The morning light spilled softly through the sheer curtains, casting long amber streaks across the room. Maya woke with Liam's arm wrapped protectively around her waist, the steady rhythm of his heartbeat a comforting anchor.
But beneath the calm, a storm brewed.
The contract wasn't just ink on paper — it was a challenge neither of them fully understood yet.
Maya's phone buzzed sharply on the bedside table. She blinked awake and reached for it, her fingers trembling slightly. The screen lit up with a message that made her heart skip.
"We need to talk. Urgent. — Kai."
Her breath caught. The name alone was enough to pull the air from her lungs.
Liam stirred beside her, sensing the sudden shift in her energy."Who was that?"
Maya hesitated, then showed him the message. Liam's jaw tightened, his eyes darkening with a familiar fire.
"Looks like the past isn't done with us yet."
She nodded, a flicker of fear mixing with determination in her eyes."We just signed a contract to protect us from everything — but what if the real danger is inside the circle?"
Liam slid out of bed, pulling on his shirt with swift urgency."No matter what Kai throws at us, we face it together. That's the contract."
They moved in perfect sync, two halves of a whole ready for the storm.
Maya glanced at their reflection in the mirror — their bodies close, breath mingling, eyes locked in fierce promise.
"Whatever happens," she whispered, "we don't break. We don't falter."
Liam's lips brushed hers, a slow, fiery promise."We fight. And we win."
Outside, the city hummed, unaware of the battle unfolding in the penthouse. But inside, the clock ticked louder — counting down the days, the moments — until the contract was more than words.
It was survival.