CHAPTER FIVE A WIFE IN NAME ONLY
1499 Words
Elena barely slept.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Jason and Vanessa together.
The laughter.
The betrayal.
The look on Jason’s face when she caught him.
Not guilt.
Annoyance.
As if her heartbreak had inconvenienced him.
By morning, exhaustion sat heavily beneath her eyes.
Still, she forced herself out of bed.
She refused to cry again.
At least not today.
The sunlight pouring through the massive windows felt too bright, too warm for the storm still raging inside her chest.
Elena stood before the mirror quietly.
She looked different.
Not healed.
Not stronger.
Just… changed.
Like something innocent inside her had died overnight.
A soft knock interrupted her thoughts.
“Miss Elena?” Mrs. Darlene’s voice came gently. “Breakfast is ready.”
Elena inhaled slowly.
“Okay.”
She followed the housekeeper downstairs into a dining room larger than most restaurants.
At the center sat Adrian Kingston.
Already dressed.
Already composed.
Already working.
Several documents rested beside his untouched coffee while he spoke calmly on the phone.
“No. Delay the merger until next week,” he said coldly. “And remove Harrison from the negotiations entirely.”
A pause.
Then:
“I don’t care if he’s offended.”
He ended the call without another word.
Only then did his eyes lift toward Elena.
For a brief second, his gaze lingered on her tired face.
“You didn’t sleep.”
It wasn’t a question.
Elena pulled out a chair quietly.
“Neither did you.”
“Sleep is optional.”
Despite herself, she almost smiled faintly.
Almost.
Mrs. Darlene placed breakfast before them before leaving discreetly.
Silence settled between them.
Not awkward.
Just unfamiliar.
Elena touched the edge of her coffee cup nervously.
“So…” she began quietly. “The contract.”
Adrian leaned back slightly in his chair.
Direct.
Straight to business.
Exactly what she expected.
“You’ll stay married to me publicly for one year,” he said calmly. “Possibly longer if necessary.”
Elena’s fingers tightened around the cup.
“One year…”
“You’ll continue your work as a designer,” he added. “Nothing in your career changes unless you decide it does.”
That surprised her slightly.
“And in return?”
Adrian’s expression remained unreadable.
“You gain protection.”
The word again.
Protection.
Elena frowned faintly.
“Protection from what exactly?”
His gray eyes met hers steadily.
“People.”
Something cold settled in his voice.
“Jason will try to manipulate you. The media will hunt you. Business rivals will use your humiliation for entertainment.”
He paused briefly.
“As my wife, no one touches you without consequence.”
A strange feeling moved through Elena’s chest.
Not comfort exactly.
Safety.
Something she hadn’t felt since yesterday shattered her life apart.
She looked down quietly.
“And what do you gain from this?”
Adrian didn’t hesitate.
“Control.”
Of course.
Everything with him returned to control.
“You really don’t care about love at all, do you?” she asked softly before thinking.
Silence.
Then Adrian answered calmly:
“Love makes people weak.”
The certainty in his voice made her look at him carefully.
There was something buried there.
Something wounded.
But before she could think deeper about it, he slid a document across the table toward her.
“The contract.”
Elena stared at the thick papers nervously.
“This feels terrifyingly official.”
“It is official.”
She opened the document slowly.
Rules filled the pages.
Public appearances together.
Confidentiality agreements.
Media expectations.
Financial protection.
No public scandals.
No discussing private matters.
Elena blinked.
“You really planned all this overnight?”
“No,” Adrian replied calmly.
Her eyes lifted instantly.
“What?”
For the first time since meeting him, Adrian paused before answering.
Then:
“I’ve considered marriage for business reasons before.”
Something about that response unexpectedly bothered her.
Not because she cared.
She shouldn’t care.
This wasn’t real.
Still…
The idea of Adrian calmly preparing marriage contracts for random women felt strangely uncomfortable.
Elena quickly pushed the thought away.
“You can refuse,” Adrian said suddenly.
She looked up.
His expression remained calm.
But serious.
“I don’t force people to stay beside me.”
That sentence lingered heavily.
Because somehow…
She believed him.
Elena looked back down at the contract.
One year.
A fake marriage.
A new life.
A dangerous man.
And yet…
What exactly was waiting for her outside this mansion?
Jason’s lies?
Public humiliation?
Watching Vanessa replace her openly?
No.
Her chest tightened painfully.
She couldn’t survive that yet.
Not while her heart still bled.
Slowly, Elena picked up the pen.
Adrian watched her silently.
“Before I sign this,” she said quietly, “I need to know something.”
“Ask.”
“Why me?”
Finally.
The question she’d been carrying since last night.
Adrian’s gaze held hers steadily.
“Because you’re useful.”
The answer hit harder than she expected.
Useful.
The same word Jason used.
Her expression shifted instantly.
Pain flickered across her face before she could hide it.
Adrian noticed.
Of course he noticed.
Something dark crossed his expression briefly.
“That’s not what I meant.”
Elena let out a quiet bitter laugh.
“It’s exactly what Jason said.”
Silence.
For the first time, Adrian looked almost irritated with himself.
Then unexpectedly, he spoke again.
“You were betrayed publicly,” he said calmly. “Most people would collapse completely.”
His gaze sharpened slightly.
“But you didn’t.”
Elena swallowed.
“You ran,” he continued. “You cried. You broke. But you still stood back up.”
Her chest tightened painfully.
“And that matters to you?”
“Yes.”
Simple.
Honest.
Real.
No fake sweetness.
No manipulation hidden beneath affection.
Elena stared at him quietly.
This man was cold.
Ruthless.
Possibly dangerous.
But somehow…
He felt more honest than Jason ever had.
Slowly, she signed the contract.
The moment her signature touched the paper, something shifted permanently inside her.
Adrian took the document calmly.
Then stood.
“It’s done.”
Elena looked up at him.
“That’s it?”
“That’s it.”
No romance.
No dramatic moment.
Just a contract sealing a future she still barely understood.
Her phone suddenly vibrated loudly against the table.
News notifications exploded across the screen.
FASHION HEIR JASON WILLIAMS ABANDONED BY FIANCÉE?
ENGAGEMENT DISASTER AT ROYAL CRESCENT HOTEL
MYSTERY WOMAN SEEN LEAVING WITH BILLIONAIRE ADRIAN KINGSTON
Elena’s blood ran cold.
Already?
Her breathing became uneven as she opened one article.
Blurry photos filled the screen.
Her crying.
Jason in the hallway.
Adrian beside her.
Comments flooded beneath.
Poor girl.
Who was the other woman?
Wait… Adrian Kingston?!
This scandal is insane.
Elena’s stomach twisted violently.
“It’s happening already,” she whispered.
Adrian took the phone calmly from her hand and locked the screen.
“Look at me.”
She did.
His voice lowered slightly.
“You are not the woman who was abandoned.”
His gaze darkened.
“You are the woman who left.”
The words hit her unexpectedly hard.
Because until this moment…
She hadn’t realized how differently those two things sounded.
Abandoned.
Or walked away.
Victim.
Or survivor.
Something inside her shifted slightly again.
Small.
Fragile.
But real.
A knock interrupted them.
Mrs. Darlene entered carefully.
“Sir,” she said nervously, “Mr. Jason is here.”
Silence.
Elena froze instantly.
Her heart began pounding painfully.
Adrian’s expression didn’t change.
“He insists on seeing Miss Elena.”
Elena immediately stood.
“No.”
Her voice shook.
“I don’t want to see him.”
Mrs. Darlene looked uncertainly toward Adrian.
Adrian adjusted his cufflinks calmly.
Then spoke without emotion.
“Send him in.”
Elena looked at him in shock.
“Why would you—”
“Because,” Adrian interrupted quietly, “it’s time he understands something.”
Heavy footsteps echoed seconds later.
Then Jason entered the dining room.
The moment his eyes landed on Elena, relief flashed across his face.
“Elena.”
She immediately looked away.
Pain shot through her chest at the sound of his voice.
Jason stepped toward her quickly.
“Baby, please listen to me—”
“Stop calling me that,” she whispered.
He froze.
Then his eyes shifted toward Adrian.
Tension filled the room instantly.
Jason clenched his jaw.
“Uncle Adrian, with all due respect, this is between me and Elena.”
Adrian sat calmly at the head of the table like a king observing something beneath him.
“No,” he said quietly.
Jason frowned.
“What does that mean?”
A dangerous silence followed.
Then Adrian finally spoke.
“It means,” he said calmly, “you no longer have any claim over her.”
Jason laughed bitterly.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
Adrian’s gray eyes lifted slowly toward him.
Then—
“She’s my wife now.”
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