “So we can beat them to market?”

I lift my chin. “We will beat them to market.”

He nodded.

We walk out together.

When I got home after Adrian dropped me off, I stopped at the door, finally breathing out. But the moment I looked down, my heart froze.

A letter.

My name was written in blood-red ink.

I glanced around, no one.

My hands started to shake as I tore it open.

The first line made my lips part and my breath vanish.

My knees went weak, and the letter slipped from my trembling fingers.