Signed to Love: The Billionaire's Contract Bride

Signed to Love: The Billionaire's Contract Bride Acknowledgment My heartfelt gratitude to all the readers who have devoted their time and support to this story. I dedicate this work to every dreamer, and to those who believe that even in the coldest of contracts, there will always be room for true love. --- Introduction What is the value of love if it is bound only by money and contracts? For a woman standing at the edge of defeat, and for a man accustomed to getting everything he desires—one signature on paper will open the door to an agreement that will change both of their lives forever. --- Prologue The night was quiet atop a towering building in Quezon City. Inside the office, Althea Reyes sat with trembling hands as she held a pen. Laid out before her was a contract—a marriage agreement she had never once imagined, much less dreamed of. “If you sign this,” the man before her said coldly, “I will save your family’s company. But remember, Mrs. Reyes—on paper, you will only be my wife.” Xavier Madrigal. The ruthless billionaire whose eyes were colder than the glass walls surrounding them. Althea swallowed hard. Every word he spoke felt like chains slowly tightening around her neck. Yet she thought of her family, their employees, and everything they would lose if she refused. With one final breath of hesitation, she signed her name. And that became the beginning of an agreement that would bind her—not only to a man’s wealth, but also to a heart that had long been closed off from love. --- Chapter 1 – The Woman Who Signed the Contract Althea woke up in a room larger than the house she had grown up in. The mattress beneath her was soft, the golden curtains shimmered in the sunlight, and the chandelier above seemed to mock her—a constant reminder that she was now in a world that didn’t belong to her. Slowly, she sat up, clutching the blanket tightly against her chest. This is the life I chose… and yet, none of this feels like mine. A knock broke the silence, and the butler entered with a polite bow. “Ma’am, Sir Xavier is waiting for you at the dining table.” Her stomach tightened at the mention of his name. Xavier Madrigal. The man she had married with nothing but ink and paper. A stranger—yet now, legally, her husband. At the long dining table, he sat in his expensive suit, his eyes hidden behind the folds of a newspaper. He didn’t even look up when she approached. “Sit,” he ordered, his tone cold and commanding. Obediently, she lowered herself into the chair, her hands trembling slightly as she reached for her fork. Finally, Xavier folded the paper and spoke, his words sharp and emotionless. “Althea, remember the conditions. This contract lasts for one year. Do not interfere in my personal life, and above all… do not expect love from me.” Her lips parted, but no words came out. Each syllable he spoke felt like chains binding her heart tighter and tighter. Do not expect love… But what if her heart had already begun to reach for his? That evening, Xavier brought her to a grand social gathering. For the first time, Althea faced the weight of her new role—the perfect wife to the cold billionaire. Wearing a silver gown chosen by the Madrigal staff, she walked beside him. He moved with such presence, yet acted as though she didn’t exist. The ballroom glittered with lights, filled with whispers and admiring gazes. Althea forced a polite smile, even as fear and questions gnawed at her inside. But her composure cracked when a woman in a crimson dress approached and leaned close to whisper, her words sharp as a blade: “He will never love you. You’re nothing but a contract.” Althea froze, her body cold, her heart pounding painfully against her ribs. She glanced at Xavier, but he remained expressionless, unaffected, as though he hadn’t heard a thing. And in that moment, the truth cut deep. This wasn’t just a battle for her family’s survival. It was a battle for her own heart, caged and threatened by a contract she had willingly signed.