Day 1 - Thirteen Days Until the Wedding
I woke to find Adrian's side of the bed empty.
The pillow still held the indent of his head, sheets cool where his body had been. I glanced at the clock 6:47 AM. Early, even for him.
I found him in his home office, surrounded by papers, laptop open, phone pressed to his ear. He looked up when I entered, expression softening.
"..handle it. I'll call you back." He ended the call. "Morning. Did I wake you?"
"No. Missed you, though."
The words slipped out before I could stop them. Adrian's eyes darkened.
"Missed me? It's been three hours since we went to bed."
"I know. Pathetic, right?"
"Not pathetic." He stood, crossed to me. "Come here."
I went, let him pull me close. He smelled like coffee and that expensive cologne that was becoming my favorite scent.
"You have a meeting?" I asked against his chest.
"Conference call with Tokyo in twenty minutes. But I have time for this." His hand stroked my hair. "Sleep okay?"
"Better when you're there."
"Me too." He pressed a kiss to the top of my head. "We should probably discuss the sleeping arrangements. We've been sharing a bed for almost a week now."
"Do you want separate rooms?"
"God, no. But I want to make sure you're comfortable. This started as fake, and now.."
"Now it's not," I finished quietly.
"No. It's not."
We stood there, wrapped in each other, the truth hanging between us. This wasn't a business arrangement anymore. Maybe it never had been.
"Adrian?"
"Mm?"
"I'm comfortable. More than comfortable. I don't want separate rooms."
His arms tightened around me. "Good. Because I was lying I absolutely want you in my bed. Every night."
The possessiveness in his voice sent heat through me. "Greedy."
"When it comes to you? Extremely."
His phone buzzed. The Tokyo call.
"Go," I said, pulling back reluctantly. "I'll make breakfast."
"You don't have to..."
"I want to." I smiled. "Go be a terrifying CEO. I'll be here when you're done."
Something shifted in his expression vulnerability, maybe, or wonder. "You will, won't you?"
"Yeah. I will."
Day 3- Eleven Days Until the Wedding
Lucas cornered me in the Blackwood Empire lobby.
"Okay, I have to know. What kind of voodoo did you use on my boss?"
I blinked. "Excuse me?"
"Adrian. He's been... different. Since you." Lucas gestured vaguely. "He smiles now. Like, actual smiles. He left work at six PM yesterday. Six PM, Sophia. The man usually stays until midnight."
"Maybe he's just less stressed."
"No, he's equally stressed. He's just... happier. I've known him for eight years, and I've never seen him like this." Lucas studied me. "You're good for him."
"I don't know about that."
"I do. And for what it's worth, I'm glad you're here. Adrian deserves someone who sees past the 'Devil CEO' thing to the actual person underneath."
"He's not a devil at all, is he?"
"No. He's just been hurt enough times to build walls. But you.." Lucas grinned. "You bulldozed right through them."
Before I could respond, Adrian appeared from the elevator, spotted us, and frowned.
"Lucas, don't you have work to do?"
"Always so pleasant, boss." Lucas winked at me. "See you around, future Mrs. Blackwood."
As he left, Adrian moved to my side, hand automatically finding my waist.
"What was that about?"
"He was telling me I'm good for you."
"He's not wrong." Adrian's thumb traced circles on my hip. "Ready for lunch?"
"Depends. Where are we going?"
"Nowhere fancy. I thought we could grab something and eat in my office. I want to show you the quarterly reports bore you with spreadsheets and projections."
I laughed. "That's your idea of a date?"
"You said you wanted to understand my work. Plus, I like having you in my space." He leaned closer, voice dropping. "Watching you sit in my chair, feet tucked under you, stealing my pens. It's... distracting."
"Distracting good or distracting bad?"
"Distracting in ways that make me want to clear my desk and.." He cut himself off, jaw tight. "Never mind."
Heat flooded through me. "Adrian.."
"Sandwiches. Let's get sandwiches." He pulled me toward the exit, and I could have sworn I heard him mutter, "Thirteen more days."
Day 6 - Eight Days Until the Wedding
Margaret found me staring at wedding dresses on my laptop.
"Oh, dear. You look overwhelmed."
"I am." I gestured at the screen. "How is anyone supposed to choose? They're all beautiful and terrifying and expensive and.."
"May I?" Margaret sat beside me. "What kind of dress do you want?"
"I don't know. Something simple, I guess? We're doing a small ceremony, so nothing too elaborate. But also something that feels... special."
"Special," Margaret repeated thoughtfully. "Tell me, what makes you feel beautiful?"
"I..." I stopped. No one had ever asked me that before. "I don't know."
"Alright, different question. When Mr. Blackwood looks at you, how do you feel?"
"Like I'm the only person in the world."
"And how do you want to feel on your wedding day?"
"Like that. Exactly like that."
Margaret smiled. "Then that's what we'll find. A dress that makes you feel like the only person in the world." She pulled the laptop over, started scrolling. "Now, simple and special. Let's see..."
Twenty minutes later, we'd found it. A silk gown, ivory rather than white, with delicate beading that caught the light. Simple lines, elegant cut. Nothing overdone.
Perfect.
"That's the one," I breathed.
"Excellent taste." Margaret pulled out her phone. "I know a designer who owes me a favor. Rush order won't be a problem."
"Margaret, I can't ask you to.."
"You're not asking. I'm offering." Her expression was warm. "You make Mr. Blackwood happy. That makes you family. And family helps each other."
My throat tightened. "Thank you."
"No thanks necessary, dear." She patted my hand. "Now, let's discuss flowers..."
Day 8 - Six Days Until the Wedding
Adrian came home late, tension radiating from every line of his body.
"Bad day?" I asked from where I was curled up on the couch, reading.
"Difficult negotiations." He loosened his tie, poured himself whiskey. "Nothing I can't handle."
"Want to talk about it?"
"Not really. Want to just..." He gestured at me. "This. Come here."
I set aside my book, went to him. He pulled me down onto his lap, buried his face in my neck.
"This is my favorite part of the day," he said quietly. "Coming home to you."
"Even on bad days?"
"Especially on bad days." His arms tightened around me. "You're the one good thing that's purely mine. No business politics, no ulterior motives. Just... you."
I turned to face him properly, straddling his lap. "Adrian, I need to tell you something."
His hands settled on my hips. "That sounds ominous."
"It's not. It's just.." I took a breath. "When this started, I thought I was using you. Using this arrangement to escape Ethan, get revenge, start over. And maybe that's how it began. But somewhere along the way, it stopped being about that."
"Sophia.."
"Let me finish." I cupped his face, made him look at me. "I don't know when it happened. Maybe when you held me while I cried. Maybe when you told me about your father. Maybe it was the first moment I saw you and felt safe. But Adrian, this isn't fake anymore. Not for me."
His expression was unreadable. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying that in six days, when I marry you, it won't be for protection or revenge or any other reason except that I want to. Because I'm falling for you. Maybe already have fallen. And I needed you to know that before we.."
He kissed me.
Finally, after weeks of almost-kisses and interrupted moments, his lips met mine. The kiss was fierce, demanding, full of all the restraint he'd been holding back.
I melted into him, hands fisting in his shirt, kissing him back just as desperately.
When we finally broke apart, both breathing hard, Adrian's eyes were dark with want.
"I've been waiting to do that since the moment you walked into my office."
"That was weeks ago."
"I know. Nearly killed me, the waiting." His thumb traced my swollen lower lip. "Sophia, you asked if you make me happy. The answer is yes. Deliriously, terrifyingly happy. I don't do feelings well. I'm better at business deals and hostile takeovers than relationships. But with you, I want to try. Want to be the man you deserve."
"You already are."
"I'm not. But I will be." He kissed me again, softer this time. "Six more days."
"Six more days," I echoed.
"Then you're mine. Officially, legally, permanently."
"Possessive."
"Always. Get used to it."
I smiled against his lips. "I think I already have."
Day 11 - Three Days Until the Wedding
My father called.
I stared at the phone, debating whether to answer. Adrian, reading beside me in bed, glanced over.
"Your choice," he said quietly.
I answered. "Hello, Dad."
"Sophia." His voice was rough, tired. "I saw the news. About Ethan's arrest. The charges."
"And?"
"And you were right. About everything. I should have listened. Should have believed you." A pause. "I'm sorry."
The apology caught me off guard. My father never apologized.
"Thank you for saying that."
"I've been a terrible father. To you, to your mother's memory. Miranda and Vivian they manipulated me, but that's not an excuse. I should have seen it. Should have protected you."
"Yes, you should have."
"I know. And I know I can't undo the damage. But Sophia, you're my daughter. My only child. I don't want to lose you."
My chest ached. "You haven't lost me, Dad. But things can't go back to how they were."
"I know. And I'm not asking them to. I'm just.." His voice cracked. "I'm asking for a chance to do better. To be the father I should have been all along."
I looked at Adrian, who squeezed my hand encouragingly.
"Okay," I said. "One chance. But Dad, if you ever choose them over me again.."
"I won't. I promise." He took a shaky breath. "The wedding. Are you really getting married in three days?"
"Yes."
"To Adrian Blackwood."
"Yes."
"Do you love him?"
The question hung between us. I looked at Adrian, saw my answer reflected in his eyes.
"Yes. I do."
Adrian's expression softened, transformed. He mouthed: *I love you too.
My heart nearly stopped.
"Then I'm happy for you," my father said. "And Sophia? I'd like to walk you down the aisle. If you'll let me."
Tears pricked my eyes. "I'd like that."
After we hung up, Adrian pulled me into his arms.
"You said you love me."
"I did."
"Did you mean it?"
"Did you?"
He pulled back to look at me, brushed away the tears on my cheeks. "I've been in love with you since the moment you walked into my office and proposed a contract marriage with the audacity of a queen. Maybe before that I saw you once, at a gala two years ago. You were with your father, wearing this blue dress, and when you smiled, I forgot how to breathe."
"Two years ago?"
"I researched you. Found out you were engaged to Ethan Cole and told myself to forget about you. But I couldn't. And when you showed up in my office, offering me exactly what I'd been fantasizing about a chance to have you and destroy Cole I thought I was dreaming."
"Adrian.."
"I know this is fast. I know we're supposed to be taking things slow. But Sophia, I'm done pretending. I'm done holding back. I love you. Completely, irrevocably, terrifyingly in love with you."
I kissed him then, poured every emotion I couldn't articulate into that kiss.
"I love you too," I whispered against his lips. "So much it scares me."
"Good. Be scared with me." He deepened the kiss, his hands sliding under my shirt. "Three more days until you're my wife. But Sophia—you've been mine since the beginning. You just didn't know it yet."
"Possessive."
"Always."
This time, when he kissed me, there was promise in it. Promise of three days from now, and all the days after.
Day 13 - One Day Until the Wedding
I couldn't sleep.
Tomorrow I would marry Adrian Blackwood. Tomorrow everything would change or maybe nothing would, since my heart already belonged to him.
I slipped out of bed, careful not to wake him, and went to the window. The gardens were lit softly, peaceful in the darkness.
"Can't sleep either?"
I turned to find Adrian awake, watching me.
"Just thinking."
"About?"
"Tomorrow. Us. Everything that's happened in the last two weeks."
He got out of bed, came to stand behind me, arms wrapping around my waist. "Having second thoughts?"
"No. Just... processing. Two weeks ago, I was engaged to Ethan. Now I'm marrying you. My whole life changed in fourteen days."
"Regret it?"
"Not even a little." I leaned back against him. "Adrian, can I ask you something?"
"Anything."
"What happens after? After the wedding, after Ethan's trial, after everything settles down. What happens to us?"
"What do you want to happen?"
"I want this to be real. Permanently real. Not one year, not a contract with an expiration date. I want forever."
His arms tightened. "Then that's what we'll have. Forever."
"You make it sound simple."
"It is simple. I love you. You love me. We build a life together." He turned me to face him. "Sophia, I know this started as something else. But the moment you walked into my life, everything changed. You changed me. Made me want things I thought I'd never have."
"Like what?"
"Like coming home to someone who actually wants me there. Like planning a future that includes another person. Like the possibility of a family, kids, growing old together." His hand cupped my cheek. "Like love. Real, messy, complicated love."
"That's what you want? With me?"
"With you. Only ever with you."
I kissed him, slow and deep, trying to convey everything I felt.
"Tomorrow," I whispered. "Tomorrow I become your wife."
"Tomorrow," he agreed. "And every day after that."
We went back to bed, tangled together, and this time sleep came easily.
Because tomorrow wasn't scary.
Tomorrow was the beginning.
Day 14 - The Wedding Day
I woke to Margaret shaking my shoulder gently.
"Miss Hart, it's time to get ready."
The morning passed in a blur. Hair, makeup, the dress that fit perfectly. Margaret fussed over every detail while I tried not to hyperventilate.
"You're beautiful," she said when I was finally ready. "Mr. Blackwood won't know what hit him."
I studied my reflection. The woman looking back was barely recognizable from the one who'd died on a restaurant floor in another life. This woman was stronger, happier, loved.
This woman was ready.
My father arrived at noon, looking nervous in his suit.
"Sophia." His voice cracked. "You look just like your mother on our wedding day."
"Really?"
"Beautiful and terrifying and perfect." He offered his arm. "Ready?"
"Ready."
The chapel on the Blackwood estate was small, intimate. Roses everywhere, soft music playing. Lucas stood beside Adrian as best man. James sat in the front row, smiling.
And Adrian.
He stood at the altar in a perfectly tailored black suit, and when he saw me, his expression transformed into something that made my heart stop.
Pure, unfiltered love.
My father walked me down the aisle, squeezed my hand once, then placed it in Adrian's.
"Take care of her," he said quietly.
"Always," Adrian promised.
The ceremony was short, simple. We'd written our own vows.
"Sophia," Adrian began, voice rough with emotion. "Two weeks ago, you walked into my office and changed my life. You were supposed to be a business arrangement. A temporary solution to mutual problems. But you became so much more. You became my home, my peace, my reason for everything. I promise to protect you, to cherish you, to love you for as long as I live. And probably longer."
My turn. "Adrian, I came to you looking for safety. For revenge. For a way out of a nightmare. But I found something I never expected I found love. Real, honest, terrifying love. You saw me at my worst and still thought I was worth fighting for. You gave me back my strength, my courage, my voice. I promise to stand beside you, to build a life with you, to love you through everything. Forever."
"The rings," the officiant prompted.
Adrian slid a platinum band onto my finger, next to his grandmother's engagement ring.
I slid a matching band onto his the first ring he'd ever worn.
"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride."
Adrian pulled me close, kissed me like we were the only two people in the world.
And maybe we were.
Because in that moment, nothing else mattered.
Just us.
Just this.
Just forever.