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Contract bride
img img Contract bride img Chapter 4 Sparks
4 Chapters
Chapter 7 New package img
Chapter 8 A new start img
Chapter 9 Fiery img
Chapter 10 Expectations img
Chapter 11 The brunch img
Chapter 12 New start img
Chapter 13 Weekend away img
Chapter 14 Drive img
Chapter 15 Surreal img
Chapter 16 Mine img
Chapter 17 Feelings img
Chapter 18 News & Emotions img
Chapter 19 The gala img
Chapter 20 Mansion img
Chapter 21 Permission img
Chapter 22 His+18 img
Chapter 23 Disaster img
Chapter 24 Offer img
Chapter 25 Spoilt img
Chapter 26 Power img
Chapter 27 Birthday party img
Chapter 28 Birthday +18 img
Chapter 29 Wants+18 img
Chapter 30 Tragic img
Chapter 31 Ache img
Chapter 32 Mood img
Chapter 33 Fallen img
Chapter 34 Plans img
Chapter 35 Love img
Chapter 36 Annulled img
Chapter 37 Preparations img
Chapter 38 Pregnant img
Chapter 39 In love img
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Chapter 4 Sparks

Alara – POV

The apartment was small. Too small for dreams, but just big enough to keep breathing. Peeling paint. Flickering hallway light. A door that creaked on its hinges like an old man with secrets. This was home. For now. I slipped off my heels as soon as I stepped inside, exhaling the weight of the city behind me. The scent of burnt onions and tomato sauce greeted me before the sound of my little sister's off-key humming did. "Smells like an experiment," I teased, setting my keys down. "Rude," Maya replied from the tiny stove, brandishing a wooden spoon like a weapon. "I made jollof. And I didn't burn the pot-this time." I grinned. "Progress." She grinned back, her teenage face lit up by pride and a grease-slicked forehead. Sixteen going on twenty. She had too much responsibility in her eyes already, and I hated that I couldn't shield her from all of it. "You're late," she said, plating our dinner. "Everything okay at the coffee shop?" "Long shift. And I stopped by Clarke's place on the way home," I lied smoothly, sliding into our rickety dining chair. Maya joined me, nudging a chipped plate toward me. "I've been thinking." I raised an eyebrow. "Always dangerous." She ignored me. "Maybe I should get a job. Part-time. Nothing crazy. Just something to help." My stomach clenched. "Absolutely not." "Alara-" "No," I cut in gently but firmly. "You focus on school. I've got everything under control." Maya stared at me, lips pressed into a thin line, unconvinced. She was too smart for her age. Too observant. After a pause, she said, "Oh. A package came for you." My brows furrowed. "From who?" "I don't know. It didn't say. The box looked expensive, though." She got up and crossed the room, returning with a flat black box topped with a satin ribbon and a tiny envelope. My heart dropped. Carefully, I peeled it open. Inside was something I'd only ever seen through thick glass or on Clarke's vanity tray-Van Cleef & Arpels. Delicate gold. Ivory enamel. Tiny clover motifs that shimmered under our flickering kitchen light. Maya gasped. "Is that real?" I said nothing. "Alara, that's like... ten thousand dollars. Or more. What-who-?" I was already rising to my feet, grabbing my phone. "Ace Wolfe," I muttered, walking toward the hallway where Maya couldn't hear. I hit his number. He answered on the second ring. "Grey," he said, cool and indifferent like my name meant nothing. "I was expecting your call." "What is this?" I hissed, voice low. "A gift." "I didn't ask for this." "You didn't have to." "There are no strings?" I challenged. "None," he said flatly. "Take it. Don't take it. Throw it in the ocean. Doesn't matter to me." "You don't just send people jewelry worth a car without wanting something." "I want you to rethink my offer." I said nothing. "Don't confuse courtesy for seduction," he continued. "I don't play games, Alara. I get what I want, and I give generously." "Why me?" "You'll figure it out," he replied, voice colder now. "Or maybe you won't. Doesn't matter. Either way, the offer stands." I exhaled sharply and hung up without another word. When I returned to the kitchen, Maya was still holding the bracelet with the wide-eyed reverence of someone touching magic. "Who was that?" she asked. "No one," I lied. "I'm going to the hospital tomorrow. To see Mom." Maya nodded, her expression softening. "Tell her I'm doing okay. That I didn't burn the pot this time." "I will," I whispered, kissing her forehead. But as I lay in bed that night, the bracelet still sitting in its box like a quiet threat on my dresser... I knew things were changing. And the name Ace Wolfe was quickly becoming impossible to ignore.

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