All Chapters of contract marriage with a crippled Billionaire : Chapter 1 - Chapter 5

Chapter 1 Broken Promises“Ethan, you can’t keep pouting in then like some woeful idol. It’s disturbing,” Victoria Caldwell’s voice sliced through the silence of the dimly lit study like a blade.Ethan slightly squinched. His reflection in the mirror held his attention, indeed as his mama stood brewing in the doorway. “Sulking? I didn’t realize gaping at the wreckage of my life qualified as a hobby.”Victoria stepped closer, her heels clicking against the hardwood bottom. “Enough of this self- pity. We’re having dinner tonight — an important dinner. You’ll attend, and you’ll bear.”He swirled his wheelchair slightly, eventually admitting her presence. “Dinner? Why? Another one of your charity galas to parade your imperfect son around?”Her sharp inhale betrayed her irritation. “You’re marrying Maya.”The words hit him like a physical blow, though he kept his expression neutral. His fingers tensed on the armrests. “Come again?”“Maya Harper. You’ve met her father, Gregory. He’s. useful

Chapter 3 Ghosts of the history“Why are you holding that” Ethan’s voice was low, but the ice in his tone cut through the stillness of the room.Maya jumped, the photograph pulsing in her hands. She hadn’t heard him approach, his wheelchair rolling quietly across the carpet. “I wasn’t. I wasn’t prying,” she stammered, her grip tensing on the edge of the frame. “It was just lying then on the desk.”Ethan’s jaw tensed as he rolled closer. “That’s a lie. My desk is hardly a public gallery for you to browse through.” He reached out and snared the picture from her grasp, his hand pulsing slightly. “Coming time, you feel the urge to snoop, don’t.”Maya drew in a steadying breath, forcing herself to meet his piercing gaze. “I wasn’t poking, Ethan. It caught my eye. The woman in the picture — she looks. important.”Ethan’s grip on the frame tensed, and for a moment, his expression softened. It was transitory, however, snappily replaced by the hardened mask he wore so frequently these days. “A

Chapter 5 Sparks and murkThe room was a sea of spangling gowns and acclimatized suits, the soft hum of polite chatter mingling with the delicate clink of champagne glasses. also, without warning, Ethan's voice cut through the crowd like a blade." What exactly are you playing at, Maya?" The anger dropped from his words, loud enough to draw stares from every corner of the room.Maya set, her glass pulsing in her hand. She turned sluggishly, her eyes locking with Ethan’s. He was standing — actually standing — without his cane. The moment should have been triumphant, but his expression made her heart sink.“I’m not playing at anything,” she said, keeping her voice low, though the tremor in it betrayed her nerves. “Why would you suppose that?”Ethan took a step closer, his jaw gripped so tightly it looked like it might crack. “Don’t act innocent. I saw you with Thomas. What were you talking about?”“Thomas?” Maya blinked, caught off guard. “He approached me. I didn’t seek him out.”“Acce