Mr CEOs revenge bride

Chapter 3: The Contract

Martin's POV

I knew she was going to say no.

The moment I mentioned marriage, I knew it.

Sierra Bennett looked at me like I'd completely lost my mind.

Maybe I had.

"Absolutely not."

There it was.

I leaned back against the sofa.

Calm.

Patient.

The same way I handled difficult board meetings.

Except board members rarely looked this angry.

"At least hear me out."

"No."

"Sierra."

"No."

A smile threatened to appear.

I stopped it.

Twenty-four hours ago she didn't know I existed.

Now she was arguing with me like we'd been married for years.

Interesting.

She folded her arms tightly across her chest.

"I'm not marrying a stranger."

"It would be a contract."

"A contract marriage is still a marriage."

"Technically."

Her eyes narrowed.

"Don't do that."

"Do what?"

"Lawyer your way around common sense."

I rubbed a hand across my jaw.

This conversation was already exhausting.

"You need protection."

The moment the words left my mouth, I knew I'd hit a nerve.

Her expression changed instantly.

"I don't need protection."

"No?"

She looked away.

That was answer enough.

I stood and walked toward the floor-to-ceiling windows.

The city stretched beneath us.

Cars.

Buildings.

People.

Thousands of strangers.

And somewhere out there, every news outlet in the city was looking for Sierra Bennett.

"Your boyfriend cheated on you."

Silence.

"Your best friend betrayed you."

More silence.

"Your mother chose her over you."

The room became painfully quiet.

I didn't turn around.

I didn't need to.

I knew she was crying.

I could hear it.

The shaky breathing.

The effort it took not to completely fall apart.

My jaw tightened.

I hated tears.

Mostly because I never knew what to do with them.

"I don't need a husband."

"You need a shield."

Her laugh sounded hollow.

"You're really selling the romance here."

"This isn't romance."

Something flashed across her face.

Hurt.

Good.

The truth should hurt.

Because romance wasn't why I was offering this.

Romance got people destroyed.

I learned that years ago.

I turned back toward her.

"One year."

She frowned.

"What?"

"One year."

Suspicion filled her eyes.

"What happens after one year?"

"We walk away."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that."

For a moment she stared at me.

Trying to understand me.

Most people did.

Most failed.

"You really treat everything like business."

Because feelings were unreliable.

Contracts weren't.

I didn't say that part aloud.

Instead, I shrugged.

"It's simpler."

"No."

She pushed the folder back toward me.

"I'm not signing it."

I nodded.

Expected.

Reasonable.

Probably smart.

"Fine."

She blinked.

"Fine?"

"You said no."

"That's it?"

I walked toward the door.

Because forcing people never ended well.

Not in business.

Not in life.

Especially not with women.

My hand settled on the handle.

"You've been betrayed by everyone you made a decision with."

The room went still.

"The last thing you need is another person forcing your decisions."

Something shifted in her expression.

"I'll leave you some time to think about it."

****

Twenty minutes later...

I was sitting in the living room pretending to answer emails.

Pretending.

Because I hadn't read a single one.

Instead, I kept thinking about Sierra.

The heartbreak.

The humiliation.

The loneliness.

It reminded me too much of myself.

A mistake.

The last thing I needed was to relate to her.

My phone buzzed.

Then again.

And again.

I frowned.

News alerts.

Dozens of them.

I opened the first headline.

BREAKING NEWS: SIERRA BENNETT DISAPPEARS AFTER BIRTHDAY MELTDOWN

The second was worse.

HEIRESS RUNS AWAY WITH MYSTERY BILLIONAIRE

Idiots.

The third made me roll my eyes.

PREGNANT BEST FRIEND LEFT HEARTBROKEN AFTER PUBLIC HUMILIATION

Heartbroken?

Interesting choice of victim.

I opened another article.

Then another.

The comments were brutal.

Most blamed Sierra.

Some called her jealous.

Others called her unstable.

A few accused her of trying to ruin Tara's happiness.

I tossed my phone onto the table.

People were ridiculous.

My assistant Claire appeared moments later.

"Sir."

"What?"

"The story is spreading."

Of course it was.

"When has the media ever missed a chance to destroy someone?"

Claire handed me a tablet.

Another headline.

This time featuring Sierra's mother.

Crying.

Giving interviews.

Claiming she was worried.

I almost laughed.

What a performance.

Then something occurred to me.

Sierra was seeing all of this right now.

Alone.

I stood immediately.

"Where is she?"

Claire blinked.

"Still in the suite."

I was already moving.

****

The moment I opened the door, I stopped.

Sierra sat at the desk.

Contract open.

Pen in hand.

For a second neither of us spoke.

My eyes moved to the signature page.

Then to her.

"One year," she said quietly.

Then she signed.

Sierra Bennett.

The sound of the pen scratching against paper seemed unusually loud.

Final.

Permanent.

Dangerous.

She slid the contract toward me.

I stared at it.

Then at her.

"Are you sure?"

A bitter laugh escaped her.

"No."

For some reason that answer felt more honest than a yes.

She stood.

Lifted her chin.

Wiped away the last traces of tears.

And suddenly she looked less like a victim.

More like someone preparing for war.

"Let's give them something to talk about."

I looked down at the signed contract.

Then my phone buzzed.

Again.

I checked the screen.

And immediately swore.

A text message from Claire.

“Sir, you need to see this immediately.”

A cold feeling settled in my stomach.

I opened the attachment.

The moment I saw it, I felt every muscle in my body tensed up.

"Sierra."

Something in my voice made her look up immediately.

"What?"

I turned the phone toward her.

Her face drained of color.

Standing outside Wolfe suites was Alex.

Reporters surrounded him from every direction.

Cameras flashed.

Microphones were shoved toward his face.

And above his head was a giant sign.

SIERRA BENNETT, I'LL FIGHT TO GET YOU BACK.

The video kept playing.

Alex looked directly into one of the cameras.

Then he dropped to one knee.

Again.

Like the entire city wasn't watching.

Like he hadn't already destroyed her life once.

Sierra's hand tightened around the edge of the desk.

"What is he doing?"

Before I could answer, movement appeared in the background.

A woman pushed through the crowd.

Tara.

Tears streamed down her face as she ran toward him.

Then suddenly she stopped.

One hand flew to her stomach.

Shock flashed across her face.

Her skin turned deathly pale.

And then she collapsed.

The phone slipped from Sierra's fingers.

The room fell silent.

Because outside Wolfe Suites, where Alex had somehow discovered Sierra was staying...

Everything had just gotten worse.