Chapter Four: The Unspoken Pact
724 Words
The morning sun filtered through the tall windows of the Kessler mansion, casting golden patterns across the marble floors. Maya sat at the breakfast table, flipping through pages of the contract again. No matter how many times she read it, the clauses still felt surreal—her new reality inked in black and white.
Across from her, Adrian sipped black coffee, already dressed in his signature charcoal suit and crisp white shirt. Even at seven a.m., he looked immaculately put together. Maya, in contrast, still wore the silk robe Tanya had gifted her, hair loosely braided down her back.
“You’ve read that five times this week,” he said without looking up.
“I know,” she murmured. “It still feels... off.”
“What feels off?” he asked, finally glancing her way.
“This arrangement,” she said, tapping the paper. “The pretending. It’s like playing house, but the walls are real.”
Adrian leaned back in his chair. “Are you regretting it?”
She hesitated. “No. But I keep wondering what happens when it ends.”
“You’ll get your money,” he said flatly. “Your mother’s treatment will be covered.”
“That’s not what I mean.” She looked at him, her voice lower. “What happens to us? After all this... pretending?”
Adrian stared at her for a long moment. “Then we go back to our separate lives. You’ll be free. And I’ll be exactly where I was before.”
Maya swallowed the lump in her throat. Why did that answer sting more than it should?
The silence between them was short-lived.
Adrian’s phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen, then sighed. “We have to attend a board meeting this afternoon. The directors want to meet you.”
“Why?” she asked.
“They need reassurance that this marriage isn’t a stunt.”
Maya raised an eyebrow. “But it is a stunt.”
He smirked. “Yes. But they can’t know that.”
She rolled her eyes. “Fantastic. More pretending.”
That afternoon, Maya walked into the sleek glass tower that housed Kessler Holdings, arm-in-arm with Adrian. Her heels clicked against the polished floors, and her confidence was carefully painted on like lipstick.
The boardroom was filled with men and women in tailored suits and cold eyes. Adrian introduced her formally, and Maya responded with grace, humor, and just enough charm to win over the room.
As the meeting wrapped up, one of the board members—a gray-haired man named Walters—pulled Adrian aside.
“She’s good,” he murmured. “The press loves her. But don’t get comfortable. If this marriage is fake and it gets out, the company’s share price will tank.”
Adrian gave a curt nod. “Understood.”
From the doorway, Maya caught the end of the exchange. She didn't ask questions, but something in her eyes said she’d heard more than she let on.
Later that evening, back at the mansion, Maya paced the library.
She couldn’t shake the tone in Walters’ voice. She understood now—this wasn’t just about appearances or inheritance. Adrian’s company was on a knife’s edge. If the truth came out, everything could crumble.
Adrian entered the room, unbuttoning his jacket. “You were impressive today.”
“Don’t change the subject,” she said, stopping mid-step. “Your board members think I’m a liability.”
He frowned. “That’s not what they said.”
“I heard Walters. If this marriage is fake—” She paused. “You said this wasn’t about feelings. But this is more than a game, isn’t it?”
Adrian walked toward her slowly. “You’re right. It is.”
He stood in front of her now, their eyes locked.
“I needed to stabilize the company. Marrying you—someone the public sees as grounded, genuine—it gives them trust in me. That trust is our currency.”
She blinked. “So I’m a brand asset.”
“No.” He softened. “You’re the reason this company may survive.”
There was a long pause.
“I didn’t sign up to be a pawn,” Maya whispered.
“
You’re not,” Adrian said. “You’re the queen. And I don’t move without you.”
- Writer
