The CEO signed a contract marriage to save my dad episode 9
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The CEO Signed a Contract Marriage to Save My Dad
Episode 9 — The Kiss That Never Happened
Lina couldn’t breathe.
Adrian stood impossibly close beneath the mansion lights, his fingers still brushing lightly against her cheek.
The night air suddenly felt too warm.
Too heavy.
His eyes remained fixed on her lips for one dangerous second too long.
Lina’s heartbeat thundered painfully inside her chest.
This is bad.
Very, very bad.
Because she knew with terrifying certainty—
If Adrian kissed her right now, she would kiss him back without hesitation.
Neither of them moved.
The world around them seemed frozen.
Then—
A phone rang loudly.
Both stepped apart immediately.
The moment shattered instantly.
Adrian looked away first and pulled his phone from his pocket, his expression cooling back into controlled calmness.
Lina silently cursed whoever invented phones.
Adrian answered briefly.
“What is it?”
His face darkened slightly.
“I’ll handle it tomorrow.”
The call ended.
Silence returned between them, though now it felt awkward instead of intimate.
Lina cleared her throat quickly.
“Well… goodnight.”
She practically fled into the mansion before her emotions embarrassed her further.
Behind her, Adrian remained standing near the car much longer than necessary.
And for the first time in years…
He looked genuinely unsettled.
---
Inside her bedroom, Lina collapsed dramatically onto the bed.
“Oh no.”
She covered her face with a pillow immediately.
This was exactly what she promised herself would never happen.
Falling for Adrian Kingsley would be a disaster.
A complete emotional catastrophe.
Because their marriage had an expiration date.
One year.
That was all.
Eventually, the contract would end, and Adrian would walk away like nothing happened.
Meanwhile, she would be left heartbroken and humiliated.
“Nope,” she muttered firmly into the pillow. “Absolutely not.”
A small voice inside her whispered:
Then why were you disappointed when the phone rang?
Lina groaned louder.
---
The next morning, the internet exploded exactly as expected.
Inside the mansion dining room, Mrs. Eleanor quietly placed newspapers beside Lina.
Every front page showed the same photo.
Adrian gently holding Lina’s face at the charity gala.
The image looked painfully romantic.
One headline read:
THE ICE COLD CEO FINALLY IN LOVE?
Another said:
ADRIAN KINGSLEY CAN’T TAKE HIS EYES OFF HIS FIANCÉE.
Lina dropped the newspaper onto the table immediately.
“I want to sue cameras.”
Mrs. Eleanor hid a smile politely.
Before Lina could continue panicking, Adrian entered the room.
The moment their eyes met—
Both immediately looked away.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Mrs. Eleanor noticed everything.
And wisely disappeared from the room.
Adrian sat down calmly across from Lina.
Neither spoke for several awkward seconds.
Finally, Lina blurted out:
“You almost kissed me yesterday.”
Straight to the point.
Adrian slowly looked up from his coffee.
“I know.”
No denial.
No pretending.
Just calm honesty.
Lina’s face instantly turned red.
“You’re not even embarrassed?!”
“You asked.”
“That’s not the important part!”
Adrian studied her quietly.
“You didn’t move away.”
Lina froze completely.
Because unfortunately…
He was right.
She opened her mouth.
Closed it again.
Then finally muttered weakly:
“I panicked.”
“Did you dislike it?”
The question came softer this time.
More careful.
And somehow that made it worse.
Lina looked down quickly.
“No.”
Silence.
Dangerous silence.
Adrian leaned back slightly in his chair, watching her with unreadable eyes.
Then his phone vibrated again.
His expression cooled instantly after reading the message.
“Problem?”
“My father wants to see us.”
Lina blinked.
“The terrifying chairman himself?”
“Yes.”
“That sounds ominous.”
“It usually is.”
---
An hour later, they arrived at the original Kingsley estate again.
This time, the atmosphere felt more serious.
Several employees moved nervously through the halls while Richard Kingsley waited inside his private study.
The old man looked up calmly as Adrian and Lina entered together.
“Sit.”
Neither argued.
Richard studied them silently for several moments.
Then suddenly—
“The media believes this relationship is real.”
Lina nearly choked internally.
That sounded less like praise and more like an investigation.
Adrian remained calm.
“That was the goal.”
Richard’s sharp eyes moved toward Lina.
“And what about you?”
Lina hesitated carefully.
“What about me, sir?”
“Are you happy with my grandson?”
The question felt strangely personal.
Lina glanced briefly toward Adrian.
His expression revealed nothing.
Careful, she reminded herself.
Very careful.
“He’s… kinder than people think.”
Richard raised an eyebrow.
Interesting answer.
Adrian himself looked slightly surprised.
Richard leaned back thoughtfully.
“When Adrian was younger,” he said slowly, “he smiled often.”
The room became quiet.
“But after his mother died, that disappeared.”
Lina listened carefully.
Richard’s gaze softened slightly as he looked toward his grandson.
“This family taught him that emotions create weakness.”
Adrian’s jaw tightened subtly.
“Grandfather—”
“But lately,” Richard interrupted calmly, “I see traces of the old Adrian again.”
Lina’s heartbeat quickened.
Richard smiled faintly.
“You’re good for him.”
The statement stunned the room into silence.
Even Adrian looked caught off guard.
Before anyone could respond, the study doors suddenly opened.
A man rushed inside looking panicked.
“Chairman, there’s trouble downstairs.”
Richard frowned.
“What happened?”
The employee hesitated nervously.
“Miss Sophia Laurent is here.”
Of course she was.
Lina almost wanted to laugh from exhaustion.
This woman appeared everywhere like dramatic background music.
Richard’s expression hardened immediately.
“I told her not to return.”
“She refused to leave.”
Before anyone could react further, Sophia herself appeared at the doorway.
But this time…
Something was different.
Her usual elegant composure looked cracked.
Her eyes landed directly on Adrian.
“We need to talk.”
Adrian’s voice became cold instantly.
“There’s nothing left to discuss.”
Sophia ignored him and stepped into the room anyway.
Then she said words that made the entire atmosphere collapse instantly.
“I’m leaving the country.”
Silence.
Lina blinked in surprise.
Even Adrian looked slightly caught off guard.
Sophia laughed bitterly at his expression.
“Interesting. So you can still react emotionally.”
“What do you want, Sophia?” Adrian asked quietly.
Her eyes softened painfully.
“I wanted you to stop me.”
The honesty in her voice hurt even Lina a little.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then Adrian answered calmly:
“I can’t give you what you want anymore.”
Sophia closed her eyes briefly.
And when she opened them again…
Tears shimmered there for the first time.
“I know.”
The room suddenly felt unbearably sad.
Sophia looked toward Lina slowly.
“I hated you because I thought you replaced me.”
Lina didn’t know how to respond.
Sophia smiled weakly.
“But now I realize… he was already letting me go long before you appeared.”
Adrian remained silent.
Which somehow confirmed everything.
Sophia inhaled shakily before straightening herself again.
Her elegant mask slowly returning.
“Take care of him,” she whispered quietly to Lina.
Then she turned and walked away.
This time…
She didn’t look back.
- Writer
