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Ties of a Contract

Name: Ties of a Contract
Author: Antonella Lipinski

Romance

Last Updated : 2025-02-08

By: Antonella Lipinski Ongoing

Language: English

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Sophia Carter has spent her entire life sacrificing her dreams to support a family that never valued her. With a terminally ill narcissistic mother and a selfish brother who sees her only as a source of support, she is on the brink of financial and emotional collapse. When every door seems to close, an unexpected proposal arises: a marriage of convenience with Alexander Hawthorne, the ruthless magnate who embodies everything she fears… and everything her heart insists on desiring. Alexander is known for his coldness and relentless mistrust, especially towards women. To him, everyone has a price, and Sophia is no different. She will be just another piece in his game: the perfect wife to maintain appearances and ensure the stability of his business. He doesn’t want love, nor intimacy. Much less does he intend to share a bed with her. But as Sophia and Alexander become entangled in this dangerous agreement, lines are crossed, secrets are revealed, and the desire they both struggle to deny threatens to ignite the icy facade they’ve built. In a world where everything seems to be a transaction, how far will they go to protect what’s left of their souls? A story of passion, power, and unyielding boundaries, where even the coldest hearts can be broken… or saved.

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Chapter 1 - The Agreement

The smell of freshly brewed coffee mixes with the constant noise that already fills the diner. Another day begins, where I, with my inseparable worn apron, force a smile on my face. I haven’t had many opportunities in my life, so I’ve resigned myself to taking what comes and smiling, even if the world is crumbling at my feet."Table three, Sophia!" shouts Charlie, the manager, from behind a towering stack of plates she balances with precise movements."I'm on it!" I reply, grabbing another tray loaded with sandwiches, hot coffee, and muffins.The in-and-out of people is relentless. Some mumble a good morning; others don’t even notice my presence. After all, to most of them, I’m just here to serve. But that’s okay. I know I’m more than that. I’m a daughter fighting to give my family some comfort and juggling to keep them togetherdespite my mother… I sigh without realizing it. Also, an older sister trying to give my younger brother a better future than mine, even though he doesn’t seem ...

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112 Chapters

Chapter 1 - The Agreement

Ties of a Contract/Antonella Lipinski

Last Updated : 2024-12-04

Chapter 2 - The Perfect Choice

Ties of a Contract/Antonella Lipinski

As soon as the door closes, the silence of my office returns like an old companion. The same calculated stillness that has always accompanied me. I usually enjoy it. I prefer controlled, predictable environments where all variables are under my command.But today, for some irritating reason, my mind refuses to return to equilibrium.Sophia Carter.The girl left my office the same way she entered: with her head held high, even though her world is crumbling on her shoulders. She didn’t beg. She didn’t bargain. She didn’t cry. She simply stood her ground, holding my gaze until the very last second. But she doesn’t fool me. Women are always after something: money, status, power. There’s always a hidden motivation, a carefully adjusted mask on their faces.I shove my hands into my pockets and walk to the window, observing the city below. Everything looks small, insignificant. People rushing from one place to another, trying to survive in a concrete jungle that doesn’t forgive weakness. New

Last Updated : 2024-12-04

Chapter 3 - A Silent Storm

Ties of a Contract/Antonella Lipinski

The way back home is a blur of streets, buildings, and anonymous faces. My feet move forward almost automatically while my mind remains trapped in that cold office, where everything seemed to transform into something I can’t name.Alexander Hawthorne.I knew he’d be intimidating. There’s no way a man with his reputation wouldn’t be. The ruthless magnate, the heir who built an empire with his own handsor at least that’s what they say. A man many would call untouchable, unapproachable.But no story, no rumor, no financial magazine article could have prepared me for him in person.Tall, broad-shouldered, wearing a perfectly tailored suit that seemed molded directly to his body. A sculpted face, striking features, eyes as cold as the ice that seemed to run through his veins.And yet...He’s beautiful in a way that unsettles me. Not just because of his physical appearance, but because of his presence. Alexander Hawthorne fills the space with a quiet strength, with an authority that demands

Last Updated : 2024-12-04

Chapter 4 – The Weight of the Decision

Ties of a Contract/Antonella Lipinski

The early hours of the morning brought a strange mixture of relief and anguish. After hours of tossing and turning in bed, staring at the ceiling of the small room we had to move into after losing everything because of my father’s mistakes, I made a decision.I will not accept Alexander Hawthorne’s proposal.The idea seemed simple at first. One year. A cold contract, no emotional involvement. Just an exchange of favors: he clears my father’s debts, and in return, I become the convenient wife he needs to uphold his empire.But as the hours passed and the silence of the night became deafening, I realized what it would truly mean.I would lose the little I have left of myself. My dignity. My freedom.I can’t sell myself, even if it means ending the weight that suffocates me. Something within me needs to remain intact, even if it’s just my dignity.That’s why, by morning, as I left the house, I was certain of my decision.But it only took a few minutes in my mother’s presence for that cer

Last Updated : 2024-12-04

Chapter 5 – The Price of Courage

Ties of a Contract/Antonella Lipinski

I’m back at the building where it all began.The skyscraper of Hawthorne Corp rises before me, an imposing structure that seems to swallow the sky. Its mirrored facade reflects my pale face and the tension in my eyes. I should feel confident, strong for being here again.But the truth is, I’m terrified.My mother’s words echo in my mind since leaving the hospital: “Fix it. No matter how.”And here I am, ready to sell my dignity, my freedom, in exchange for her survival.I step into the building with hesitant steps, the sound of my shoes echoing in the luxurious lobby. The atmosphere is cold and elegant, just like him. Every detail is perfectly arranged, with no room for mistakes or imperfections.I’m announced at the reception desk, and soon an assistant guides me to the private elevator leading to the top floor. My hands are trembling, but I clench them into fists, trying to control my anxiety.When the elevator doors open, I’m greeted by the oppressive silence of Alexander Hawthorne

Last Updated : 2024-12-04

Chapter 6 – Vows of Ice

Ties of a Contract/Antonella Lipinski

The wedding day arrived before I could decide whether I was truly strong enough for this.Through the bedroom mirror, I gaze silently at my reflection. The white dress is elegant but understated, without extravagance. I chose something that wouldn’t draw attention, exactly as Alexander suggested. For him, everything must be perfect, functional, leaving no room for unnecessary emotions.My heart feels heavy. This should be a significant day, but there’s no joy, no hope. It’s a contracta cold transaction I’m signing to save my mother and support my brother.My brother…I take a deep breath, trying to push the thought away. Leo doesn’t know about the wedding. Neither does my mother.I didn’t tell them because I know exactly how they’d react. My mother would pressure me to get the most out of this marriage, treating me like a bargaining chip. Leo would see it as an opportunity to live even more comfortably, without lifting a finger.That’s why I decided to keep this a secret.When I left

Last Updated : 2024-12-04

Chapter 7 – Attraction and Confrontation

Ties of a Contract/Antonella Lipinski

The night drags on, slow and suffocating. The silence in Alexander’s penthouse is so heavy that every soundthe ticking of the clock, the rhythm of my own breathingfeels amplified.After what I witnessed, my heart is restless. It shouldn’t matter, but it does. It shouldn’t hurt, but it does.Alexander is with another woman. I heard muffled laughter, saw the intimate touch. I don’t know what I was expecting. He made it clear from the start that this marriage was nothing more than a contract. A cold agreement, with no room for emotional involvement.But the scene shook me more than I’m willing to admit.Without thinking too much, I get out of bed. I need to talk to him. Ask. Confront him, even though I have no right.Barefoot, I cross the cold floor of the penthouse to the hallway leading to his office. The light is on, but the door is now closed. I hesitate for a moment before raising my hand and knocking.“Come in.”Alexander’s voice is low but firm. There’s no hesitation.I take a dee

Last Updated : 2024-12-04

Chapter 8 – Shadows of the Past

Ties of a Contract/Antonella Lipinski

The morning is gray, and the soft sound of rain against the penthouse windows only amplifies the emptiness I’ve felt since last night.After the confrontation with Alexander, my sleep was restless. The tension between us, the almost kiss that never happened, and the words he left hanging in the air won’t leave me alone.I get out of bed with a heavy sigh, determined to occupy my mind with something else. I refuse to get stuck in this cycle of thoughts.The house is massive, cold, and empty, just like Alexander. The silence is suffocating, but today I decide to explore it. Maybe it will distract me. Maybe I’ll understand the man I married a little better.Every room I walk through seems meticulously planned, with no space for anything personal. Nothing reveals who Alexander truly is. Just elegant, impeccable, but impersonal decor.Until I find a door at the end of the hallway.It’s slightly ajar, revealing a room that feels different from the rest of the house. I approach slowly, hesit

Last Updated : 2024-12-04

Chapter 9 – Under the Spotlight

Ties of a Contract/Antonella Lipinski

The black dress Alexander chose for me slides over my skin, a constant reminder that tonight, I am not just Sophia Carter. I am Sophia Hawthorne.My reflection in the mirror is elegant, yet far removed from who I truly am. The diamond earrings sparkling in my ears could cover months of my mother’s hospital bills. And the delicate necklace around my neck, Alexander's choice, weighs more with its symbolism than with its gold. “Are you ready?”His deep voice pulls me from my thoughts. I turn to see him standing in the doorway, flawless in a black suit that seems tailor-made for his body. The man watching me now is not the Alexander I’ve known in the privacy of his penthouse. He is the ruthless magnate, the man everyone either reveres or fears. “Ready,” I reply, trying to ignore the nervous knot tightening in my stomach.Alexander studies me for a moment longer than necessary. His eyes take in every detail, and for a brief moment, I see something resembling approval in his gaze. “Let’s

Last Updated : 2024-12-04

Chapter 10 – Boundaries

Ties of a Contract/Antonella Lipinski

The muffled ticking of the clock echoes in the living room, each second feeling like another beat pounding in my head. The whiskey in the almost-empty glass in my hand should have silenced the confusion that has followed me since the moment we left the event.But it hasn’t.I lean back on the leather couch, staring at the ceiling with a frustration I can’t explain. The night was supposed to be a simple public display, a formality to keep up appearances. Sophia was supposed to play the perfect wife, and I, the husband everyone expects me to be.And she did. Perfectly.Sophia Carter… no, Sophia Hawthorne now. A woman who was supposed to be nothing more than a piece in a carefully calculated game. An alliance to avoid a public scandal.But nothing about her is simple.The black dress she wore, that unwavering gaze that met every malicious comment… and the way she confronted Olivia.She surprised me. Again.And then came Louis Mitchell.The memory of his smiletoo easy, too confidentmakes

Last Updated : 2024-12-04

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Ties of a Contract

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