Luke's pov The world as I knew it crumbled overnight.I woke up to my phone vibrating relentlessly on the nightstand. It was still dark outside, and Anne was sound asleep beside me. When I grabbed the phone and glanced at the screen, I saw dozens of missed calls and messages, all from people I hadn’t heard from in years, along with the names of close friends, business associates, and—most concerningly—my parents.My stomach twisted as I opened one of the messages from Calla.**Calla:** *We have a problem. Check the news. Stay calm.*The words made my heart race, and I immediately swiped over to my news app. The first headline I saw hit me like a punch to the gut.**BREAKING NEWS: LUKE MAXWELL’S SECRET CONTRACT MARRIAGE EXPOSED! WIFE ACCUSED OF BEING A GOLDDIGGER.**I blinked, trying to process what I was seeing. It couldn’t be real. But it was. Below the headline was a photo of Anne and me, walking out of the courthouse on the day we signed the marriage papers. The article went into
Luke's pov The next morning was quiet. The calm before the inevitable storm. Anne hadn’t left the house since the news broke, and I could feel the weight of everything crushing her. She was barely holding it together, and despite my best efforts to reassure her, I knew that every headline, every comment, every call was slowly chipping away at her strength. I couldn’t take it anymore. As much as I wanted to protect her, I felt helpless. The media wasn’t letting up. My parents were still furious, and Sinclair’s threats lingered like a shadow over us. But then, something happened that I hadn’t expected—something that would change the course of everything. The doorbell rang late in the morning, and I got up to answer it, expecting it to be another delivery of hateful letters or packages. Instead, when I opened the door, I found myself face-to-face with Anne’s mother, Margaret Devlin, the celebrity idol whose face was known worldwide. Today, though, she wasn’t the radiant, glamo
Luke's pov The morning sun filtered through the windows, casting a warm glow over the mansion, but the atmosphere was still thick with the tension from the days before. Anne hadn’t said much since her mother’s press conference. Her emotions were a tangled mess of relief, anxiety, and anticipation. As I sat across from her at the breakfast table, I could see the exhaustion in her eyes. She looked up at me, offering a small, tired smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “What happens next?” she asked softly, her fingers playing absentmindedly with the edge of her mug. “We fight,” I said firmly. “We fight Sinclair, and we protect our family.” The weight of the situation hung heavy over both of us, but before we could delve deeper into the conversation, the sound of the doorbell interrupted us. I frowned, glancing at Anne, who shrugged. “I’ll get it,” I said, standing up and heading to the door. When I opened it, I was greeted by a group of impeccably dressed individuals, their pre
"you can't go inside miss, please wait at the reception.." She was lost in her own world. She didn't even hear what the nurse said next. She walked back to the reception, her head down, her eyes filled with tears, she had cried all the way to the hospital. She sat down, lost deep in thoughts. She didn't understand how this happened. Wasn't her own father always warning her to be careful on the road? Why did he end up like that? Hit by unknown car and left to die on the road. Wasn't he careful himself? She couldn't find an answer. She remembered how she had been called and how she had picked up the phone thinking it was her father only to hear a strange voice. She left work in a hurry to the place she had been told her dad was. On arriving there, she found a crowd of people but no one was helping the almost lifeless middle-aged man on the ground. She cried for help but no one helped. Her father
On the other side of the road at a distance, a young man was coming out of a luxurious restaurant, it was the Blue Eagle Restaurant. Only the wealthiest could afford a meal at this restaurant. He walked towards a very expensive and oppressive car, followed closely by two other men. This were his body guards, dressed in black suits. One could tell from a distance that they were highly trained to keep their boss safe. One of the men rushed forward and opened the rare door for the young man, he then closed the door carefully and went for the driver's seat. The other body guard looked around several times and stepped into the passenger side and the car left the premises. A short distance from the restaurant, there was a commotion and a crowd of people had gathered and were whispering among themselves, a young lady waving frantically caught the attention of the young man and he ordered the driver to stop. He stepped out o
She stood up hurriedly and rushed to meet the doctors, " how's my father, how's he doing, is he safe?" "Calm down first miss, your father was badly injured and had lost a lot of blood. You did well to bring him just in time, he is now out of danger but will need time to heal, he has not woken up yet but you can see him for now. Don't say anything that will stress him, he needs to completely heal." She thanked the doctor and went inside the room where her dad was. He was still sleeping, looking much better than how she had earlier found him. She held his hand and tears fell from her eyes. He was the only person she had in the entire world, her mother had died when she was young and her father had cared for her alone. She could not bare seeing him in that condition, her heart was broken in pieces.. she wanted to hug him and never let go. Just then, the door opened and the receptionist walked in holding some papers. "This is w
She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out, she looked at the man, was he insane? He barely know me! She stood up, thought of leaving but decided against it. Was he joking? "What kind of contract, you barely know me!" "I don't need to know you, you only have to sign the contract and follow the rules, I'll make the payment right away." "How can I sign a contract I don't know anything about?" She asked. "It's a marriage contract, I don't have to explain anything about it. You will be my wife for a year, after that we can go our separate ways, the rules are you move in with me and act as my wife whenever we are in public. In my house, you will have a separate room, and everything you need will be provided. I will pay a hundred thousand dollars once you sign the contract. Think carefully and let me know your answer." Her eyes were now wide open, she could not hide the look on her face. A hundred thousand dollars? That will take her several years to save w
She was in a big luxurious room, decorated with beautiful flowers and modern design. There were three girls around her, one was doing her hair, the other was applying her make up and the last one was doing her manicure. There was a very beautiful golden wedding dress in front of her. She kept on admiring it, it was really beautiful. There was a knock on the door and a man's face popped in. It was her father. "Are you ready yet my princess, we are almost late, or have you changed your mind?" She laughed at the joke, "do you want me to change my mind dad? I don't mind living with you for the rest of my life." " My baby is now all grown up, I cannot keep holding her back . Hurry up now, your soon-to-be husband must not wait for long." He then left to give her time for the final touches. It was now time to put on the gown. The girls helped her with it, she looked elegant. So b
Luke's pov The morning sun filtered through the windows, casting a warm glow over the mansion, but the atmosphere was still thick with the tension from the days before. Anne hadn’t said much since her mother’s press conference. Her emotions were a tangled mess of relief, anxiety, and anticipation. As I sat across from her at the breakfast table, I could see the exhaustion in her eyes. She looked up at me, offering a small, tired smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “What happens next?” she asked softly, her fingers playing absentmindedly with the edge of her mug. “We fight,” I said firmly. “We fight Sinclair, and we protect our family.” The weight of the situation hung heavy over both of us, but before we could delve deeper into the conversation, the sound of the doorbell interrupted us. I frowned, glancing at Anne, who shrugged. “I’ll get it,” I said, standing up and heading to the door. When I opened it, I was greeted by a group of impeccably dressed individuals, their pre
Luke's pov The next morning was quiet. The calm before the inevitable storm. Anne hadn’t left the house since the news broke, and I could feel the weight of everything crushing her. She was barely holding it together, and despite my best efforts to reassure her, I knew that every headline, every comment, every call was slowly chipping away at her strength. I couldn’t take it anymore. As much as I wanted to protect her, I felt helpless. The media wasn’t letting up. My parents were still furious, and Sinclair’s threats lingered like a shadow over us. But then, something happened that I hadn’t expected—something that would change the course of everything. The doorbell rang late in the morning, and I got up to answer it, expecting it to be another delivery of hateful letters or packages. Instead, when I opened the door, I found myself face-to-face with Anne’s mother, Margaret Devlin, the celebrity idol whose face was known worldwide. Today, though, she wasn’t the radiant, glamo
Luke's pov The world as I knew it crumbled overnight.I woke up to my phone vibrating relentlessly on the nightstand. It was still dark outside, and Anne was sound asleep beside me. When I grabbed the phone and glanced at the screen, I saw dozens of missed calls and messages, all from people I hadn’t heard from in years, along with the names of close friends, business associates, and—most concerningly—my parents.My stomach twisted as I opened one of the messages from Calla.**Calla:** *We have a problem. Check the news. Stay calm.*The words made my heart race, and I immediately swiped over to my news app. The first headline I saw hit me like a punch to the gut.**BREAKING NEWS: LUKE MAXWELL’S SECRET CONTRACT MARRIAGE EXPOSED! WIFE ACCUSED OF BEING A GOLDDIGGER.**I blinked, trying to process what I was seeing. It couldn’t be real. But it was. Below the headline was a photo of Anne and me, walking out of the courthouse on the day we signed the marriage papers. The article went into
Luke's pov I didn’t sleep much after the call from Sinclair. How could I? His words echoed in my mind, a sinister taunt that made my blood run cold. The way he so casually threatened Anne—and the baby—was a reminder that I was dealing with someone who had no moral lines. Someone who wouldn’t hesitate to destroy everything I cared about. By the time the sun rose, I was still sitting at my desk, staring at the half-empty glass of scotch in front of me. My head was pounding, and every muscle in my body was tense, ready to spring into action. But what action? That was the problem. I had no idea what Sinclair’s next move would be. The only thing I knew for sure was that I couldn’t let Anne find out about the call. Not yet. She had enough on her plate—dealing with her mother’s secrets, mourning her father, and now, the pregnancy. She didn’t need the added stress of knowing that Sinclair was threatening her life. I was going to have to handle this alone. --- Later that morning, after
Luke's pov I’ve faced plenty of high-stakes situations in my life. Boardroom battles, complex negotiations, moments where millions of dollars rested on a single decision. But nothing, not even the pressure of running Maxwell Industries, and the Blue eagle companies compared to what I was facing now. Anne is pregnant. It’s a fact that hasn’t fully sunk in, no matter how many times I’ve turned it over in my mind. My wife—no, my partner—is carrying our child. A life we created together, in the middle of all this chaos. I never thought fatherhood would come to me like this. Hell, I never thought about fatherhood at all. But now it’s happening, and I have no choice but to figure it out. The moment Anne showed me that pregnancy test, something inside me shifted. A primal need to protect her, to protect our unborn child, kicked in. It was like every other concern I’d had before—the company, the threats we were facing, Sinclair—became secondary. The most important thing in the world was
Anne's pov The days that followed our encounter with Victor Harlan were a blur of covert meetings, endless strategy sessions, and moments stolen away in quiet corners with Luke, where the tension between us was always just below the surface. But beneath all the chaos, something was changing in me—something I couldn’t ignore any longer. I had been feeling off for days now: an unexplained exhaustion that lingered no matter how much I slept, a queasiness that came in waves, especially in the mornings. At first, I chalked it up to stress. After all, my life had been nothing but a whirlwind of danger and revelations lately. It made sense that my body would react to the overwhelming tension. But then came the missed period. I tried not to think too much about it at first, brushing off the realization as just another sign of stress. But the days continued to pass, and the nagging suspicion wouldn’t leave me. Something inside me was changing, something more profound than just the weight
The name Charles Sinclair weighed heavily on my mind in the days that followed. It was like a puzzle piece that had always been missing, the key to the labyrinth of my past. But knowing who he was didn’t bring relief—it only deepened the sense of dread that had been building inside me. Luke was more vigilant than ever, and our home felt like a fortress. Security cameras, guards, and encrypted communications—he had spared no expense in keeping us safe. But even with all the precautions, the knowledge that a man like Sinclair was out there, possibly plotting his next move, made it hard to breathe easy. We kept in close contact with Calla, who continued digging deeper into Sinclair’s history. She uncovered that he was a man of influence, with ties to both legitimate businesses and underworld dealings. He was known for his ruthlessness—anyone who got in his way tended to disappear, either through financial ruin or far darker means. One evening, as the sun set behind the horizon, Luke
Anne's pov The locket felt cool against my skin as I fastened it around my neck. It was a weight I didn’t know I needed—a piece of the past I was now willing to carry. It didn’t absolve my mother of all the years of silence, but it was a start. A fragile bridge between us. As I stood in front of the mirror, staring at the small silver pendant resting above my heart, I wondered what came next. My life had been a series of unpredictable events ever since I signed that contract with Luke. What had started as a desperate deal to save my father had led me to uncovering the hidden legacy I never asked for. And now, it seemed I wasn’t just navigating the complexity of love—I was also running from shadows. A knock on the bedroom door pulled me from my thoughts. Luke stepped inside, his eyes catching on the locket immediately. He walked over and gently lifted it between his fingers, examining the delicate piece. “It looks good on you,” he said quietly. I smiled, though it didn’t quite re
Days passed since the envelope had arrived. I couldn’t shake the feeling that my entire life had been built on lies and shadows, but at least now, I had a semblance of understanding. My mother had sacrificed everything to keep me safe, but the safety had come at a cost—a lifetime of absence, of missed moments that could never be reclaimed.I stared at the letter again, its edges already worn from the number of times I’d read it. Luke had caught me with it more than once, but he hadn’t pressed me to talk. He had always been good at giving me space when I needed it, even though I could tell he was worried. Finally, one evening as we sat together in the quiet of our home, I broke the silence.“She didn’t have to disappear,” I murmured, more to myself than to him. “She didn’t have to let me go like that.” Luke looked over at me, his expression gentle but filled with understanding. “She thought it was the only way to protect you.”I nodded, my fingers tracing the outline of the wax s