~TESSA'S POV~
I swallowed hard, my lips parting but no sound coming out.
"Who?" His tone sharpened, ice-cold now. "Who got to you?"
The echo rang again inside me, 'See you in council meeting!' My chest heaved, my legs weakening under the weight of the decision pressing down.
If I said Thoma's name, I wasn't so sure how Robert would react but If I stayed silent, I'd be crushed alone beneath the threat.
I blinked back the tears burning at the corners of my eyes. My voice came out as a whisper. "You don't want to know."
His eyes blazed, his fists clenched at his sides. "Speak."
The silence stretched, taut and suffocating.
I turned away, pressing my palms into the couch to stop them from shaking. The words clawed at my throat, desperate to escape, but fear, fear Robert terminating the contract kept me pinned.
Behind me, his voice cut through like a blade. "Whoever it is, Tessa, I swear they'll regret it."
My heart leapt again, torn between relief and terror.
"Now speak!"
"Are you always this commanding," I muttered, "or is it just with women you've paid to wear a ring?"
His eyes cut into me, steel and shadow. "Do you think this is a game?"
"I think you're suffocating me."
His jaw clenched. He didn't shout, he never shouted. That was the most unnerving part, his silence was sharper than anyone else's rage.
I folded my arms tight, like that could shield me. "You're too controlling and demanding, yet pretending it's protection. You tell me what time to wake up, what to wear, how to stand, God, even how to breathe! But you don't even give me a reason. Just orders."
"You signed a contract," he said flatly.
"I signed a contract," I snapped back, "not my soul."
Something flickered in his eyes then, just for a second, then it was gone. He moved closer, each step deliberate.
"Yes you did and now you bear my name!" he said, low.
"What?"
"If you slip, id you make any mistake, They win. Thomas wins. Melissa wins. Every investor on my board waiting to bury me wins. Every hidden spy in my council of elders also wins. And you think you can't breathe now? Try breathing under that weight."
His words hit like blows, not because they were cruel, but because they were true.
Still, my voice wavered as I whispered, "And what about me, Robert? Do I get to win anything?"
Silence.
For once, he had no answer.
The moment he left, I breathed a sigh of relief.
That was a closer call.
As the sunset towards the west, I sat curled on the couch, hugging my knees like a child, while he stood by the window, his reflection slicing across the glass like a ghost.
"You never talk about her," I blurted out before I could stop myself.
His shoulders stiffened.
"Olivia," I pressed, softer now. "Your ex-fiancée, or ex- mate. She came here. She still has your key. She said…" My throat tightened. "She said you'll never love anyone but her."
His voice was ice. "Must you believe everything you hear!" His face devoid of emotions.
"Then tell me what to believe. You said you would never love anyone but you actually did love her."
He turned slowly, his eyes catching mine, so dark they almost swallowed me whole. "Believe that what we have is a transaction. Nothing more."
I swallowed hard. "That's not an answer."
"It's the only one you're going to get."
~~*~~
Days passed like walking on glass.
The media ate us alive, feeding on every glance, every silence, every unspoken word between us.
At dinner, I finally broke.
"They're saying I'm using you," I said, pushing my plate away. "That I plotted all of this from the beginning. That I cheated with you while I was still with Thomas."
Robert didn't look up. "Let them talk."
"Easy for you to say, you're not the one being called a whore on national television."
His fork clattered against the plate. He raised his head slowly, eyes flashing. "Do you think I don't know what they say about me? Ruthless. Heartless. Unfit to lead. They write me into their own narratives every single day. But I don't mind, Tessa."
"Maybe I'm not like you!" My voice cracked. "Maybe I do mind!"
The words hung in the air like shattered glass.
His face didn't soften. Not even once. "Then learn."
Tears stung my eyes, but I blinked them away. I wouldn't give him that victory.
"You know what the difference is between us, Robert?" My voice trembled, but I pushed on. "You hide behind control. I hide behind silence. But at least my silence doesn't cut anyone else open."
He leaned back in his chair, studying me like a puzzle he couldn't decide whether to solve or burn.
"Go to bed," he said finally.
And just like that, I was dismissed.
I couldn't sleep.
At two a.m., I found myself standing in front of his study room, light spilled out from beneath it, thin and cold.
I knocked.
No answer.
I pushed the door open anyway.
He was at his desk, sleeves rolled, tie discarded, his hair disheveled in a way I'd never seen before. Papers were scattered like casualties across the surface. His hand clutched a glass of whiskey so tightly I thought it might shatter.
"Do you ever rest?" I asked softly.
His eyes lifted, blazing with exhaustion more than anger. "Do you?"
I stepped inside, closing the door behind me. "You push and push until there's nothing left, don't you?"
"You're lecturing me now?"
"I'm asking." My voice shook, but I stood my ground. "Who's Joel?"
The glass froze halfway to his lips.
For a moment, the world stopped breathing.
When he finally spoke, his voice was nothing but gravel. "Get out."
"No."
His head snapped up, eyes dark and dangerous. "Tessa."
"You scream his name in your nightmares," I said, heart hammering. "You beg him to stop. You break in ways you don't let anyone see. And then you stand here and pretend you're unshakable. But you're not."
I expected him to lash out. To slam the desk. To tear me down.
Instead, he laughed.
Not the amused kind. The hollow, broken kind that sounded like it had been buried for years.
"You think you want my truth?" His voice was bitter. "You couldn't survive it."
"Try me," I whispered.
The very moment the words left my mouth I realized two things,
One, Robert Miller was more broken than anyone realized.
And two, I was already far deeper than I ever meant to be.
Because for the first time since signing that cursed contract…
I didn't want to win against Thomas or Melissa…
I wanted to understand Robert.
And that terrified me more than anything.