Chapter 6

Connie's POV

Adrian looked up at me.

"Any party who materially breaches this agreement shall forfeit any benefits otherwise due to them under its terms and pay the non-breaching party one hundred million dollars in liquidated damages."

I looked at the number. My fingertips went cold.

A hundred million.

I read the page through again, to be sure I hadn't misread it.

"That much?"

"It's there to make sure the agreement gets taken seriously."

I sat with that for a moment.

It wasn't hard to understand, really. He needed a stable marriage, at least until the company went public, with no more surprises. If I could walk out whenever I liked, or if he changed his mind overnight, the whole thing would mean nothing.

And what I stood to gain was substantial.

So terms that bound us both weren't unreasonable.

I kept reading.

There were clauses on confidentiality, separate property, individual debt, and privacy. The lawyer explained them thoroughly, and whenever something didn't make sense, I stopped him and asked.

Adrian didn't rush me.

Sometimes he added a line or two himself. Sometimes he just sat there and listened.

I'd assumed I would get through it quickly. But with the actual document in front of me, I found there wasn't a single clause I could skim.

Because the moment I signed, it would stop being just a document.

It would become the rules I'd have to live by for the next three months.

My finger stopped near the back.

"Cohabitation?"

I looked up at Adrian.

He nodded. "Yes. For the duration of the marriage, we'll live in the same house."

"We have to live together?"

"Otherwise, the press will figure it out pretty quickly."

I looked down at the clause.

Living together.

I'd never shared a roof with a man, much less one who was about to become my husband. Three months, fine. But the thought of waking up every morning and possibly finding him in the same house sat badly with me.

I bit my lip lightly and kept going.

Only on the last few pages did I find one more thing that needed settling.

I hesitated, then asked anyway. "One more thing."

"Go ahead."

"Since we're living together—"

I stopped, keeping my eyes on the document instead of looking at him.

"During these three months, are we expected to fulfill marital obligations?"

The room went quiet for a second.

The lawyer across the table lifted his head, as if he hadn't expected me to ask so bluntly.

I regretted it instantly.

My face went hot, and so did my ears.

But the words were already out. There was no taking them back.

Adrian turned his head toward me.

He didn't smile. His eyes rested on my face for a moment.

"If you need me to, I can fulfill my marital obligations."

He said it evenly.

I nearly crushed the document in my hands.

"No. No, that's not—"

I shook my head quickly. "I didn't mean it like that. I only wanted to make sure—"

"I understand."

The corner of his mouth lifted slightly.

"Then we'll put it in writing. Neither party shall be obligated to engage in any sexual activity or other physical intimacy without their express consent."

The lawyer nodded and marked the page.

I lowered my head and pretended to keep reading, wishing I could hide my entire face behind the paper.

God. Why had I asked that?

Adrian, for his part, seemed to find nothing remarkable about the whole exchange. He picked up his water and took a drink, as composed as ever.

I stole a glance at him.

The bite mark beside his Adam's apple hadn't fully faded.

My eyes lingered for a second before I forced them away.

The lawyer printed the revised clause and set it in front of us.

I read through the entire agreement once more. Every term was clear.

I held the pen over the page and didn't sign.

Logically, this marriage would cost me almost nothing.

I'd come out of it with enough money to change my life, a way out of Thayer Capital, and no more sitting around the Whitlock estate as the adopted girl who had to read the room before opening her mouth.

In three months, it would be over.

I'd have my own place, my own career, and enough money to do what I actually wanted. I could go back to art restoration.

No more giving all my hours to Grayson's schedule. No more checking my phone over a text that never came. No more trying to be sensible and quiet and cause no trouble at every family gathering.

I could leave.

The thought steadied my hand around the pen.

But some other part of me was still hesitating.

I didn't know Adrian well.

There was no affection between us and no trust to lean on. However detailed the agreement was, it couldn't guarantee that nothing would go wrong over the next three months.

And I still didn't understand why he was willing to give me so much.

Half of all his assets.

That wasn't how an ordinary business arrangement worked.

I looked up at him.

He was sitting beside me, his fingertips resting loosely on the table, in no hurry at all.

"Any other questions?" he asked.

I shook my head. "Not for now."

"Then sign."

I looked down at the last page.

My name was already printed in the signature block.

Connie Hale.

I picked up the pen and placed the nib against the paper.

Slowly, I signed my name.

The ink dried.

I set the pen down and only then noticed how damp my palm had become.

Adrian took his copy and signed in the designated space. His pen moved across the page, quick and clean, without a moment's hesitation.

He set it down and turned to me.

"Come on, Mrs. Vance. We can go to City Hall and get married now."

I froze for a beat, and the unease I'd just managed to push down came rushing back.

The agreement was signed, I told myself. Hesitating now wouldn't change anything.

I took a breath, as if bracing myself, and nodded.

"Yeah."