"Don't pretend, Alexander! This fake marriage doesn't solve anything! You're just stalling, and you know I hate waiting!"
Chloe Harris's voice was loud and angry, shattering the silence that usually dominated the Volkov mansion. Aura, who had just finished a short nap after her first convenience store shift, instantly sat up straight. Chloe's raised voice was an anomaly; in this house, emotions were always suppressed.
Aura glanced at the clock. It was late at night. She could hear the argument coming from the main wing, though muffled. Chloe was clearly furious, and Alexander, who was usually perfectly composed, seemed unable to calm her down.
Aura's Monologue: They are fighting because of my existence. I am Alexander's temporary solution to a problem he can't avoid, a problem stemming from Uncle Victor and the family name he holds so high. I am the obstacle they have to cross to gain happiness. This contract, which saved my mother, is now destroying the happiness of two people who truly love each other.
The argument lasted a long time. Aura could only catch sharp intonations and frustrated tones, but she could imagine Alexander's face cold, angry, and cornered.
Then, Chloe's voice came again, louder this time, almost breaking. "I'm tired of your rules, Al! If you choose family honor and that inherited business over me, just say it! Don't use another woman to waste our time!"
After that, a deadly silence. A door slammed shut so hard that the entire mansion echoed. Chloe had left.
Aura waited. The silence that replaced the anger felt heavier. She tried to read again, but the words on the page felt hollow. About two hours later, Aura heard an unexpected sound in the corridor of her guest wing, the sound of unstable, dragging footsteps.
The door to Aura's suite was violently shoved open.
A surprised Aura turned around. There, in the doorway, stood a completely drunk Alexander Volkov. His tie was loose, several buttons of his shirt were undone, and his usually neat hair was disheveled. His eyes were red and watery, and his face was etched with deep frustration and rage. He stumbled in, the scent of expensive alcohol immediately filling the room.
"Chloe..." Alexander muttered, his eyes unfocused. "Why did you have to leave, Chloe?"
Aura was instantly on guard. This was dangerous. "Alexander," Aura said, her voice calm and firm. "This isn't your room. You're drunk. I'm going to call Jake."
Alexander wasn't listening. He staggered further in, his body swaying. He grabbed Aura's shoulder, his grip strong. His face, close and reeking of alcohol, felt hot.
"No, don't call anyone," Alexander groaned. He stared at Aura, but his gaze was distant. "You... you are the obstacle. You are here. Why are you here?"
"I am here because we are married, Alexander," Aura replied, trying to pull away from his grip without provoking him. "And you need to go back to your room. If Mrs. Jenkins sees you like this..."
Alexander laughed, a painful, desperate sound. He released Aura and collapsed onto the edge of the bed, covering his face with both hands.
"Marriage!" he roared. "It's ridiculous. It's an elaborate lie. I should be with her, Aura! Why is it so difficult? Why does Victor always make these ridiculous rules? I've done everything he wanted! I built the empire, I dominate the market! Why can't I have the one thing I want?"
Alexander spoke, not to Aura, but to the silence around him. He started rambling, and this time, the reason was revealed.
"I can't marry her now, Aura! The inheritance... if I don't meet the requirements on time, Victor will take it! And if I marry her now, she will... she will fall with me. I won't let Chloe face this madness. I won't let her go through all the scrutiny and demands from Victor! I have to clean everything up first! I have to secure full control, without any risk, before I can give her everything."
"This marriage," Alexander continued, his voice choked. "It's only temporary, Aura. Just a temporary step. It's just... a requirement. I had to meet the inheritance requirements by marrying on time. Victor doesn't care who the woman is, as long as there's a ring and a marriage certificate. But I have to make sure that woman won't be threatened. I'm doing this for her, for Chloe, so she doesn't get ruined with me. I have to protect her from the destruction I might cause."
Aura stood frozen, pain mixed with cold comprehension. So this was the reason. Alexander married Aura, a stranger, to keep Chloe safe from the risks and legal demands associated with the fragile or conditional Volkov inheritance.
"You know, Aura?" Alexander raised his head, his eyes now focused on her with frightening intensity, but it wasn't a look of love. It was a look of desperation. "I see you. You're calm. You're professional. You don't demand anything. I need someone who can wait. I just need to finish this, and then I can be with her. I just need time. I love her, Aura. I love Chloe. I can't live without her presence."
Aura felt immense heartache. Even drunk, Alexander was using Aura as a shield and a confidante for his desperation regarding Chloe. This was the cruellest affirmation of the Chloe clause.
"I know you don't care," Alexander continued, his voice now softening into a pathetic whimper. "You just have to wait. I just need to finish this, and then I can be with her. I just need time."
Aura swallowed her pride. She had to take action.
"Alexander, you need to lie down," Aura said, approaching him slowly.
"No," Alexander stubbornly refused. "I can't sleep. I have to call her. I have to explain that this is all for her. That you are just... a step I need to protect her."
"She's gone," Aura said coldly. "She's angry, and she's gone. All you can do now is sleep. Then you can fix this in the morning, if you still remember what you said."
Aura grabbed Alexander's arm, forcing him to stand. Alexander was too heavy and unstable. He almost collapsed, and Aura had to support him with all her strength. The man who controlled global markets was now unable to control his own legs. The contrast was sickening.
Aura managed to push Alexander back onto the bed. She unbuttoned his crumpled shirt and helped him lie down, while Alexander continued to mumble Chloe's name and his business justifications.
"Chloe... I'll come back to you. Wait for me. I'm doing this for you..."
Aura pulled a thin blanket over Alexander. She stood there, observing the sleeping man, the man who had bought her mother's freedom and crushed her own self-worth. Alexander's vulnerable state should have evoked pity, but all Aura felt was cold ache and resentment.
Aura cleaned up the mineral water bottle and a spilled glass of whiskey near the entrance. She made sure Alexander was stable. She then grabbed her own pillow and walked out of her guest suite. She couldn't sleep in the same room as the man who had just openly used her as a shield for his love for someone else.
Aura eventually went to a distant bathroom, sleeping on a small sofa with her heart pounding. Alexander, even in his drunkenness, had managed to enforce the Chloe clause with unexpected cruelty, revealing the reason he married Aura: as a temporary shield to protect Chloe from the Volkov family's pressing requirements and inheritance risk. Aura knew her emotional battle had just begun. She had to face Alexander in the morning, pretending the night never happened.