A Million-Dollar Marriage: A Story of Heart Over Contract

. She was driven home by Mason's chauffeur and had overheard some staff talking about him going on an urgent business trip. The mansion stood a few feet ahead. Its grand arc

pany on it on the desk and an uncapped pen lying over a stack of papers. She could even smell te event of his cologne as if he eas right there. Gianna moved carefully around the place, trying as best as she could to not touch anything, not until she bumped into a small waste bin by the desk. She quickly bent down the gather the trash that poured out of it, which was a couple of crumpled post-it notes,instant coffee wrappers, a discarded USB drive and torn pieces of photographs. The last was what caught her attention the most and she began to sift through the torn photographs one after the other. She could make out the face of the same woman she had seen with Mason on the internet, his ex. It was either her on on a yacht, at a beach or her at some luxurious place. And from the state the photographs were in it was obvious that all of those meant nothing anymore. Gianna sat back on her heels with the torn photos in her lap. Mason and his ex must have broken up recently...very recently. And Gianna couldn't help wondering if their split was the reason behind his sudden decision at marriage. "No, I won't accept those terms. Renegotiate or the deal's off." Gianna froze, then turned her head to the door. That was Mason. Wasn't he on a trip? Gianna quickly gathered the photos and shoved them back into the bin. She had no idea how he was going to react to seeing her being in there without his permission and effing with that sour temper of his wasn't something she wanted that night. So the first thing that came to her mind out of reflex was finding a place to hide. The door? No, he'd see her immediately. The window? Locked, and she was stories above the ground. Her eyes turned to bookshelves and without thinking, she slipped behind them, wedging herself into the narrow space between the mahogany and the wall. The scent of old books enveloped her as she held her breath. From her hiding spot, she had a sliver of a view through the book spines as Mason's silhouette appeared at the doorway. "...I'll call you back," he said, ending the call. Mason stood still at the threshold and looked into the study. Even in profile, his expression was severe. Gianna watched as his eyes turned to the light switch. "What the..." he muttered with confusion and irritation. His staff dared not come in there without his permission. And he was sure he turned the lights off and locked the door before leaving. He placed his briefcase on the desk and took another suspicious look around. Then he lowered himself into his chair and moved his hand up to the landline on his desk. Mason punched in a number as he put the receiver