0
TOP UP
Reading History
Sign out
Get the APPTHE CEOS FAKE BRIDE: CONTRACTUALLY BOND TO MY EX
Chapter 4 THE MERGERS REQUIREMENT
Black Glass Tower felt long
dn't b
prope
t f
his hand on my jaw. And every exhale felt like I was trying
ossi
eople moved around me, executives, interns, visitors, but they we
he wasn
we woul
he owed m
d me like he reme
, trying not to look back, trying not to imag
I fel
his eyes
ay to t
awake, barely stable, waiting for my alarm
the
al
own n
ach cle
d cautiousl
by ten," Rhys's
gree
ques
irec
g to you too,"
" he w
re are nicer
impo
tation ev
e wasn'
as t
ro
out of his grip and he was b
ened?" I a
of si
he
in when you
all e
st en
screen, pul
ng was
r
ot
e shaking, damn him, shaking so mu
pped into the Blac
was escorting me to
actly, she op
is her
ped in
standing be
ca
ollec
rom him like heat
old the assistant withou
ehind me made th
es met
it
di
my knees were
dn't
f sitting would make him lo
d, "Rhys... w
xha
ng
a
olding the
u need to know befo
t thudde
ay.
ugh to show he was rattled, th
jaw cl
ed into fists
n't the only reason I ag
slightly. "Wha
ary wife," he sa
link
late, like de
. wh
ger, Re
tar
ared
meaning cra
married for busine
ied for survival,"
reath
d, voice lo
ith three conglomerate partners. The deal is worth over fift
allow
ounds..
i
es that have
deal unless my person
ed. "Yo
need reassurance that I'm ground
So... they nee
dded
partner. A woman at my s
y
ull
rete
tever th
mach c
greed to th
t have
ords sliced through me harder
t Rhys
o ch
cause I'm convenie
snapped
N
esit
li
't conven
ath c
pped c
could smell his cl
the heat of his b
alites. Politicians' daughters." His voice deepened. "But those
pt over my
softly, "woul
slammed ag
t me?" I
aw t
ore than anyone
ssion stu
lyzed
go, I would've kille
e a trap wrappe
you tell me ye
oked
do
asha
w
ne was easier t
this to influenc
g breath. "Rhys... it absolute
kn
why
ce so
st a wh
out loud... nothing between us
mp
ver been
ven a
fully toward me again. "I'm not asking f
pped eve
ulse
appearances. Events. Dinners. Board meetin
st
felt heavier
ets the full trust release. Debt clear
urned unex
ring rescue,
t," he corrected. "With
tly. "It still feels li
my knees brushed
" he said quietly
s raced acr
h those word
need a wife for a merger. I need a spouse for th
es
one y
es
no... e
pau
han he sh
rre
't con
fel
ieve we can do thi
looked at me, with that char
you and I have unfinished work. An
ps par
, and then touched a stran
my
my
i
s
dent
m
h caught
dropped t
a wife at my side. My board knows it. T
llowed
to marry me,
e said
est
onti
to marr
ir cra
ragile and terrifyin
, breaking the moment
ded
it
stan
" I said, struggling
Ye
hat... we an
burned in
aid, "the world bec
roz
ecome the one woman they'll study.
ne soft
protect
broken, tre
m wh
ession
ill want something from
brated through m
d how much
ow much h
hing about this was
e said gently. "Re
hy
a whisper mean
w... your life stops b
mach dr
ulse
t like walking toward a destiny
art of agreeing to this arrangement would be, I would
as w
ing, at 4:17 a.m., when I woke from an
emo
ressed as
t everyth
version of Rhy
rsion of me he k
e years of regret so heav
of the dream bleeding into reality, tigh
sk for th
came
ways
ime, it d
door open and d
E YEAR
he Future
flicker and the gutters overflow. The kind of rain that felt
y sneakers, my hair plastered to my cheeks, my ha
ling was
r a sho
r a se
eaving
didn't
e else. By accident. In t
smile and a voice too ligh
rt... he didn
hat, Mrs.
ving to Lond
had stopped
h the film rippe
ly remembered breathing. I barely remembered knockin
, hair still damp from his shower, a dark hoodie over a white T-
" he b
roke before
're l
s for half a second
ins
o.
ed. "Just tell
jaw cl
es
t didn'
hat
just going t
n't a
mmed
se than anything
you tell me?
ily, rubbing the
would've f
ath h
can't,"
eated. "Or you do
g cracked
linc
ce, s
e the t
nce hit li
efu
wa
oo
ion, mixing with th
e leavi
allowe
ving eve
s not
t i
anded. "Say that you want to go. Say
ooke
pped
t me,
hed his
linc
like bet
y heart was c
, agonizing, and his voice ca
e you what y
ask for p
e said. "You deserve
ant
ed for
he stepp
n us grew in one
o
na
eak
d, "I don't have a f
give m
ok hi
l I have le
e air leav
ow d
iet
ed the
ling out of the doorway bu
mpossible
ght he w
he di
epped p
the s
the
dn't loo
o
whispered his name
ys.
nees gave out on
my sobs drown
night everyt
t he cho
me with questions
the worl
TO THE P
up ga
on my
mp wit
so tightly it
e y
heavy, unfi
till had the
g my palms over my eyes,
did
y word, every silence, every raindrop, had shape
. I was m
ns that
ons th
sur
fam
a me
rust c
ely not
re didn't exi
as onl
dan
finish
teady, and walke
oftops, the early traffic humming faintly, life moving forwar
n a contract with the
rain, begging him to stay, but as a woman stepping into a pa
past will be
and pressed my fore
e," I whispered to
survive y
or honesty, another trut
wondered whet
supposed to
d somethin
in the p
/1/107475/coverbig.jpg?v=e4ad6b8cc0446874b54f7cce5bbab301&imageMogr2/format/webp)