Chapter 4

Krista reached down and pinched the skin of her thigh hard. The sharp pain flared, proving this wasn't a nightmare.

She tilted her head up, staring at the man standing at the foot of the bed like a god passing judgment. "Mr. Stone, you know marriage isn't a joke, right?"

Jasper didn't answer immediately. He turned and walked over to the open marble bar. He poured a cup of black coffee. With his back to her, he took a deep, steadying breath, forcing the obsessive heat out of his eyes. He locked his features into a mask of pure business.

He turned around, holding the coffee cup. His tone was as casual as if he were discussing the weather. "The Stone Group is dealing with rumors of a power shift at the top."

Krista stared at him, completely lost.

"The board of directors is trying to force an arranged marriage on me to control my shares," Jasper said, taking a sip of the bitter coffee. He frowned in disgust. "So, I need a wife. A wife with zero background, someone completely under my control, who can block all this trouble for me."

Krista caught the logic. A bitter, hollow laugh escaped her throat. "So, the fake heiress who just got thrown out on the street is your perfect human shield?"

Jasper set the coffee cup down on the marble counter. The ceramic clinked sharply. He didn't deny it.

"But women line up all the way to Brooklyn just to look at you," Krista said, her voice shaking. "Why me?"

Jasper walked back to the bed. He leaned down, his dark eyes piercing right through her defenses.

He reached out. His thumb gently brushed against her lower lip, right where she had been biting it in anxiety.

Krista flinched backward like she had been burned, her heart rate spiking out of control.

"Because I have a severe, almost biological aversion to being touched by anyone," Jasper said, his voice dropping into a low, hypnotic register. "Yet, you are the first person to ever cross that boundary without triggering a violent, physical repulsion. When your skin touched mine, my body didn't reject you. It welcomed you."

He paused, letting the silence stretch before dropping his final weapon. "You are the very first woman to have ever touched me, and for that fact alone, you will take responsibility. You touched what belongs to me, and now, you belong to me. You shattered my absolute control, and I demand payment."

Krista's eyes widened to the size of saucers. She stared at the most powerful man in New York, convinced he was completely insane. But she couldn't argue with the deep scratches still visible above his collar.

Jasper straightened up, instantly reverting to the cold CEO. He reached into the inner pocket of his suit jacket and pulled out a neatly folded document.

He tossed it onto the silk sheets. The crisp paper smelled faintly of fresh ink.

"This is a temporary prenuptial agreement draft. Sign it, and I will solve every financial and reputation crisis you currently face."

Krista stared at the paper like it was a death warrant. Her mind was a battlefield.

"I won't force you." Jasper shot his cuff and checked his Patek Philippe watch. His movements were precise and ruthless. "I have a board meeting. You have four hours to decide."

He turned and walked toward the heavy mahogany doors. He didn't look back.

As his hand hit the brass handle, he stopped. He turned his head slightly, his voice dripping with absolute authority.

"But remember, Ms. Cain. Walk out that door, and you face the entire Cain family and the laughing stock of New York society alone."

"Stay, and you are the untouchable Mrs. Stone."

The heavy door clicked shut behind him.

Krista's muscles gave out. She collapsed backward onto the pillows, gasping for air as if she had been drowning.

She turned her head, her eyes locking onto the prenup resting on the sheets. She was completely, utterly trapped.