MARRIED TO THE COLD CEO BY MISTAKE

Terms and Conditions

The meeting dragged on for over an hour, and by the time Damien dismissed the board, Sarah’s head was spinning. She trailed behind him out of the room, her heels clicking too loudly in the silence that followed.

Once the double doors closed behind them, she grabbed his arm. “Okay, enough. I’ve been quiet all day, but I deserve to know what’s going on. Why am I here? Why did you tell them we’re married like it’s the most natural thing in the world?”

Damien stopped walking. Slowly, he turned to face her. “Because we are married.”

Her breath caught. “By mistake!” she shot back. “You and I — we barely know each other. You could have it annulled, but instead you’re parading me in front of your board like—”

“Like my wife?” His voice was low, controlled, and more dangerous than if he’d shouted.

She folded her arms. “Yes. Why?”

His gaze swept over her — not in a way that made her blush, but in a way that made her feel like he was weighing her, calculating. “Because right now, I need a wife. And you, Sarah Parker, happen to be exactly what I need.”

She stared at him. “That’s not an answer. What do you need me for?”

Instead of replying, Damien stepped closer. “You’ll find out soon enough. But there are rules if you’re going to stay in my life.”

“Rules?” she repeated, incredulous.

“Rule one: In public, you’re Mrs. Blackwood. You smile when I tell you to, stand where I tell you to, and you never, ever contradict me in front of anyone.”

Her jaw tightened. “And if I refuse?”

His lips curved — not in amusement, but in a quiet, lethal warning. “Then I’ll make sure you regret it.”

Sarah’s pulse spiked, but she forced herself not to step back. “Anything else?”

“Rule two,” he continued, “you don’t ask questions about my business.”

Her laugh was sharp. “Your business? You mean your life?”

“Exactly.”

She opened her mouth to argue, but Damien was already walking toward the elevator. “Go home, Sarah. Get some rest. Tomorrow will be a long day.”

She stood frozen for a moment before calling after him. “You think you can control me, Damien, but you have no idea who I am.”

He paused in the elevator doorway, looking back at her with those unreadable eyes. “On the contrary, Mrs. Blackwood. I know exactly who you are. That’s why I chose you.”

And then the doors slid shut, leaving her alone in the echoing hallway, her heart pounding with more questions than answers.