Caroline pov “I would sign the contract” I repeated, slightly hesitating. I could almost hear the smirk forming on his lips. “Good,” he replied. “I’ll send a car.” The line went dead. And just like that, the choice was made. For my mother. Not for him. Never for him. But as I slid Xavier’s card back into the wallet, one thing was clear: I might have just walked into the lion’s den. The car arrived less than 30 minutes later. It was a sleek, black limousine. The latest model that glittered in the sun. Everything about it smelled like wealth. It was the kind of car that turned heads in traffic and made people stare, wondering who the hell was inside. I sat stiffly in the back seat, clutching my handbag like it was my life ticket out of this mess I found myself into. The golden wallet, xaviers wallet, was hidden deep inside, along with the damn divorce documents from Nathan. Yes, I have been carrying it about, but anytime I bring myself to sign it, I would back out at the la
Caroline’s POVThe ride to the Villa was like a journey to hell. I couldn’t stop the loud thumbing of my heart against my rib Cage. Even the AC that was on High Blast did little to the sweat that was coming out of my body. I felt like a lamb that was being taken to the slaughterhouse. I was Helpless, my freewill was sealed by nothing but a contract. I hadn’t bothered to read through the end of the “new” contract, as Xavier called it. Not until after signing, that the new rules and terms started appearing from his mouth like a death sentence. “You must live in the same house with your legally bound husband.”“The legally bound husband must take charge and have the final say on matters pertaining to the wife.”“The legally bound couple must act romantically and intimate when in public so as to look real…”The list goes on and on, an unending list that puts him as the head and me under him. It was basically a daylight robbery, and I have been robbed.“We are here” the almost rehear
Caroline povDinner felt like a scene from a royal movie. The long mahogany table that stretched across the dining could easily sit twenty people, yet there were only two plates and two people. one at each end of the ridiculously long table. Xavier sat far away, his posture relaxed, but his eyes sharp, watching me like a hawk watches prey. The tension between us could be cut with a knife.“Thank you, Bianca.” I gave a short nod to her after she finished setting the plates and food.The food was rich and well-prepared,and the smell was tantalizing. definitely from a top-tier chef. But I could barely taste it.I cut into my steak, trying to pretend like a predator gaze wasn’t burning into my skin. “Do you always eat in silence?” I asked, stabbing a piece and bringing it to my mouth.Xavier leaned back slightly, sipping red wine like a villain in a classic drama. I couldn’t help noticing the grace by which he carried himself. “Only when my dinner date looks like she’d rather be anywher
chapter 13: the meeting Caroline POV The delicious scent of something cooking woke me up. The first thing I noticed when I opened my eyes was the chilling silence and coldness that enveloped me like a blanket. I turned to the other side that was so clean and lacked wrinkles like it was never slept on. Empty. Xavier was not on his side of bed. And there was no trace of him either in the room. That was when I noticed the fortress blockage of pillows I had built last night? Destroyed. Torn apart and tossed to the side like it had been in someone’s way. My heart skipped. Was it me… or him? I didn’t want to think too deeply about that. Stretching out with a yawn, sleep cleared from my eyes immediately. The morning lights streamed through the golden binds, casting gold streaks across the floor. Then, as if on cue, the most delicious aroma I have ever tasted passed across my nose. my stomach let out a loud, desperate growl in response to the smell. I paused. What is that smell?
Xavier’s POV Meetings were never my thing. Especially having to sit in one place and listen to fools that think they are wiser spill trash from their mouth. Unfortunately, that is the situation I found myself in the first ever meeting with the board of directors, discussing the recent embezzlement. But for three hours now, the boardroom was a hive of tension, whispers, and polished suits pretending to be useful. A billion dollars, gone. Wiped clean from our reserve funds. And no one had answers We were hardly making any progress at all. I sat at the head of the long, sleek boardroom table. an architectural masterpiece that was one of the few in Abuja. I yawned for the hundredth time in boredom. At any time now, my patience might actually snap. “…and if you look at the regional sales projection over the last quarter…” “Mr. Collins,” I said tightly, not even trying to mask my irritation. “If you repeat another chart I’ve already seen in the report, I will personally toss y
Caroline pov“Everyone… meet my wife. Caroline Johnson.”The words crashed into me.Hard.My heart stalled in my chest. Time froze for me.Wife?I blinked, refusing to let my shock show. My face remained frozen in that same small, polite smile I’d worn into the room. But inside, my world was shattering and rebuilding at the same time.What game was he playing?Because this… this wasn’t part of the plan.There was no marriage. No public announcement. No real conversation beyond the contract, the threats, the shared night, and the tension that could burn cities.But now…Now he had announced that I was his wife?I looked at Xavier again. He was staring at me like I was the only person in the room. His eyes burned through me, daring me to contradict him.But I didn’t. The words continued to repeat inside my head like a circus show, even minutes after Xavier announced it. the entire room was plunged into a deep silence. Their eyes turned with a new light towards my direction. They were
chapter 16: mistakeCaroline POVThe door slammed shut behind us.Hard.The sound echoed like a gunshot in the always quiet villa of Xavier.I didn’t flinch. Didn’t speak. I poised, facing him, waiting for him to say something but he didn’t. He continued to watch me liek we were in a staring contest.The air was thick with everything we didn’t say in that boardroom. Thing I couldn't say because of the web of lies that Xavier had painted around us.I could feel his gaze burning into my skin. My pulse racing. I didn't know if it was because I was angry loud in my ears, but I kept my breathing steady. He wouldn’t get to see me riled up.Not yet.Not when he’d use it against me.“Wife?” I said, finally, my voice like silk stretched over steel. “is that why you insisted that i must attend the meeting? So that you can flaunt your prized possession to the whole world.”Silence. And nothing.Notjing was on his face. He didn't say anything, nor showed any emotion to whatever I said. Just blank
chapter 17: Going for the partyCaroline povOne week laterThey say a week isn’t long enough for anything to change.But they don’t live in Xaviers villa.And they certainly aren’t married to the same Xavier.Every day since that night after the board meeting felt like walking through a fog, one made of silk sheets, awkward silences, stolen glances, and unspent tensions and questions that was suspended in the air around us. refusing to leave me alone.He hadn’t kissed me.He hadn’t touched me.And he hardly comes home, unless late at night, when I would feel the side of his bed ruffle. We hardly see each other in the morning, But each time we jam, he looks at me like he wants to say or do something, but he would never say it out aloud. And I hated itEach morning I woke to the sound of heels echoing through the empty house. my own, as I wandered through Xavier's polished world of control. I didn't know what was worse: the moments he was absent or the ones he was near.Because Xavi
Chapter 18: Jenna Caroline’s POV The applause that followed thundered through the room as the MC’s voice echoed again. "Let’s welcome the youngest CEO in town. The heir to Johnson's empire… Mr. and Mrs. Xavier Johnsons!" Flashbulbs popped, camera lens clicking drumed in my ears. I forced out a smile, chin raised, spine straight. But inside, my heart continued to pound against my ribcage like I was being led to the gallows. The entire room shifted toward us like we were royalty…or wolves entering a den of lions. But in all their happy and praising faces, I could see the hidden scorn and the fake smiles behind all the smiles. The attention was suffocating, and I almost tripped on my gown in my nervousness. Xavier kept a straight face, while his hand rested firmly on my lower back. None of the attention or the noise bothered him. I clutched his hand tightly if he noticed he didn't say. He guided me forward to a specially decorated table with confident strides like he belonged he
chapter 17: Going for the partyCaroline povOne week laterThey say a week isn’t long enough for anything to change.But they don’t live in Xaviers villa.And they certainly aren’t married to the same Xavier.Every day since that night after the board meeting felt like walking through a fog, one made of silk sheets, awkward silences, stolen glances, and unspent tensions and questions that was suspended in the air around us. refusing to leave me alone.He hadn’t kissed me.He hadn’t touched me.And he hardly comes home, unless late at night, when I would feel the side of his bed ruffle. We hardly see each other in the morning, But each time we jam, he looks at me like he wants to say or do something, but he would never say it out aloud. And I hated itEach morning I woke to the sound of heels echoing through the empty house. my own, as I wandered through Xavier's polished world of control. I didn't know what was worse: the moments he was absent or the ones he was near.Because Xavi
chapter 16: mistakeCaroline POVThe door slammed shut behind us.Hard.The sound echoed like a gunshot in the always quiet villa of Xavier.I didn’t flinch. Didn’t speak. I poised, facing him, waiting for him to say something but he didn’t. He continued to watch me liek we were in a staring contest.The air was thick with everything we didn’t say in that boardroom. Thing I couldn't say because of the web of lies that Xavier had painted around us.I could feel his gaze burning into my skin. My pulse racing. I didn't know if it was because I was angry loud in my ears, but I kept my breathing steady. He wouldn’t get to see me riled up.Not yet.Not when he’d use it against me.“Wife?” I said, finally, my voice like silk stretched over steel. “is that why you insisted that i must attend the meeting? So that you can flaunt your prized possession to the whole world.”Silence. And nothing.Notjing was on his face. He didn't say anything, nor showed any emotion to whatever I said. Just blank
Caroline pov“Everyone… meet my wife. Caroline Johnson.”The words crashed into me.Hard.My heart stalled in my chest. Time froze for me.Wife?I blinked, refusing to let my shock show. My face remained frozen in that same small, polite smile I’d worn into the room. But inside, my world was shattering and rebuilding at the same time.What game was he playing?Because this… this wasn’t part of the plan.There was no marriage. No public announcement. No real conversation beyond the contract, the threats, the shared night, and the tension that could burn cities.But now…Now he had announced that I was his wife?I looked at Xavier again. He was staring at me like I was the only person in the room. His eyes burned through me, daring me to contradict him.But I didn’t. The words continued to repeat inside my head like a circus show, even minutes after Xavier announced it. the entire room was plunged into a deep silence. Their eyes turned with a new light towards my direction. They were
Xavier’s POV Meetings were never my thing. Especially having to sit in one place and listen to fools that think they are wiser spill trash from their mouth. Unfortunately, that is the situation I found myself in the first ever meeting with the board of directors, discussing the recent embezzlement. But for three hours now, the boardroom was a hive of tension, whispers, and polished suits pretending to be useful. A billion dollars, gone. Wiped clean from our reserve funds. And no one had answers We were hardly making any progress at all. I sat at the head of the long, sleek boardroom table. an architectural masterpiece that was one of the few in Abuja. I yawned for the hundredth time in boredom. At any time now, my patience might actually snap. “…and if you look at the regional sales projection over the last quarter…” “Mr. Collins,” I said tightly, not even trying to mask my irritation. “If you repeat another chart I’ve already seen in the report, I will personally toss y
chapter 13: the meeting Caroline POV The delicious scent of something cooking woke me up. The first thing I noticed when I opened my eyes was the chilling silence and coldness that enveloped me like a blanket. I turned to the other side that was so clean and lacked wrinkles like it was never slept on. Empty. Xavier was not on his side of bed. And there was no trace of him either in the room. That was when I noticed the fortress blockage of pillows I had built last night? Destroyed. Torn apart and tossed to the side like it had been in someone’s way. My heart skipped. Was it me… or him? I didn’t want to think too deeply about that. Stretching out with a yawn, sleep cleared from my eyes immediately. The morning lights streamed through the golden binds, casting gold streaks across the floor. Then, as if on cue, the most delicious aroma I have ever tasted passed across my nose. my stomach let out a loud, desperate growl in response to the smell. I paused. What is that smell?
Caroline povDinner felt like a scene from a royal movie. The long mahogany table that stretched across the dining could easily sit twenty people, yet there were only two plates and two people. one at each end of the ridiculously long table. Xavier sat far away, his posture relaxed, but his eyes sharp, watching me like a hawk watches prey. The tension between us could be cut with a knife.“Thank you, Bianca.” I gave a short nod to her after she finished setting the plates and food.The food was rich and well-prepared,and the smell was tantalizing. definitely from a top-tier chef. But I could barely taste it.I cut into my steak, trying to pretend like a predator gaze wasn’t burning into my skin. “Do you always eat in silence?” I asked, stabbing a piece and bringing it to my mouth.Xavier leaned back slightly, sipping red wine like a villain in a classic drama. I couldn’t help noticing the grace by which he carried himself. “Only when my dinner date looks like she’d rather be anywher
Caroline’s POVThe ride to the Villa was like a journey to hell. I couldn’t stop the loud thumbing of my heart against my rib Cage. Even the AC that was on High Blast did little to the sweat that was coming out of my body. I felt like a lamb that was being taken to the slaughterhouse. I was Helpless, my freewill was sealed by nothing but a contract. I hadn’t bothered to read through the end of the “new” contract, as Xavier called it. Not until after signing, that the new rules and terms started appearing from his mouth like a death sentence. “You must live in the same house with your legally bound husband.”“The legally bound husband must take charge and have the final say on matters pertaining to the wife.”“The legally bound couple must act romantically and intimate when in public so as to look real…”The list goes on and on, an unending list that puts him as the head and me under him. It was basically a daylight robbery, and I have been robbed.“We are here” the almost rehear
Caroline pov “I would sign the contract” I repeated, slightly hesitating. I could almost hear the smirk forming on his lips. “Good,” he replied. “I’ll send a car.” The line went dead. And just like that, the choice was made. For my mother. Not for him. Never for him. But as I slid Xavier’s card back into the wallet, one thing was clear: I might have just walked into the lion’s den. The car arrived less than 30 minutes later. It was a sleek, black limousine. The latest model that glittered in the sun. Everything about it smelled like wealth. It was the kind of car that turned heads in traffic and made people stare, wondering who the hell was inside. I sat stiffly in the back seat, clutching my handbag like it was my life ticket out of this mess I found myself into. The golden wallet, xaviers wallet, was hidden deep inside, along with the damn divorce documents from Nathan. Yes, I have been carrying it about, but anytime I bring myself to sign it, I would back out at the la