Contracted Marriage with the Rival CEO

Chapter 4: Broken Morning After

I woke up to soft morning light spilling across the large bed. I blinked slowly, staring at the unfamiliar ceiling for a long moment before reality settled in.

This wasn’t my apartment. This was Lino Decker’s penthouse. I’m really living here now.

I sat up and ran my fingers through my messy hair. Sleep had been light and uneasy. Every time I drifted off, fragments of yesterday’s message kept pulling me back, the contract, Lino’s intense grey eyes, the way his voice dropped when he laid down the rules like they were set in stone.

A soft but firm knock sounded on the door. Breakfast in fifteen minutes, Lino’s deep voice came through clearly. We leave for the charity brunch at ten. Be ready. I exhaled slowly, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. I’ll be there.

I walked to the closet where Eva had already arranged several outfits. After hesitating for a minute, I chose a fitted cream-colored sheath dress that looked elegant and professional. It hugged my figure in a way that made me feel both put-together and exposed at the same time. I paired it with simple heels and minimal makeup, trying to look like the kind of woman who belonged on Lino Decker’s arm.

When I stepped into the dining area fifteen minutes later, Lino was already seated at the long table, reading something on his tablet. He looked sharp and composed in a tailored navy suit, every detail perfect. He glanced up as I entered, his grey eyes moving slowly over me from head to toe.

Better, he said, setting the tablet down. I pulled out the chair across from him and sat down, picking up my coffee cup to give my hands something to do. Is this acceptable for your perfect wife performance today? Lino leaned back slightly, a faint smirk playing at the corner of his lips. It’s a decent start. But you need to relax your shoulders. Right now, you look like you’re one wrong word away from bolting out the door.

I feel like I should, I replied quietly, taking a sip of the hot coffee. He watched me for a moment, his expression unreadable. Running won’t solve anything anymore, Sasha. Not with the kind of people who are after you.

We ate in relative silence for a while. The only sounds were the soft clink of cutlery and the distant hum of the city far below. The tension from last night still lingered between us, quiet but constant. Every small movement he made seemed to pull my attention, the way he cut his food with precise motions, the way his fingers wrapped around his cup, the quiet confidence he carried even while doing something as simple as eating breakfast.

About the brunch today, Lino finally said, picking up his tablet. There will be a lot of important people there. Board members, major investors, some press. As I said Daniel will most likely make an appearance as well.

My fingers tightened around my coffee cup at the mention of his step-brother again. Daniel? Tell me about Daniel, I said.

Lino set his tablet down. What do you mean? You've known him your whole life. He's going to test us today, you said so yourself. But people who are testing you always give something away when they're doing it. What does Daniel give away? He talks too much when he thinks he has the upper hand, Lino said finally. Gets generous with information, starts dropping hints about things he knows that you don't. It feels like a charm but it's actually showing off. So, if he starts being generous today, he thinks he has something on us. Yes. And if he's quiet, watchful? Then he's deciding. Figuring out how to move. Which one worries you more? The quiet one, he said without hesitating.

He’s been pushing aggressively lately. If he senses even the smallest weakness or crack in this marriage, he’ll try to use it against both of us. I set my cup down carefully. Then tell me exactly what I’m supposed to do. Stay close to me, Lino said, his voice dropping lower. Let me lead most of the conversations. When I touch you, your lower back, your hand, your waist don’t pull away. When I speak to you softly in public, respond like you actually want to hear what I’m saying. We need to sell the image of a couple who got married because they couldn’t resist each other.

The instructions sent an uncomfortable flutter through my stomach. I forced myself to meet his eyes. And if Daniel asks direct questions about how we suddenly ended up married? Lino leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. The movement brought him noticeably closer, making the space between us feel smaller.

Then we give him the story people expect to hear. A powerful man who saw something he wanted and took it. A strong, ambitious woman who finally met someone capable of handling her fire and ambition.

My cheeks warmed slightly at the way he described it. The words sounded too smooth, too intimate for what was supposed to be a cold business arrangement. This is going to be harder than I thought, I admitted, looking down at my plate. It will get easier with time,’ Lino replied calmly. As long as you remember one important thing.

He stood up and walked around the table until he was standing right beside my chair. Close. Too close. I had to tilt my head up to look at him properly. You belong to me for the next eighteen months, he said, his voice quiet but firm, carrying a weight that made my pulse quicken. ‘In public and behind closed doors. The sooner you stop fighting it inside your head and accept the role, the smoother this whole arrangement will go for both of us.

Our eyes locked. For several long seconds, the air between us felt thick and heavy. I could feel the warmth from his body, could smell his clean cologne mixed with the faint scent of his aftershave. I hated how aware I was of every small detail. I finally broke the stare and stood up quickly, creating some distance. “I understand the rules,” I said, accepting my fate. Lino studied my face for another moment before stepping back. Good. As he walked away to grab his jacket, I released a slow breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. My hands were still slightly unsteady.

One more thing, I said. He stopped. Last night Eva sent a message. Someone accessed her files. I know. How did you get it? I had my security team look at it at four this morning. I stared at him. You were up at four? I don't sleep much during active situations. What did your team find? The breach came through a server registered to a shell company that traces back to the same network as two of Daniel's known operations. He knows Eva is building a file. He doesn't know yet how far she's gotten.

Is she safe? I've had someone watching her building since four-fifteen this morning. I put my mug down. Something moved through me that wasn't gratitude exactly, it was something more unsettling than gratitude. It was the feeling of someone anticipating what I needed before I asked. My father used to do that. I had been waiting to feel it from someone else for a long time and I didn't know what to do with the fact that it was coming from here. I knocked at your door and thought you were asleep. The car will be in twenty minutes; he walked toward his office without waiting for my response.

I sat for a moment longer and thought: okay. I can work with this. One public appearance. One performance as his devoted wife. And I already felt like I was walking on a very thin line between survival and something far more complicated.

I glanced toward the hallway leading back to my room, then back at Lino’s broad back as he moved around the penthouse with complete ease and confidence.

This was only day two. Somehow, it already felt like the walls were slowly closing in.

Then I thought: that's exactly what I'm afraid of.