Married to the man behind the camera
img img Married to the man behind the camera img Chapter 2 The Ex with Perfect Teeth
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Chapter 6 The World Finds Out img
Chapter 7 Smoke and Mirrors img
Chapter 8 Shadows in the Glass img
Chapter 9 Under Fire img
Chapter 10 Headlines and Crosshairs img
Chapter 11 Exposed img
Chapter 12 Knives in the Shadows img
Chapter 13 Under the Spotlight img
Chapter 14 A House of Lies img
Chapter 15 Date with the Devil img
Chapter 16 The Crack in the Frame img
Chapter 17 Threads in the Dark img
Chapter 18 Shadows in the Spotlight img
Chapter 19 Through the Lens of Lies img
Chapter 20 The Countdown img
Chapter 21 When the Clock Hits Zero img
Chapter 22 The Scene They Never Showed img
Chapter 23 Shadows Between Us img
Chapter 24 Fire and Smoke img
Chapter 25 Walls and Whispers img
Chapter 26 Thawing Ice img
Chapter 27 Ghosts at the Door img
Chapter 28 The Return img
Chapter 29 Flames in the Dark img
Chapter 30 Against the Rising Tide img
Chapter 31 Edge of the Storm img
Chapter 32 Secrets in the Shadows img
Chapter 33 Shadows of Tomorrow img
Chapter 34 Cassandra's War img
Chapter 35 Interview with Miss Patel img
Chapter 36 After the Spotlight img
Chapter 37 Collision of Shadows img
Chapter 38 Strength in Us img
Chapter 39 Behind the Curtain img
Chapter 40 Zoey's Response img
Chapter 41 Quiet Moments img
Chapter 42 Under Fire img
Chapter 43 Liam's Jealousy img
Chapter 44 Breaking Point img
Chapter 45 Healing Touch img
Chapter 46 Cracks in the Facade img
Chapter 47 Rising from the Ashes img
Chapter 48 New Horizons img
Chapter 49 Smoke and Mirrors img
Chapter 50 Watching the Fire img
Chapter 51 Taking Back the Mic img
Chapter 52 After the Spotlight img
Chapter 53 The Man Behind the Mask img
Chapter 54 Breaking Through Silence img
Chapter 55 Truth in the Flames img
Chapter 56 Poisoned Arrows img
Chapter 57 The Premiere Kiss img
Chapter 58 After the Kiss img
Chapter 59 Quiet Between Storms img
Chapter 60 Echoes of the Past img
Chapter 61 Lines in the Sand img
Chapter 62 Shattered master img
Chapter 63 Ghost in the past img
Chapter 64 The Fault Line img
Chapter 65 Trust Deeply, Fall Hard img
Chapter 66 The Silence Between Heartbeats img
Chapter 67 The Sound of Betrayal img
Chapter 68 The Frame Within the Frame img
Chapter 69 The Edge of Midnight img
Chapter 70 Into the Black img
Chapter 71 Blood in the shadows img
Chapter 72 Blood in the shadows 2 img
Chapter 73 The last door img
Chapter 74 The Walls That Breathe img
Chapter 75 The Walls Have Eyes img
Chapter 76 The Walls Are Listening img
Chapter 77 The Trap in the Dark img
Chapter 78 The Shadows Between the Frames img
Chapter 79 Through the Ashes img
Chapter 80 The Room With No Shadows img
Chapter 81 The Shutter's Debt img
Chapter 82 Through the Lens img
Chapter 83 Shadows in the Frame img
Chapter 84 Behind Closed Doors img
Chapter 85 The Rabbit Hole img
Chapter 86 Eyes Everywhere img
Chapter 87 Breaking Point img
Chapter 88 The Enemy within img
Chapter 89 Shadows of doubt img
Chapter 90 Truth in the Shadows img
Chapter 91 The Web Tightens img
Chapter 92 Shadows of Truth img
Chapter 93 The Final Gambit img
Chapter 94 The Whisper of Betrayal img
Chapter 95 Secrets in the dark img
Chapter 96 The Turning Point img
Chapter 97 On the Run img
Chapter 98 The Stranger's Warning img
Chapter 99 Shadows Within img
Chapter 100 The Knock img
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Chapter 2 The Ex with Perfect Teeth

Some women walk into a room and it feels like gravity shifts. Cassandra Voss didn't just walk she owned the space the second she entered, and I realized... I had just signed up for a war I didn't understand.

---

The pen nearly slipped from my fingers.

The woman in the red dress was every tabloid headline personified. Her heels clicked like gunshots against the polished floor as she stalked into the penthouse, her glossy black hair cascading in perfect waves down her back.

Cassandra Voss.

I'd seen her on movie posters, red carpets, and the cover of gossip magazines. She was the woman everyone wanted to be or wanted to be with. And she was currently glaring at me like I was a cockroach crawling across her designer heels.

"Cassandra," Liam said evenly, his voice dropping an octave into a dangerous calm. "This is not the time."

"Not the time?" Her laugh was sharp, bitter. "Oh, I think it's the perfect time. I came to get the rest of my things, and what do I find?" Her eyes raked over me, her gaze slicing like a knife. "This."

I swallowed hard, feeling heat creep up my neck. My entire body screamed to shrink, to disappear into the leather chair, but I forced myself to straighten my shoulders.

"I" My voice cracked. I cleared my throat. "I think I should go."

"No," Liam said, his command like steel. He didn't even glance at me, his cold, gray eyes locked on Cassandra. "You are not leaving."

Cassandra tilted her head, her lips curling into a smile that was more predator than pretty. "So it's true. You're replacing me already. What is she, Liam? Another actress trying to climb her way up using your bed?"

"That's enough," he said, and for the first time, I heard something beneath the calm an edge of fury.

"She's no one!" Cassandra spat, ignoring him, her attention laser-focused on me. "You think you can just waltz into this world because he throws you a bone? Do you know what they'll do to you? The press will eat you alive. And when they're done, he'll move on, and you'll be nothing but a meme."

The words hit harder than I wanted to admit. She wasn't entirely wrong. I was no one. I didn't have her confidence, her fame, or her armor.

But before I could respond, Liam moved.

In one fluid motion, he closed the distance between us and placed a hand on the back of my chair close enough to feel his presence like heat radiating through me. "Cassandra," he said, his voice like a warning. "Get. Out."

Her perfect red lips parted, and for a moment, I saw the flash of vulnerability in her eyes. It was gone in an instant, replaced by anger as she grabbed a crystal vase from the console table.

"You'll regret this," she hissed, slamming it down. The crash echoed like a gunshot, shards scattering across the white marble.

She turned on her heel and disappeared through the door, leaving the air heavy with tension and the faint scent of expensive perfume.

---

The room fell silent.

My heart was still pounding as I stared at the broken glass on the floor. Liam didn't move immediately. He just stood there, shoulders taut, jaw tight, as though forcing himself to stay calm.

Finally, he turned to me. "Are you hurt?"

I blinked. "What? No. I" I stopped when I realized he was scanning me, his gaze briefly softening, searching for any sign of injury.

Something warm flickered in my chest, and I hated that I noticed it.

"I'm sorry you had to see that," he said, his voice lower now, almost... human.

I swallowed, unsure if I should laugh or cry. "So... that was your ex-fiancée?"

"Yes." His tone clipped the word like it tasted bitter.

"And she just..." I gestured vaguely toward the shattered vase. "Does this... happen often?"

"Occasionally," he said with infuriating calm, as if explosive exes were a normal Tuesday event in his life.

I stood slowly, brushing invisible wrinkles from my borrowed skirt, needing to put space between us. "I should... I should think about this," I said, gesturing toward the unsigned contract. "This is a lot."

His gaze followed me, sharp and assessing. "You're scared."

I bristled. "Of course I am! You want me to marry you to a stranger for six months. For money. And apparently, I'll be dodging flying vases and angry movie stars while I'm at it."

For the first time, his mouth curved in what might almost pass for a smile. "You're braver than you think, Miss Patel."

I crossed my arms. "And what if I say no?"

"Then the car will take you home," he said simply. "And in six months, your father's studio will belong to the bank. Your choice."

The quiet weight of his words settled over me like a blanket of lead. He wasn't wrong. Every part of me wanted to scream that this was madness, that no amount of money was worth stepping into his world.

But I thought of my father again. His tired eyes. His defeated voice when he told me last week, "Maybe we should just close it, Zo. Maybe dreams aren't enough anymore."

I clenched my fists.

"Fine," I said, surprising even myself. "I'll do it."

Liam's gaze sharpened, as if he'd been expecting my answer all along. He picked up the pen from the table and held it out to me.

"Sign it."

My hand trembled as I scribbled my name on the dotted line.

Somewhere in the distance, a storm rumbled a fitting omen, I thought bitterly.

When I looked up, Liam was studying me with an unreadable expression.

"Welcome to the contract," he said softly. "Your life changes now."

---

The next few hours were a blur. His assistant, a sleek woman named Harper, appeared like a shadow to walk me through the rules. I was to move into the penthouse immediately. I was to accompany Liam to all public appearances. No social media posts without clearance. No interviews without approval.

"And remember," Harper said with a pointed glance, "every move you make reflects on Mr. Blackwood."

By the time I stepped into the car that would take me home to pack, my brain was spinning. I stared at the city lights outside the tinted window, my heart caught between fear and exhilaration.

I had just sold six months of my life to a man I barely knew.

And I couldn't decide if I was the bravest woman alive... or the most foolish.

---

When the car dropped me at my apartment, I was still in a daze. I barely noticed the cracked pavement or the flickering hallway light as I climbed the stairs.

Chloe, my best friend and roommate, was waiting by the door, arms crossed. "Okay, spill. You disappeared for hours and didn't answer your phone. What happened?"

I hesitated, then whispered, "I... I think I just agreed to marry Liam blackwood ."

Chloe's jaw dropped. "What?!"

Before I could explain, a sharp knock rattled the door.

I froze.

It was almost midnight. No one knocked on our door this late.

Chloe frowned, stepping toward the peephole. "Um... Zo ?" she whispered. "There's a man in a suit out there."

A chill ran down my spine.

"Who is it?" I whispered.

Before she could answer, the deep, commanding voice on the other side of the door made my blood run cold.

"Miss Patel," the man said. "Mr. Blackwood sent me. You need to come with me. Now."

---

My heart lurched into my throat as I realized... whatever world I'd just stepped into, there was no turning back

            
            

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