The morning after the fever broke, the fragile peace was shattered. Adrian's lead counsel called with a panicked update: Celine had bypassed the family and gone straight to the Board of Directors with a leaked copy of our "Asset Management & Spousal Agreement."
"I have to go," Adrian said, buttoning his shirt with a grim focus. He looked exhausted, but his eyes were sharp. "They've called an emergency hearing. If they prove the marriage is a sham, they can strip my voting rights by noon."
"What do we do?" I asked, my heart sinking.
"I do what I always do," he replied, pausing at the door. "I win. But Mia... if this goes south, your payment is already in an offshore account. You'll be safe."
"I don't care about the money, Adrian!" I shouted after him, but the elevator doors had already closed.
I couldn't sit in that glass penthouse waiting for my fate to be decided. I hailed a taxi to Thorne Enterprises. By the time I arrived, the lobby was swarming with press. I slipped through the service entrance—a trick I'd learned during hospital shifts—and made my way to the boardroom floor.
Through the heavy double doors, I heard Celine's triumphant voice. "...a mockery of the Thorne legacy! A paid actress from a nursing ward playing the role of a wife just to secure his seat!"
I didn't wait. I pushed the doors open.
The room went silent. Adrian stood at the head of the table, looking like a king on the verge of losing his crown. Celine stood opposite him, clutching the contract like a weapon.
"She's right about the paper," I said, my voice echoing in the sterile room. I walked straight up to Adrian, looking him in the eye. "There was a contract. I was desperate, and he was cornered."
The board members gasped. Celine smirked, her victory within reach.
"But a contract is just ink on paper," I continued, turning to the board. "What isn't on paper is the fact that I spent all night lowering his fever when he had no one else to call. What isn't on paper is that Adrian Thorne is a man who would rather lose his empire than let his family's legacy be handled by people who only value greed."
I looked back at Adrian. "If you want to fire him because he found a partner who actually cares for him instead of his bank account, then do it. But you won't find a better CEO."
Adrian stepped toward me, ignoring the stunned directors and a fuming Celine. He took the contract from the table and, without a word, ripped it into two, then four, then eight pieces.
"The contract is void," Adrian announced, his voice booming. "I'm not staying because of a will. And she's not staying for a check."