My Contract Husband

Chapter 5 : Family War

`The night air in the Cater mansion was cold. 9:17 PM.`

Emma stood in the kitchen, her hands trembling slightly as she washed the dinner plates. The silence in the house since morning had been suffocating. Mr. Cater hadn't spoken a single word to her since he found out that Daniel was the one blackmailing him with Grandma's money.

She could still hear the way his voice had sounded earlier. Cold. Distant. Like she was a stranger in his home again.

The contract between them was supposed to be simple. Marriage on paper. No feelings. No attachment.

But tonight, her chest hurt in a way that had nothing to do with the contract.

Then the intercom buzzed, shattering the silence.

"Mr. Cater." The security guard's voice cracked over the speaker. "Mr. Daniel is at the gate. With two men. He says it's urgent. He won't leave."

Emma froze, a plate slipping from her hands into the sink with a clatter.

In the living room, Mr. Cater stood up slowly from the leather couch. He had been sitting there in the dark for hours, a glass of untouched whiskey in his hand. His jaw clenched.

"Let him in."

"Sir?" The guard sounded unsure.

"I said let him in." Mr. Cater's voice was like steel.

Emma dried her hands with a towel, her heart pounding. "Daniel? What does he want this time? After everything?"

Mr. Cater walked to her. He didn't look at her face. He looked at her hands.

"Stay behind me." His voice was low, dangerous. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it once. Hard. "No matter what happens, Emma. Stay behind me."

The way he said her name made her breath catch.

Two minutes later, the grand double doors opened.

Daniel walked in like he owned the place. Black designer suit, but his eyes were red. Tired. Angry. Desperate. Behind him, two bodyguards. Big men with earpieces and jackets that were too thick for the Lagos weather. The kind of jackets that hid things.

"Brother." Daniel smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. It was a cruel, broken smile. "We need to talk. Family to family."

Mr. Cater didn't move from where he stood in front of Emma. "You threatened my wife. You used Grandma's money to hire people to follow her. What else is there to talk about, Daniel?"

Daniel laughed. A bitter, ugly laugh that echoed in the high ceilings. "So? I am family, Cater! Family settles family matters inside the house. Not with police, not with lawyers, not with threats." He stepped forward. "The board meeting is next week. If you sign over 15% of your shares to me right now, tonight, I will disappear. I will leave the country. If not..."

He didn't finish. He didn't need to.

He nodded once.

One bodyguard shifted his weight. Under his jacket, Emma saw it. The clear outline of a gun.

Emma gasped and stepped back instinctively, her hand flying to her mouth.

Instantly, Mr. Cater moved.

He was fast. Faster than she had ever seen him.

He pulled Emma behind him in one fluid motion, his body shielding hers completely. His arm came up, protective.

"Touch her," Mr. Cater said, his voice dropping to a whisper that was somehow more terrifying than a shout. "And you die today, Daniel. Right here on this floor."

"Try me!" Daniel shouted, his face twisting. "You think you are the only one who can fight? You think you are the only one Grandma loved?"

Chaos erupted.

The first bodyguard lunged forward. Mr. Cater ducked and his fist connected with the man's jaw with a sickening crack. The man staggered back and fell to the marble floor. The coffee table scattered. A crystal vase shattered. Water and white lilies went everywhere, staining the expensive rug.

The second man grabbed for Emma, reaching around Mr. Cater.

"Emma!" Mr. Cater roared.

He spun, caught the man's wrist before he could touch her, and twisted it hard. The man yelled in pain and dropped to his knees.

Daniel was shouting now, losing control. "Hold him! Both of you, hold him! This is my house too!"

But it was too late.

Mr. Cater grabbed Daniel by the collar of his expensive suit and slammed him to the floor. Daniel spat blood onto the marble.

"You..." Daniel coughed, looking up with hatred and tears in his eyes. "You always win... Grandma always chose you... She left you everything..."

Outside, sirens. Getting closer. The neighbors had heard the shouting and called the police.

Mr. Cater stood over him, chest heaving. His knuckles were bleeding. He looked down at his own brother like he was looking at a stranger. Like he was looking at nothing.

"Get him out," Mr. Cater told the security who had run in, guns drawn. "He is no longer family. Press charges. Assault. Trespassing. Attempted kidnapping."

Daniel was dragged away, still shouting, still struggling. "This isn't over! Cater! This isn't over! I will ruin you!"

And then, silence again.

But it wasn't peaceful. It was the silence after a storm.

---

`2:14 AM.`

The house was quiet. The police had left. The broken glass was cleaned. But the tension remained, thick in the air.

Emma couldn't sleep. She kept seeing the gun. She kept hearing the crack of bone.

She found Mr. Cater on the balcony on the second floor. He stood there alone, shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows, staring out at the Lagos city lights. His hand was still bleeding a little from where he had punched the bodyguard.

She walked to him quietly and wrapped her arms around his waist from behind. She rested her head against his back.

For a long moment, he didn't move.

"Are you hurt?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.

He turned slowly in her arms. Pulled her into his chest. He smelled like whiskey and rain and something uniquely him. He kissed her forehead. A long, lingering kiss that made her eyes sting.

"No." He whispered back, his voice rough. "I'm not hurt."

He pulled back just enough to look into her eyes. His thumb brushed over her cheek.

"But from today... we are not safe, Emma.

Because Daniel just declared war on us.

And he won't stop until he takes everything."

Emma closed her eyes. Her heart was pounding.

For the first time since the contract, she wasn't scared _of_ him.

She was scared _for_ him.

And worse... she realized she didn't want to lose him.