The Wall Street Tyrant's Fake Wife

rsh fluorescent lights buzzed overhead. Her chest rose and fell in rapid, uneven jerks. She pressed her palms fla

aves. She grabbed a fistful of it and twisted it hard. The pull on her scalp sent a sharp sting behind h

friction burned her skin. The bold, aggressive red lipstick smeared across the white paper like a bloodstain. She

to the same submissive, gentle look as Ericka Vance. Deryl Atkins's dead fiancée. A wave of pure, physical nausea hit Jal

der than he had a month ago. The crushing debt and the looming trust crisis had c

g her to focus. She opened her eyes and forced the corners of her mouth up. She p

gainst her collarbones. It felt like a straitjacket. She grabbed her vintage clutch fr

hoed in the empty corridor. Every step felt like a physical

side a private waiting room. Deryl's chief ass

and her tightly pulled hair. A flicker of surprise crossed his face, followed i

pushed the heavy oak door open. He stepped asi

sp dug into her palm. She sucked in a breath of stale

g. The sudden drop in temperature stripped the heat from

d like a statue carved from solid ice. He was staring out the massiv

cked onto her. The gaze felt like a physical weight pressing down on her che

shed wood floor. She perfectly mimicked the shy, timid post

the center of the room. He picked up a thick stack of papers and to

tal scraping against ice. "Understand your place in this arrangement. Do not attempt

f her cheek. The metallic taste of blood

. Her voice was soft, barely above a w

n't need to read the clauses; she knew they would be designed to humiliate her. All that mattered

ve across the paper. The muscles in his jaw fle

lence. A city clerk walked in, carrying a cl

ng tension in the room. "I just need both of your signatur

n't touch. He signed his name with aggressive, sharp str

. Her fingers trembled slightly. She pressed

lly husband and wife." The clerk pulled a small vel

Inside sat a massive, flawless diamond ring

kin was freezing cold. He shoved the heavy ring onto her ring finger. Th

," she whispered. She injected the exact righ

hand. He didn't ev

e hour," Deryl said, his voice flat. He didn't bother to look at her as

oak door c

fake, timid smile vanished from her face

and threw cold sparks across the walls. She let out a long, shaky breath. Her c