The penthouse was quieter than usual that night, not from absence of noise, but because the air between them had shifted.
The kiss earlier hadn't been soft.
It had been real.
Raw.Unapologetic.Final.
And now Emily stood at the glass wall, overlooking Manhattan's skyline, arms folded, heart racing.
Behind her, Alexander poured two glasses of wine.
"I shouldn't have kissed you like that," he said.
She didn't turn around. "But you did."
Silence.
Then he added, "Because I couldn't not."
Now she turned.
He was still in his shirt and slacks from earlier, sleeves rolled, collar undone, but there was something new in his eyes.
Unshielded.Unstrategic.Human.
He walked over, glass in hand, and handed her one.
She didn't take it.
"Alexander," she said softly, "we said no feelings. We had rules."
"I don't give a damn about the rules anymore."
That stopped her breath.
"I made those rules when I thought I was doing you a favor," he continued. "When I thought I could protect you with cold logic and signed contracts."
He stepped closer.
"But now? Every time you smile at me like I'm not a monster… I forget why I ever wanted distance in the first place."
Her throat tightened.
He didn't stop.
"I've built my life on control. But you walked in — completely uninvited — and turned this sterile apartment into something that feels like home."
"Alexander—"
He cut her off.
"I love you."
Silence.
Her heart slammed against her ribs.
He didn't flinch. Didn't retract.
"I've loved you since the moment you stormed into my car, soaked and shaking, but still too proud to ask for help."
She blinked fast. "This was supposed to be fake."
"Then let's rewrite it. Every page. Every rule."
She whispered, "Are you serious?"
He pulled out a folded sheet from his pocket.
The contract.
Held it up.
And tore it in half.
Then again.
And again.
Until the paper fluttered to the ground like falling snow.
"No more terms," he said. "No more clauses. Just us."
Tears welled in her eyes.
"You idiot," she said, voice shaking. "What if I break your heart?"
He smiled — a rare, real one. "Then at least it would've belonged to you first."
She stepped forward.
And kissed him.
Not cautiously. Not out of curiosity.
With conviction.
They didn't sleep apart that night.
The contract lay torn on the floor.Their clothes forgotten.Their walls shattered.
There were no words left to speak.
Only truths left to feel.
The next morning, she woke in his arms.
Sunlight painted the room in gold.
Alexander brushed a kiss across her shoulder.
"Good morning, Mrs. Knight."
She laughed into the pillow. "So... no more pretending?"
He nuzzled her neck. "Only pretending it didn't take me this long to realize what I want."
"And what's that?"
"You."
But of course, peace never lasts.
Because just as Emily slid into the kitchen for coffee, her phone buzzed with a notification:
Breaking:Ross Family Criminal Trial Reopened — New Witness Emerges
She stared at the screen.
And suddenly, it wasn't just her heart at stake.
It was everything.
#HeToreTheContract
#FromFakeToForever
#BillionaireConfessesLove
#MarriageOfConvenienceTurnsReal
#NoMorePretending