The next morning, Maya sat in the corner of Adrian's office, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. The room smelled faintly of leather and expensive coffee. The city outside the floor-to-ceiling windows was already alive with movement — cars honking, people rushing — but inside, the air was still, tense, and heavy.
Adrian sat behind his desk, expression calm and unreadable. Not a single trace of a smile crossed his face, not even when he looked at her. The faint light from the city lights highlighted the sharp angles of his face. To Maya, it felt like looking into a man who never revealed his inner thoughts, a man she could never truly predict — and that terrified her.
"Sit," he said, voice flat, commanding, leaving no room for refusal.
Maya swallowed hard and obeyed. The leather chair felt stiff beneath her.
"You are now under a contract with me," he said, opening a sleek black folder on the desk. "It is legally binding. Every action you take as my wife, public or private, must comply with this document."
Maya's stomach turned. "Yes… sir."
"I will outline the rules," he continued, each word deliberate:
1. No deviations from the contract. Public appearances, private interactions, and personal behavior — everything must align with my instructions.
2. Absolute discretion. This arrangement is confidential. No sharing with coworkers, friends, or family. Breach this rule and the contract is void.
3. Financial matters. You will receive funds for your mother's hospital bills, rent, and a monthly stipend for personal use. This is contingent on full compliance.
4. Duration. The contract lasts six months. After which, we separate unless mutually agreed otherwise.
Maya nodded, writing notes in her small notebook. Each rule felt like a weight pressing down on her chest. Six months. Six months to survive, to protect her mother, and to navigate a man she barely knew — a man who never smiled.
"Do you understand?" Adrian's eyes locked onto hers, dark and intense.
"Yes," she whispered.
"Good," he said. Then he leaned back, hands folded over his chest. "There will be consequences if you disobey. But," he added, voice softer but still unreadable, "I do not punish without reason. You will learn quickly if you pay attention."
Maya shivered. There was a quiet power in his words, a promise of both protection and danger. She had never met someone like him.
The first week was a blur. Publicly, they appeared as a married couple: attending events, introducing each other to colleagues, managing phone calls and emails as if they were a family. Adrian never smiled at her, not even when she accidentally spilled coffee in the office hallway. Instead, he offered a calm, piercing look that made her blush, apologize, and retreat.
Yet, behind closed doors, things were different. He was still commanding, still cold, but he allowed small glimpses of consideration — ensuring she had a comfortable workspace, checking the hospital bills himself, quietly transferring funds for her mother without fanfare.
Maya found herself struggling with conflicting emotions. Fear. Respect. Attraction. And, most unexpectedly, trust — a trust she didn't know she could feel for someone so impossibly controlled.
The gossip began almost immediately. Colleagues whispered about the sudden "marriage" between the young employee and the company CEO. Some speculated, others mocked. Maya ignored it, but Adrian did not. His eyes followed her silently during meetings, a constant, quiet vigilance that made coworkers uneasy.
Then, one evening, a small confrontation.
"You should smile more," a coworker joked. "It's weird seeing you so… stiff with her."
Adrian's eyes narrowed like a hawk. His hand tightened around his coffee cup. Maya froze.
"That is none of your concern," he said, low and dangerous. The room went silent.
Maya felt a strange thrill — a mix of fear and safety. No one else could stand up to him like that. But she also realized the danger: one misstep, one rumor, and he would not hesitate to protect both his reputation and the contract.
By the end of the second week, Maya understood the rules not only on paper but in practice. Adrian was cold, rare-smiling, and intimidating. Yet, he was fair in his own ruthless way. Every glance, every word, every instruction carried meaning.
And Maya knew — surviving these six months wouldn't just be about obeying the rules. It would be about navigating the man behind the steel face, the mafia prince in disguise, the CEO whose rare smiles were reserved for moments she could only guess at.