Chapter 5 THE CONTRACTED BRIDE

Golden lights gleamed above a sea of silk gowns and tuxedos at the Covington Royal Hotel.

Anticipation and champagne flooded the air. Fiona Greystone, now Hale, descended the marble staircase, her satin dress whispering across each step.

Every camera turned to her, every flash capturing a lie wrapped in lace. Her smile didn't reach her eyes.

Preston Hale stood at the altar, tall and severe in a black tailored suit. His dark hair slicked back, his eyes like carved onyx. The son of an empire, he carried power the way others carried breath. When their gazes met, something unspoken passed between them, a contract sealed in silence.

"Smile wider," Preston murmured when she reached him, his lips barely moving.

"I'd rather not look like a hostage," Fiona replied through clenched teeth.

He almost smirked. "Too late."

The officiant's voice faded beneath the applause that followed. The kiss-brief, cold made the cameras explode in light.

Behind them, Vivian Locke watched from the front row, her crimson dress like spilled wine against the cream decor. Her gaze slid from Preston to Fiona with the interest of someone appraising a threat.

"They look perfect," someone whispered nearby.

"They look trapped," another murmured.

When the ceremony ended, Fiona's cheeks ached from pretending. Preston's hand remained at her back steady, possessive, unreadable. As they walked down the aisle, she leaned closer, her voice low.

"What happens now?"

He didn't look at her. "We play our parts."

Outside, the press screamed questions; cameras flashed like lightning. He guided her into the waiting limousine, the tinted windows closing off the noise.

"You're shaking," Preston said softly, noticing her hands.

"Wouldn't you, if you just sold your soul?"

His jaw tightened. "I already did."

The car rolled away, leaving applause fading behind them, two strangers bound by vows that meant nothing and everything.

The Hale estate rose from the hillside like a monument of glass and stone. Rain slicked the long driveway, glistening under lanterns. Fiona pressed her palm against the window, watching the mansion appear cold, beautiful, unwelcoming.

"Home," Preston said, stepping out first. His voice held no warmth.

The staff lined the steps, their greetings rehearsed. Fiona nodded politely, her gown still heavy with perfume and fatigue.

Inside, the air smelled faintly of cedar and money. Chandeliers burned overhead, portraits of past Hales staring down with ancestral arrogance.

"Mrs. Hale," said an elderly butler. "Your suite is ready. Mr. Hale's instructions were clear."

"Separate rooms?" she asked quietly.

"Of course," Preston answered before the man could. "You'll find privacy a luxury here."

She shot him a look. "Do you always make your guests feel like trespassers?"

"You're not a guest," he said. "You're a solution."

Her breath hitched. "To what?"

He didn't answer.

The butler led her upstairs to a vast suite draped in ivory and gold. The window opened to the city's distant skyline, a world that suddenly felt unreachable. When the door closed behind her, silence pressed in. She removed the diamond combs from her hair, letting it spill down her shoulders, and walked barefoot across the cold marble floor.

Down the hall, she heard footsteps, they were steady, deliberate. Preston's voice echoed briefly from his study before fading again. Fiona traced her reflection in the mirror, her new surname etched in her mind like a brand.

"Mrs. Hale," she whispered to herself. It sounded foreign.

From outside, thunder rolled over the hills. The mansion felt too large, too quiet, a mausoleum for the living.

She wrapped her arms around herself and closed the curtains, unaware that a shadow passed by her door, a silent observer in the dark.

Dinner the next night was a ceremony of silence. Silverware clinked, glasses chimed, but not a word passed between them. Preston's expression remained carved in restraint as Fiona toyed with her food.

"Is this what marriage looks like to you?" she asked finally.

He didn't glance up. "Marriage is a strategy."

"So, love's not part of your vocabulary?"

"Love," he said flatly, "is leverage. And I don't trade in that."

Fiona leaned back, crossing her arms. "Pity. You might need it someday."

He looked at her then, his gaze sharp enough to draw blood. "Not with you."

She rose, tossing her napkin on the table. "I'm done here."

Later that night, the house breathed with quiet menace. Fiona wandered the corridor, drawn by a voice. Preston's voice. She stopped outside his study, heart pounding.

"I don't care what the board says!" Preston's voice cut through the door. "The inheritance stays under my name until the review!"

A pause. Then, lower, rougher: "Father's bloodline doesn't end here. I'll make sure of that."

Fiona's pulse quickened. Inheritance. Bloodline. The words tangled with dread. She pressed closer, catching fragments of the conversation, something about forged documents, family debts, and a clause that threatened to destroy everything.

A glass shattered.

She jumped back, her breath caught in her throat. The door creaked, but she slipped away before it opened. In her room, she leaned against the wall, trembling.

"What have I married into?" she whispered.

From somewhere in the mansion, footsteps echoed faintly. Too slow. Too deliberate.

Fiona crawled into bed, pulling the sheets close. The storm outside began to howl, matching the storm within. She closed her eyes, but the words inheritance and bloodline clawed at her mind, refusing to rest.

Morning came with tension clinging to the air. Fiona descended the staircase to find a woman standing in the foyer, a vision in red silk and diamonds. Vivian Locke's smile could have cut glass.

"Ah, the bride," Vivian said, extending a manicured hand. "So the rumors were true. Preston actually went through with it."

"Good morning," Fiona replied, taking her hand. "You must be..."

"The wicked stepmother?" Vivian chuckled. "Don't worry, dear, I'm not here to curse the marriage. Just to observe the spectacle."

Her perfume filled the hall, heady and suffocating. Fiona tried not to flinch as Vivian's gaze roamed over her like a jeweler assessing counterfeit gold.

"You're even prettier than the papers said," Vivian murmured. "I wonder if that's why he chose you."

"Ask him," Fiona said coolly. "I didn't get to read the fine print."

Vivian's eyes sparkled. "You've got fire. I like that. Keep it, or this house will swallow you whole."

Before Fiona could respond, Preston entered, his tone sharp. "Vivian."

"Darling, you look exhausted," she said sweetly. "Running a company or running from ghosts?"

"Don't test me," he warned.

She smiled, unbothered. "You sound just like your father."

The air thickened. Fiona glanced between them, sensing old wounds festering beneath the civility. Vivian picked up her purse, brushing Fiona's shoulder as she left.

"You'll learn, Mrs. Hale," she whispered, "every Hale woman does."

When the front door shut, Fiona exhaled shakily. Preston didn't meet her eyes.

"She's... interesting," Fiona said carefully.

"She's poison," he muttered, turning away. "And she just reminded me how little time we have left."

Fiona frowned. "Time for what?"

He didn't answer, just walked off, his silence sharper than anger.

Outside, Vivian's car disappeared down the drive. Inside, Fiona's pulse didn't slow.

Rain traced silver lines down the mansion's windows that night. Fiona, restless, left her bed and wandered through dim halls lit only by amber sconces. Her robe brushed her ankles as she moved toward the study, the one place she wasn't allowed.

The door stood ajar.

Inside, the scent of scotch filled the air. Preston's desk was cluttered with papers, contracts, and open folders marked confidential. But one item stood apart, a thick envelope sealed with dark wax. The handwriting was elegant, unmistakably masculine.

For Preston Only - From Father.

Fiona's fingers hovered inches from it. Her heart thudded.

"What are you doing?"

She froze. Preston's voice came from behind her low, dangerous. He stepped into the light, his tie loose, his shirt half undone, exhaustion shadowing his eyes.

"I couldn't sleep," she said quickly. "I heard something. I..."

He crossed the room, stopping just short of her. "You heard too much already."

"Then tell me the truth," she demanded. "About the inheritance. About your father. About why you married me."

He looked at her for a long moment, the mask slipping. "Because I had no choice."

Her breath stiffened. "That's not an answer."

He reached past her, picking up the envelope. "This," he said quietly, "is."

Rain lashed harder against the glass as he turned the envelope over in his hand. His thumb hesitated at the seal.

"Preston," she whispered, stepping closer. "What's in it?"

He looked at her, eyes dark, unreadable. "Something that could ruin us both."

The wax cracked under his thumb.