THE BILLIONAIRE’S CONTRACT WIFE

Episode 6:After the Code black

The kiss lasted 3 seconds.

But it rewrote every rule I had.

Damian pulled back first. His eyes were dark, searching mine like he was waiting for me to slap him or run.

I didn’t.

I couldn’t.

“Was that...” I started.

“Not in the contract,” he finished for me. A ghost of a smile. “I know.”

The house was too quiet after that. Like the walls were listening.

“I should go,” he said, stepping back. Hands in his pockets. Back to being the CEO. “Get some sleep. Tomorrow’s going to be... a lot.”

He left. Door clicked shut.

I pressed my fingers to my lips. They still tingled.

Rule 3: Broken.

Rule 6: Broken.

Rule 7: Don’t catch feelings for the man who kisses you like you’re the only real thing in the world.

Too late.

---

ONE WEEK LATER

The news wouldn’t stop calling it “The Carter Scandal.”

BILLIONAIRE CEO’S SECRET WIFE TARGETED IN ATTACK

KUNLE CARTER ARRESTED: FAMILY FEUD TURNS VIOLENT

WHO IS ADELE MORGAN?

My face was everywhere. Blurry gala photos. My old work ID photo. Even my secondary school picture somehow.

Tolu was discharged that morning. Cancer in remission. The doctors at the private facility called it “miraculous timing.” I called it Damian’s money.

She was sitting on the couch in the Lekki house when I got back from the hospital, wrapped in a blanket, eating jollof that the chef made.

“Ade!” She jumped up and hugged me. “You look tired.”

“I am tired,” I laughed. “Of hiding.”

Damian was in the kitchen. Suit off. Sleeves rolled up. Making tea. Actual tea.

“You’re making tea,” I said, dumbfounded.

“My sister used to make it when she was sick,” he said without looking up. “Ginger. For your throat. You’ve been doing interviews all morning.”

Interviews. God.

Zara had set up 3. “Controlled narrative,” she called it. I called it hell.

“Damian, I can’t keep lying to people,” I said, taking the mug. “They’re asking if we’re in love. If the marriage is real.”

He finally looked at me. “What did you tell them?”

“That we’re... figuring it out.”

His jaw tightened. “Good answer.”

Tolu watched us like a tennis match. “So. Are you two...?”

“Don’t,” Damian and I said at the same time.

Tolu grinned. “Y’all are so busted.”

---

The trial was in 3 days.

Kunle’s lawyers were claiming “mental distress” and “family coercion.” The news ate it up.

Zara laid out files on the dining table. “He’s going to walk on 2 of the charges. Maybe. But attempted k********g and assault? 15 years minimum.”

“Will he talk?” I asked.

“About who hired him? About the texts?” Zara shrugged. “He wants a deal. Says he has information about Carter Group.”

Damian hadn’t said a word. He was staring at a photo of Kunle and Amara. Both smiling. Before.

“Damian,” I said softly.

He looked up. “He was my best friend. Before the accident. Before the prison. Before he decided I stole his life.”

“You didn’t steal anything.”

“I took the company. I took the name. I took everything he thought was his.” He set the photo down. “I should have seen this coming.”

“You couldn’t have.”

“I’m the CEO of a 4 billion dollar company, Adele. I’m supposed to see everything coming.”

The way he said my name. Adele. Not Miss Morgan.

Something shifted.

Zara cleared her throat. “We need to talk about the board. They know about the marriage. They want a statement. And they want to meet Mrs. Carter.”

Damian’s eyes flicked to me. “You don’t have to.”

“Yes I do,” I said. “Page 17. I’m part of this now. For better or worse.”

Tolu choked on her tea. “Did she just quote your contract at you?”

Damian almost smiled. Almost.

---

The board meeting was in the Carter Group tower. 92nd floor. Glass. Steel. Money.

12 people. All older. All men except one woman. All staring at me like I was a problem to solve.

“Mr. Carter,” the oldest man said. “This marriage. Was it for the merger with Langston Industries?”

Damian stood. “No.”

“Then why?”

“Because I wanted to,” he said simply. “And because my wife was under threat because of me. And I don’t abandon my responsibilities.”

Wife.

The word hit me in the chest.

The woman on the board, Mrs. Adebayo, leaned forward. “And you, Mrs. Carter? What do you bring to this company?”

Everyone waited.

I thought about the contract. The rules. The fear.

“I bring the part of him that remembers he’s human,” I said. “And if that’s not valuable to this company, then maybe this company has a problem.”

Silence.

Then Mrs. Adebayo smiled. “Well. I like her.”

The meeting ended 10 minutes later.

In the elevator down, Damian turned to me. “That was reckless.”

“I know.”

“It was also perfect.”

He took my hand. Right there. In front of the security cameras.

---

That night, the threats started again.

Not to me. To Damian.

Email. Anonymous.

“You think prison will stop me? The board doesn’t trust you. The company doesn’t trust you. And soon, she won’t either. - K”

Damian showed it to me at 1am. We were in his office. He hadn’t slept in days.

“He’s trying to turn me against you,” I said.

“I know.”

“Is it working?”

He looked at me. Really looked. “No.”

We were standing close. Too close.

“Damian,” I whispered. “About the kiss.”

“Don’t,” he said quickly. “Not if you’re going to take it back.”

“I’m not.”

His breath caught. “Then what?”

“I want to know if it meant anything. Or if it was just... adrenaline. From Code Black.”

He stepped forward. One hand came up to my face. Thumb brushing my cheek. The same way he did a week ago.

“It meant everything,” he said. “And it terrified me.”

“Why?”

“Because the last time I cared about someone this much, I lost her.” His voice cracked. “I’m not good at this, Adele. I’m good at business. At fixing problems. I’m not good at... not hurting people.”

“You won’t hurt me,” I said. And I believed it.

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” he murmured.

“I’m not. I’m making a choice.”

I stood on my toes and kissed him.

This time it wasn’t 3 seconds.

This time it was slow. Real. His hands came up to my waist, pulling me closer like he was afraid I’d disappear.

When we broke apart, we were both breathing hard.

“The contract,” he said against my forehead. “We need to burn it.”

“What?”

“A new one. No rules. No clauses. Just... us. If you want that.”

I nodded. Tears in my eyes. “I want that.”

---

The next 48 hours were chaos.

Press conference. Damian announced our marriage was “real and committed.” The internet exploded.

Kunle’s trial started. He pleaded not guilty.

Tolu started chemo round 2, but this time she was smiling.

And Damian and I... we were learning each other.

Coffee at 5am. Arguments about what to watch. Him teaching me how to read financial reports. Me teaching him how to laugh.

It was good. Too good.

Which is why I should have known something was coming.

---

It was the night before Kunle’s verdict.

I was in the kitchen. Alone. Making tea.

The back door opened.

I spun around, heart in my throat.

Not a guard. Not Damian.

A woman. Early 30s. Designer dress. Heels. And eyes that hated me.

“Hello, Mrs. Carter,” she said sweetly. “I’m Vanessa Langston.”

The Langston from Langston Industries. The merger.

“I’m not supposed to be here,” she said. “But I thought we should talk. Woman to woman.”

“Security—”

“Is being paid very well to take 10 minutes off,” she smiled. “Don’t worry. I’m not here to hurt you. I’m here to warn you.”

“About what?”

“About Damian.” She walked to the counter. Picked up my mug. Sipped my tea. “He’s using you.”

My stomach dropped. “No he’s not.”

“Isn’t he? The contract. The marriage. The press conference.” She set the mug down. “He needed a wife to look stable for the board. To look human for the public. To look like he’s moved on from his sister’s death.”

“That’s not true.”

“Isn’t it?” She pulled out her phone. Showed me a picture. Damian. 6 months ago. At a gala. With her. His hand on her back.

“We were close,” Vanessa said. “Before you. He told me about the contract idea. Said he needed someone desperate. Someone who wouldn’t ask questions.”

The room tilted.

“That’s a lie.”

“Is it? Then ask him about the Langston merger clause. Page 9 of your contract. The one that says if the marriage is public and stable for 6 months, Langston Industries gets a 20% stake in Carter Group.”

My blood went cold. “What?”

“Check the fine print, Adele.” She smiled. “He’s not in love with you. He’s in business with you.”

She left before I could answer.

---

I didn’t confront him.

I couldn’t.

I went to my room and pulled out the contract. The original 30 pages.

Page 9. Section 5.

“In the event of a public, stable marital union lasting no less than 180 days, Party A agrees to transfer 20% of Carter Group shares to Langston Industries as part of prior merger negotiations.”

No.

No no no.

He added Page 17. He apologized. He kissed me. He said it meant everything.

Was it all a lie?

My phone buzzed.

Damian: “Can you come to my office? Need to talk about tomorrow.”

I stared at the text. My hands were shaking again.

Rule 1: Don’t ask questions.

Rule 2: Don’t get attached.

Rule 3: Don’t fall for the billionaire.

Rule 4: Don’t trust anyone.

Rule 5: The fine print might save you.

Rule 6: Don’t fall for the man who’s trying to be better.

Rule 7: Don’t believe him.

I deleted Rule 7. Wrote a new one.

Rule 7: Find out the truth.

I stood up. Wiped my face.

If Vanessa was lying, I needed to know.

If she wasn’t... I needed to know that too.

I walked to his office. Knocked.

“Come in,” his voice.

He was at his desk. No tie. Tired. But when he saw me, he smiled. Real.

“There you are,” he said. “I was starting to worry.”

I closed the door. “We need to talk about the contract.”

His smile faded. “Okay.”

“Page 9.”

The color drained from his face.

“Adele—”

“Is it true? The Langston merger? The 20%?”

He was quiet for a long time. “Yes.”

The word broke me.

“But—”

“But what, Damian? The apologies? The protection? The kiss? Was that all part of the deal too?”

He stood up. Came around the desk. “No. God, no. That was never part of it.”

“Then why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I was scared you’d leave,” he said. Voice rough. “Because the merger was signed before I met you. Before I knew I’d... feel this way. And I thought if I told you, you’d think everything between us was fake.”

“Is it?”

“No!” He grabbed my hands. “Adele, listen to me. The contract started this. But you... you changed it. You changed me. I was going to tear up the Langston deal. I was going to pay the penalty. I was going to choose you.”

Tears fell. I couldn’t stop them. “How do I know that’s true?”

“Because I’m telling you,” he said. “And because I’m asking you to stay anyway. Contract or no contract. Merger or no merger.”

The door opened.

Zara. “We have a problem.”

“What?” Damian didn’t let go of my hands.

“Kunle escaped custody. 20 minutes ago.”

My world stopped.

Damian’s eyes met mine. All the fear, all the truth, all the everything in one look.

“I’m not losing you,” he said. “Not to him. Not to this.”

He pulled me into his arms. Held me tight.

Outside, sirens started.

Code Black. Again.