The room was silent, thick with unspoken tension.
Elena read through every line of the revised contract. She wasn't naïve, she knew better than to trust a man like Damian Blackwood without safeguards.
But he'd underestimated her.
"Clause 14," she said, tapping the page. "Remove the part about control over my assets."
Damian raised a brow. "Afraid I'll take your fortune?"
"I don't trust anyone. Especially not you."
He smirked, amused, and nodded once. "Fair."
She crossed out the line, initialed the margin, and flipped to the final page.
Damian handed her a sleek black fountain pen, engraved with his initials.
Elena hesitated, but only for a second.
Then she signed her name with a sharp, practiced stroke.
Elena M. Reed.
Terms of a Cold Marriage
Damian took the file, scanned her signature, and set it aside.
"Congratulations," he said dryly. "You're now the most invisible wife in the country."
She met his eyes without flinching. "Just the way I want it."
He stepped away to a side cabinet, unlocked it, and pulled out a small, velvet-lined box.
Inside, a ring glittered under the dim office light.
Not just any ring, a custom piece: deep black diamond, surrounded by icy-white sapphires. Bold, elegant, and utterly unique.
"Your wedding ring," he said.
Elena reached out instinctively.
But he didn't hand it to her.
Instead, he placed the ring back inside the velvet box…
And locked it.
"You don't get to wear this," Damian said, his voice low. "Not until I say you do."
Elena's smile was sharp. "Is that control or caution?"
His eyes darkened. "It's a warning."
"Betray me, and you'll regret it."