Possessive Vows

Chapter 4

The penthouse felt more like a luxury museum than a home.

Lila sat stiffly on the edge of an oversized white couch, her hands folded in her lap as Jamie explored the massive living room with wide eyes. He came to stand by her, his little hands gripping her arm.

“It’s… nice here,” he whispered.Lila gave him a faint smile and smoothed his hair. “Yeah. It’s… something.”

Lila stood near the windows of the penthouse, arms crossed tightly over her chest as she watched the city glitter below. The skyline stretched out forever cold and distant, like the man sitting behind her at the sleek glass table. Alex kaiser.

He hadn’t said much after they arrived. A staff member,someone too polished and quiet to be called a maid,had shown Jamie to a guest room, leaving Lila alone with him in the cavernous living room.He sat there, jacket discarded, sleeves rolled to his elbows, a crystal glass of something dark in his hand.

She hated how calm he looked.

Finally breaking the silence “You can relax,” he murmured, his dark eyes settling on her. “No one here will hurt you.”

“This isn’t permanent,” she said

He hummed low in his throat. “You’re right. It isn’t.”

She turned to face him, narrowing her eyes. “Good. Because i don't need saving. And i sure as hell don’t need”

“You’re in over your head.” His voice cut her off, quiet but sharp.

Lila froze.

“You don’t understand the people who came to your door,” he went on. “You don’t understand what you interrupted in that alley, or how many people would like to see me dead. And now, because of that night, they know you.” She swallowed hard.

“You think i want you here?” he continued, his gaze dark. “This isn’t charity, Miss Ross. i don’t do charity.”

“Then what do you want?” she snapped.For the first time, a faint smile curved his lips.

“You want honesty?”.“I’d appreciate it,” she bit back.He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

“I want a wife,” he said simply.

For a moment, she thought she’d misheard.

“I’m sorry… what?”

“A wife,” he repeated. “On paper. In name. For appearances.” She stared at him, completely dumbfounded.“You’re insane,” she finally breathed.

“Perhaps,” he allowed, the ghost of amusement in his voice. “You think I’m going to marry you because… because some thugs trashed my apartment?”

“No,” he said calmly. “I think you’re going to marry me because if you don’t, they’ll come back. And next time, they won’t just scare you. Or your brother.” Her throat tightened. He rose from his chair then, moving toward her with quiet, deliberate steps until he was just a foot away.

“You need protection,” he murmured. “I need a wife. You want to keep your brother alive? You sign a piece of paper and wear my ring. That’s all.”

Lila shook her head, backing up a step.

“That’s not all,” she whispered.Alex tilted his head, studying her. “No,” he admitted. “It’s not. You’ll have to smile when i tell you to. Show up on my arm. Play the part. But in return…”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded sheet of paper. He held it out to her.She snatched it from him and opened it with shaky hands.It was a list. Of names. Dates. Places, And at the very bottom: Lila Ross and Jamie Ross was written.

She looked up at him, her stomach in knots.

“They already know you,” he said quietly. “And they won’t stop. Not unless you’re untouchable.” She stared at him for a long moment, then at the city beyond the windows, its lights blurring through the threat of tears.

“This is blackmail,” she finally muttered.

“No,” Alex corrected. “It’s survival.”

And this is not a proposal, it's a deal.

He turned and walked back toward his chair, leaving her standing there with her heart in her throat.

“Think about it,” he said, picking up his glass again. “But not for too long.”

She didn’t sleep that night,as she lay awake in a strange bed, staring at the ceiling,Jamie’s soft breathing filled the quiet.Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the note on her bed. The gun. The man bleeding in the alley,and the list.

Her name. Jamie’s name.

By sunrise, she had her answer.

When she entered the living room the next morning,Alex was already dressed, sipping his coffee as if he hadn’t moved all night.He raised an eyebrow when he saw her.

“Well?” She set her jaw. “I’ll do it,” she said. For the briefest second, something flickered across his face,triumph, maybe,or relief.But it was gone before she could be sure.

“Good,” he said simply, standing.

“On one condition,” she added quickly.He froze.

“I want my brother safe,” she said. “Always. No matter what happens to me.”

Alex’s dark eyes met hers, and after a long moment, he gave a single nod. “Done.”

The rest of the day passed in a blur of legal documents and whispered instructions. By late afternoon, she found herself standing outside a courthouse, clutching a bouquet of pale white roses someone had shoved into her hands.She wore a borrowed dress,ivory, simple, too big at the shoulders,and her hair was swept back into a messy knot.

Alex stood at her side, perfectly pressed in a charcoal suit, his tie knotted with infuriating precision.He didn’t speak as the judge began the ceremony, didn’t even look at her as they recited the vows,but when it came time to slip the ring onto her finger, his hand lingered just a moment longer than it needed to.

Her breath caught at the feel of cool metal sliding against her skin,she glanced up then, meeting his eyes, and for the first time, they weren’t cold

They were… something else.Something she didn’t dare name.The ride back to the penthouse was silent.Lila stared at her hand in her lap, at the delicate band glinting on her finger.Her stomach churned, but she kept her back straight and her chin high.