The Contract Bride of a Ruthless Tycoon

city was a blur of gray skies and flashing headlights, but inside, her world had been reduced to a single un

before. Bills. Threat letters. Foreclosure notices. Legal warnings. Each page seemed to scre

nic. How had it come to this? Just a month ago, they were scraping by, b

te, wormed its way into her mind:

elling the few valuable possessions they owned-but nothing would cover the scale of the debt. The creditors weren't patient. They had alrea

ht: she would approach Dominic Blackwell, the man whose name alone could make the city's elite shiver. The man known

blue pencil skirt, a white blouse that clung just enough to be elegant but not seductive, and her favorite black heels

e barely noticed. Her mind was elsewhere, replaying every possible scenario for her meeting with Dominic. W

, her nerves were stretched thin. Every polished surface reflected her anxious expression back

ceptionist gave her a polite nod, but even that small acknowledgment felt like scrutiny under a microscope. This

e was everything she had imagined and more: floor-to-ceiling windows revealing a panoramic view of th

even before he spoke. His dark hair was neatly combed back, his tailored suit immaculate, and

s she entered. His presence was magnetic

a steady nod. "M-Mr. Blackwell... thank

e, like a predator assessing its prey. "Please," he gestured toward

hing about him screamed control and authority. The way he measured his words, the f

y father's business has failed, and creditors are threatening legal action. If I don't find a solutio

ble. The silence stretched unbearably long, making her doubt every word

d cold. "And what exactly do you propose, Ms. Hart? How

h felt impossible to say. Yet, she knew she had no other choice. "I... I a

his lips, one that carried amusement and a hint of danger. "Whatever I ask... that is a bold sta

hard, nodding.

ching the turmoil inside her. Dominic's gaze seemed to pierce through her, weighing

of his head, he said, "Very well

deal had begun. There was no way back. Her lif

f his desk. The sound of the paper sliding across polished wood echoed in the otherwis

at I propose." His voice was calm, measured, yet carried a subt

ering her family a way out of debt-immediate financial relief-but in return, she would enter into a contract with hi

strings-but the gravity of this one made her breath catch. A year of her life, tied to a man s

anaged to whisper, though

. You'll live according to my rules. There will be no deviations unless I permit them. And while the

ts, but fear and a strange sense of inevitability held her tongue. She was cornered by circumstance, and

, her voice firmer this time. "I just... I nee

ver down her spine. "Very well. Then we have an agreement in principle. Details will follow, of co

nched into fists on her lap

tly, studying her with a calculated intensity. For a moment, Elara felt as if he cou

haps both. Most people wouldn't walk into this office without knowing the con

e was terrified-but the words wouldn't come. There was no point pretendin

sprawled beneath him, shimmering in the early evening light. For a moment, he seemed

ill to her. "This arrangement is not a game, Ms. Hart. Every action you take

es, but the stark reality was more terrifying than she had imagined. Her life, he

he repeated, her voice

his eyes-a brief, almost human moment of curiosity, or was it amu

ow but still commanding. "That may be the only thing stan

ine, though she wasn't sure she felt it yet. All she knew was fear, and a

ry contract and instructions for review. She took it with trembling hands, her mind a wh

istening under the streetlights. Yet the storm inside her raged on. She had made a choice-a cho

vigating a world of power, control, and desire she barely understood. And the man she had just made a

off the wet streets. She had stepped into the unknown, into a life that would challenge he

. This time, survival came at the price of her own freedom-and the man w