Aurora – POV
The pen felt heavier than it should have. Black and gold. Sleek. Smooth. Like everything else in this damn office.
Ace Wolfe sat across from me, the picture of control-sharp suit darker than midnight, storm-grey eyes unreadable, watching every flick of my wrist like he was daring me to hesitate.
I didn't.
The contract lay open on the table between us. A thick stack of elegant pages filled with cold demands and colder promises.
Marry him.
Carry his child within three months.
Walk away when it's done.
Simple words. Life-altering consequences.
I pressed the pen to the final line. My signature bled into the page like ink from a wound.
"There," I whispered. My voice was barely air. "It's done."
Ace leaned forward, tapped the contract once with his fingers, then closed the folder silently. Without so much as a glance in my direction, he picked up his phone.
"Yes. Transfer her immediately to Rosecrest Private. She'll have the best care available. No delays."
My throat tightened. He was talking about my mother. He hadn't even looked at me while he said it-just delivered the command like he was moving pieces on a chessboard.
The call ended. His gaze returned to me.
"You made the right choice."
"I didn't have one."
"Doesn't change the outcome."
He opened a drawer and placed a slim black card on the desk between us. The kind of card people whispered about. Unlimited. Dangerous.
"For personal use only," he said. "Clothes. Jewelry. Makeup. You'll need to look the part."
"I don't want-"
"You'll take it." His voice was steel wrapped in velvet. "This is your new life. Embrace it."
The card gleamed like sin. After a beat, I reached for it. His eyes tracked the motion like a wolf watching its prey.
"Good girl," he murmured.
The air shifted. My pulse spiked.
Before I could speak, he stood and moved around the desk. The gravity of his presence filled the space until it pressed against my skin.
"I need you to understand something, Aurora."
I turned my head slightly. "What?"
"We're not telling the world this is a contract. From this moment forward, you are my fiancée. My woman. Which means you need to act like you've been at my side all along."
I arched a brow. "You want me to lie?"
"I want you to convince them." His tone was razor calm. "At events. In photographs. Everywhere. This isn't about pretending-it's about making them believe we're already real."
"And if I mess it up?"
He leaned closer. His voice dropped, intimate and lethal.
"You won't."
A pulse thudded in my throat.
"Starting with the Arcadia Gala," he continued. "Next week. Everyone who matters will be there-royalty, media, investors. And you'll be on my arm."
My stomach flipped.
"That night, the world meets Aurora Grey," he said, stepping back with quiet finality. "You'd better be unforgettable."
I rose slowly, card clutched tight in my hand. "Then I'll need something to wear."
He smiled faintly. "Use the card."
I turned toward the door, but paused, my voice barely steady.
"Why me?"
He didn't answer at first. Just studied me, expression carved from stone. Finally, in a low voice:
"Because you don't flinch. And I need someone who won't break."
I walked out before he could see that I already had.