Chapter 6
The moment I signed that contract, the world tilted.
Not dramatically. Not all at once.
It tilted quietly, the way things do right before they break.
Adrian didn't smile when I handed the folder back to him. He didn't gloat. He didn't thank me. He simply took it, glanced at the signature like he was committing it to memory, and nodded once.
Done.
That was it.
No fireworks. No relief.
Just a door closing somewhere behind me.
"Good," he said. "We move fast."
Of course he did.
I followed him back into his office, my legs heavy, my thoughts louder than the city outside. He loosened his tie, rolled his shoulders once, and then turned to me with that calm, lethal focus that made people obey before they even realised they were doing it.
"We announce tonight," he said.
My head snapped up. "Tonight?"
"Yes."
"That wasn't discussed."
"It doesn't need to be," he replied. "Momentum matters."
"You said six months," I argued. "You didn't say immediate public exposure."
He looked at me steadily. "Do you want this to work or not?"
The question wasn't really a question.
I swallowed. "Fine. Tonight."
He nodded, already reaching for his phone.
"Rule clarification," I added quickly.
He paused. "Go on."
"This is fake," I said. "Completely. You don't touch me unless I say so. You don't control my life outside what's written. And when this ends, it ends clean."
Something unreadable crossed his face.
"You'll find," he said slowly, "that clean endings are rare."
"That's not an answer."
He met my gaze. "I accept your terms."
Relief washed through me, thin and fragile.
"Good," I said. "Then we're clear."
"For now," he replied.
That should've scared me more than it did.
By six p.m., my phone wouldn't stop vibrating.
Messages. Notifications. Unknown numbers.
Is it true?
Are you dating Adrian Blackwood?
How did you meet?
I stared at the screen from the back seat of his car, pulse racing.
"What did you tell them?" I asked.
"The truth," Adrian said calmly.
I laughed weakly. "That's not reassuring."
"We met," he said. "We connected. We're exploring something private."
"That's not the truth."
"It's adjacent," he replied.
The car pulled up in front of a luxury hotel already swarming with reporters. Flashbulbs exploded like fireworks the moment the door opened.
My breath hitched.
Adrian stepped out first, offering his hand.
"Smile," he murmured. "They smell fear."
I hesitated only a second before placing my hand in his.
The cameras went wild.
"Mr Blackwood!"
"Who is she?"
"Is this serious?"
Adrian's grip tightened just enough to ground me.
"This is Elara," he said smoothly. "My partner."
The word hit harder than I expected.
Partner.
He guided me forward, his hand firm at my waist, his presence a shield and a cage all at once. I kept my smile steady, my posture relaxed, even as my heart threatened to beat its way out of my chest.
Inside, the noise faded.
We were ushered into a private suite overlooking the city. The door closed. Silence settled.
I exhaled shakily.
"That was insane," I said.
"You did well," Adrian replied.
"Don't say it like I passed a test."
"I don't reward effort," he said. "I acknowledge results."
I turned on him. "You enjoyed that."
He didn't deny it.
"I enjoyed watching you hold your ground," he said. "Most people crumble."
"I wasn't holding my ground," I snapped. "I was pretending."
He stepped closer. "Pretending requires control."
My heart skipped.
"This doesn't change anything," I said quickly. "We're still us."
"Yes," he said. "Which means we're still complicated."
The next few days blurred together.
Public appearances. Carefully staged photos. Headlines shifting from scandal to fascination.
BLACKWOOD CONFIRMS RELATIONSHIP
WHO IS ELARA MONROE?
My inbox is filled with meeting requests. My social media—long abandoned—was suddenly alive with strangers dissecting my face, my clothes, and my past.
At the office, everything changed.
People smiled too much. Or not at all.
And Adrian—
Adrian became different.
Not softer.
More attentive.
He walked me to meetings. Asked for my opinion. Watched me with that same intense focus, like he was waiting for something to break.
Vivian made her move on the third day.
She appeared at the office unannounced, heels clicking sharply against marble floors, red lips curved in a smile that didn't belong to me.
"Elara," she said, eyes flicking over me. "So good to finally meet you."
I stood. "Vivian."
Her smile tightened. "You're younger than I expected."
I met her gaze. "You're exactly what I expected."
Adrian stepped in instantly, hand settling at my back.
"Vivian," he said coolly. "This isn't appropriate."
She laughed. "Still controlling the narrative, Adrian?"
"I protect what's mine," he replied.
The words sent a jolt through me.
Mine.
Vivian's gaze sharpened. "Careful," she warned him. "You always confuse possession with affection."
Something dark flashed in his eyes.
"That's enough," he said.
She turned to me then, her smile returning. "Enjoy it while it lasts."
Then she walked away.
My hands were shaking.
"You didn't have to say that," I whispered once she was gone.
"Yes," Adrian said quietly. "I did."
"You're blurring lines."
"You signed a contract," he reminded me. "This is part of the performance."
"Then don't make it sound real," I snapped.
He looked at me for a long moment.
"That's harder than you think," he said.
That night, I couldn't sleep.
My phone buzzed endlessly. My thoughts were worse.
At two a.m., there was a knock at my door.
I froze.
Another knock. Firmer.
"Elara."
My heart leapt into my throat.
I opened the door a crack.
Adrian stood there, coat thrown over one arm, eyes dark, restless.
"This is inappropriate," I said immediately.
"Yes," he agreed. "But necessary."
I hesitated, then stepped aside.
He didn't touch me. Didn't even move closer.
"I shouldn't have said what I said today," he said quietly. "It wasn't calculated."
"That's new."
"It won't happen again."
I studied him. The tension. The honesty he rarely allowed.
"You're losing control," I said softly.
He met my gaze. "And you're the reason."
Silence stretched.
"This was a mistake," I whispered.
"Yes," he said. "But it's already made."
He turned to leave, stopping at the door.
"Rule update," he added. "No falling in love."
I laughed bitterly. "That was already implied."
His jaw tightened.
"For you," he said.
The door closed behind him.
I slid down against it, heart racing, lungs burning.
The price of yes was becoming clearer by the day.
And I was starting to realise—
This contract wasn't protecting me from Adrian Blackwood.
It was pulling me straight into him