Elena stood in front of the
full-length mirror, her fingers smoothing the hem of the pale blue blouse she
had picked out that morning. It wasn't anything fancy, just something simple
and comfortable, but for some reason, she kept adjusting it. She didn't even
know why. Maybe because her thoughts were a mess, and adjusting her clothes
gave her something to focus on.
The truth was—she had been thinking
about Dominic.
More than she should.
More than she wanted to admit.
Since their conversation in his
office, things had felt… strange. Not bad. Just different. He had opened up to
her, and it had left something in her heart that she couldn't push away. A seed
of hope. A feeling that maybe—just maybe—this wasn't all fake anymore.
She stepped away from the mirror and
grabbed her bag, trying to shake off the thoughts. She had a meeting to attend.
It was with Dominic, of course. Lately, all their meetings had started to blend
into something more personal. Business discussions turned into deeper
conversations. Silent moments carried more weight than any deal on paper.
Elena took a deep breath.
"I can do this," she whispered to
herself as she walked out of the room.
The ride to the Vance Corporation
headquarters was quiet. She stared out of the window, watching the city pass by
in a blur of color and movement. Everyone seemed to be in a hurry, living their
lives, chasing their own goals. And here she was, in a fake marriage that was
starting to feel too real.
When she reached the building, she
walked through the glass doors with a confidence she didn't feel. As always,
the receptionist gave her a polite smile and nodded her toward the executive
elevator. She stepped inside, her hands clasped tightly in front of her as the
elevator climbed toward the top floor.
She still remembered the first time
she walked into Dominic's office. It had felt cold, like him. Unwelcoming. But
now… now it didn't scare her. She had faced worse. She had faced heartbreak,
pressure, fear. She had watched her family's legacy slip through her fingers.
Compared to that, Dominic's cold words didn't seem so sharp anymore.
As she stepped out onto the top floor,
she was surprised to see Dominic waiting by the entrance of his office.
"Elena," he said, his voice soft.
She blinked, caught off guard. "You
were waiting for me?"
He nodded. "I thought we could walk to
the boardroom together."
That was new.
Normally, he waited inside, seated at
the head of the table like a king on his throne.
"Okay," she said quietly, falling into
step beside him.
The walk was silent at first, but it
didn't feel heavy like before. It felt… calm. Like they had reached a place
where silence wasn't uncomfortable anymore.
When they reached the boardroom,
Dominic pulled the door open for her. She stepped inside and was surprised to
see the table already set with notes, charts, and coffee. A few senior staff
members were already seated, and they all stood up slightly when Dominic
entered.
He gave them a small nod and gestured
for Elena to take a seat beside him.
Throughout the meeting, Elena watched
Dominic closely. He was sharp, as always. Calculated. Controlled. But every now
and then, his eyes flicked toward her, as if checking to see if she was okay.
And each time he did, her heart fluttered in a way she didn't understand.
When the meeting ended, the others
filed out slowly, leaving just the two of them behind.
Dominic turned to her. "You did well
today."
She smiled. "I didn't say much."
"You didn't need to. You were present.
That means something."
Elena tilted her head. "Why are you
being kind to me all of a sudden?"
His jaw tightened, and he looked away
for a second before answering. "Because I was wrong about you."
She wasn't sure what to say to that.
He continued. "I thought you were just
another heiress trying to keep her father's name alive. But you're more than
that. You care. You fight. And you've been doing it without asking anyone for
help."
The words hit her like a wave. She had
wanted someone—anyone—to see that part of her. And now, Dominic had.
"Thank you," she whispered.
He nodded and stood up, gathering some
of the papers on the table. Then he paused. "Can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"If this marriage hadn't started as a
contract… do you think we still would've found our way to this moment?"
Elena's breath caught in her throat.
It was a heavy question.
One she hadn't expected.
"I don't know," she said honestly.
"But maybe we needed the contract to be forced into seeing each other."
He looked at her for a long moment
before giving a small smile.
"Maybe you're right."
—
Later that evening, Elena was curled
up on the couch at home with a blanket over her legs and a cup of tea in her
hands. The apartment was quiet, and she was thankful for it. The day had been
long. Her mind was still spinning with everything Dominic had said.
He had admitted he was wrong.
He had asked her if something real
could've happened between them without the contract.
That had to mean something.
Right?
She reached for her phone and opened a
message thread with Sophie. Her best friend had been giving her space lately,
but she knew Sophie would be there in a heartbeat if she needed her.
Elena typed:
"What if the person you thought you
hated turns out to be the only one who really sees you?"
She stared at the message, hesitating
before hitting send.
Sophie replied a minute later:
"Then maybe you never hated him at
all. Maybe it was just fear."
Elena closed her eyes.
Maybe Sophie was right.
Maybe this wasn't hate. Maybe it never
was.
—
The next morning, Dominic stood in his
penthouse apartment, staring out over the skyline. The city looked peaceful,
but his mind wasn't.
He hadn't planned to ask Elena that
question yesterday.
It had slipped out.
He had let his guard down again. And
this time, it wasn't just a moment—it was becoming a pattern.
She was getting under his skin.
But it didn't feel like a weakness
anymore.
It felt… freeing.
He had lived his life behind walls,
focused only on power and control. But with Elena, everything was different.
She challenged him. She made him think. She made him feel.
He couldn't ignore it any longer.
—
Back at the Hart residence, Elena was
having breakfast with her brother, Kingston.
"You seem different," he said as he
sipped his coffee.
She looked up. "Different how?"
"Lighter. Like something's changed."
She shrugged. "Maybe it has."
He raised an eyebrow. "You gonna tell
me?"
"I don't even know how to explain it.
It's Dominic… he's changing."
Kingston blinked. "Changing? That
man?"
She laughed. "I know. I didn't believe
it at first either. But I think there's more to him than I thought."
"You think he's falling for you?" he
asked, his tone serious now.
Elena paused.
"I think… we're both starting to see
each other for who we really are."
Kingston nodded slowly. "Just be
careful. Feelings can be dangerous in a contract marriage."
"I know," she whispered. "But I think
I'm already in too deep."
—
A few days later, Dominic invited
Elena to dinner.
But this time, it wasn't a business
dinner.
It was personal.
He picked a quiet rooftop restaurant
with warm lights and soft music playing in the background. When she arrived, he
stood to greet her, his eyes warm in a way she hadn't seen before.
"You look beautiful," he said, pulling
out her chair.
"Thank you," she said, her voice soft.
They ordered dinner, and for a while,
they just talked—about everything and nothing. About childhood memories,
favorite books, and the foods they hated. It felt… normal. Easy.
When dessert arrived, Dominic reached
across the table and took her hand.
"I meant what I said the other day,"
he said. "About wanting to make this work—not just for the company, but for
us."
Elena looked down at their hands, her
heart pounding.
"I want that too," she said.
And in that moment, something shifted
between them.
They were no longer pretending.
They were no longer enemies tied by a
contract.
They were two people, slowly falling
into something real.
—
Back home, as Elena undressed and
prepared for bed, she looked at herself in the mirror again.
But this time, she didn't see a woman
lost in a fake marriage.
She saw someone braver.
Someone who was finally starting to
believe she deserved love.
And maybe—just maybe—she was finding
it in the most unexpected place of all.
Dominic Vance.
Her enemy.
Her husband.
Her maybe.
And that was enough—for now.