The room felt smaller all of a sudden. I could feel Alexander Sterling's gaze on me, heavy and unsettling, like he could read every thought I was trying to hide.
"I…" I swallowed, my voice barely above a whisper. "I don't understand what you mean."
He smirked, that dangerous, unreadable smirk that made my knees weak. "Oh, Emilia, you will. Soon enough."
My stomach twisted. I wanted to step back… but my feet felt glued to the floor. Why did he have this effect on me already? I barely knew him, yet my heart refused to obey the rules I had promised myself.
"You signed the contract," he continued, stepping closer, "but the paper doesn't stop feelings from happening."
Heat flared across my cheeks. "I—It's not supposed to… feel like this."
Alexander leaned closer still, and my breath caught. "The thing about contracts, Emilia, is… you can agree to the terms, but you can't control the heart."
I opened my mouth to respond, but the words froze. Before I could say anything else, his phone buzzed on the table. He glanced at it, then back at me, his expression unreadable.
I realized then, with a sudden jolt of fear… this marriage was going to be more complicated than I ever imagined.
And I had no idea what he had planned next.