The presidential suite that Marcus had prepared for Lily was a masterpiece of modern luxury—sleek, minimalistic, and unsettlingly cold. Crystal-clear views of the city stretched endlessly beyond the glass walls, but Lily's heart felt anything but expansive. The soft hum of the air conditioning was the only sound in the pristine room as she set down her suitcase.
Twelve months.
She repeated the number silently like a mantra. Twelve months living under one roof with a man she barely knew. A man whose gaze could freeze her in place with a single glance. Twelve months to protect her company, to survive a pact that blurred the line between business and something more dangerous.
The door clicked behind her, and Marcus entered without knocking. His presence swallowed the room like a dark tide. Tall and commanding, his tailored suit fit him perfectly, but there was an edge of weariness in the set of his jaw.
"Welcome home," he said flatly.
Lily forced a steady breath. "Thank you."
He surveyed her like she was a puzzle he was unwillingly tasked to solve.
"This is your space during the arrangement," Marcus said, gesturing around the suite. "But we keep our distance. We aren't a couple."
She met his eyes. "Understood."
Marcus nodded and turned toward the window. "I suggest you rest. Day one tomorrow will be full."
The first night alone, Lily lay awake in the king-size bed, wide awake despite the exhaustion crushing her limbs. The contract between them was a fortress—a barricade of rules and terms designed to keep feelings buried.
Yet, beneath the cold confines of business, a spark of something unexplainable had begun to flicker.
Morning arrived quickly, and with it, the reality of living with Marcus Steele.
The days were a storm of conflicting emotions and clashing worlds.
In the morning, Lily attended board meetings wearing the facade of confidence. Her company clung to life on the edge, but these meetings were her proving ground.
Marcus was a constant figure in the background—his presence a shadow that made her pulse quicken and her stomach knot.
Their interactions were strictly business, but even the smallest shared moments crackled with tension. A brush of hands reaching for coffee. A glance missed and then caught.
It was a delicate dance, played out under the relentless scrutiny of the business world and their own disciplined hearts.
One afternoon, Marcus surprised her by calling a private meeting in his glass-walled office.
The city stretched wide behind him, but his eyes were weighted.
"We need to discuss the public image," he said. "Our appearances must be flawless. We play the perfect couple to all observers."
Lily's smile was tight. "Understood."
But they both knew perfection was a mask.
Late nights found them in separate corners of the penthouse, the silence between them weighted with unsaid words.
Lily caught Marcus staring at her once, his eyes softening just for a heartbeat before hardening again.
The contrast was maddening.
One evening, after a tense day, a blackout plunged the city into darkness.
Forced from their separate quarters, Lily and Marcus found themselves alone in the dimly lit living room.
The air was heavy, charged with unspoken tension.
"I didn't expect this," Lily said, trying to fill the silence.
Marcus's jaw tightened. "Expectations are dangerous."
They sat close but not touching, the night stretching between them like a fragile thread.
In that quiet, Lily saw Marcus not as a billionaire titan but as a man burdened by ghosts and loneliness.
And Marcus saw Lily—fierce, alive, and breaking down the walls he'd built.
Yet, the rules of their contract resonated loudly: no feelings, no attachments.
The path ahead was treacherous.
Days rolled into weeks, and with each passing moment, the boundaries blurred.
Jealousy, desire, trust, and fear warred silently between them.
The contract kept them tethered, but the heart is a rebel.
Could they keep their pact unbroken, or would the flames of forbidden love consume them both?