Chapter 2

Cecily's POV

Ten minutes later, I stood in Everett's study. My high-necked cashmere sweater felt like armor wrapped tightly around me, but it did nothing. Under their intense stares, I still felt completely exposed.

Everett sat stiffly behind his massive mahogany desk, his face showing no emotion.

Nolan lounged on the antique leather sofa, slowly swirling a glass of whiskey.

The contrast between the twins was unsettling. They had the same handsome face, but Everett was all cold control, while Nolan was pure chaos and impulse.

"Clause Four, Section Two," Everett said into the silence. "Absolute fidelity throughout the marriage. You breached the agreement, Cecily. The contract is void."

Panic closed around my throat. "Everett, you can't do that. You know I depend on the monthly allowance to pay for my father's care. I told you, the room was dark. I thought it was you."

"Lack of knowledge is not a legal defense," Everett replied without even looking at me.

"Spare her the corporate jargon, Everett," Nolan cut in, taking an unhurried drink. "You're angry because someone made a mess of your perfect little arrangement. It's not as if you touched her more than a few times."

Everett snapped his gaze to his brother. "Shut up, Nolan. This is my marriage."

"A fake marriage," Nolan corrected with a dangerous smile. "A PR stunt. You needed a respectable wife so the board would see you as a stable family man, while you secretly obsessed over Sabine in Paris."

Sabine. Her name cut through the room.

She was the French heiress of a rival family and the woman Everett truly loved. Our contract existed for one reason: to give Everett enough time and power to secure the permanent CEO position, break free of his family's control, and marry her.

Nolan wasn't finished. "Tell me, brother. Does Sabine know you spend every night staring at her portrait instead of satisfying your beautiful wife?"

Everett finally lost his composure. His hands curled into fists, his knuckles turning white. "I'm filing for divorce, Cecily. You will be out of this house by noon."

My heart dropped. If he cut me off, my father's medical bills would bankrupt me within a month. I opened my mouth to plead with him, but Nolan laughed.

The dark, mocking sound echoed through the study.

"No, you won't." Nolan rose and crossed the room in an easy, unhurried stride. Heat radiated from him as he stopped beside me. "You're not divorcing anyone."

"Watch me," Everett hissed.

"The final shareholder vote is in three weeks," Nolan reminded him, his voice full of venom. "Dad's will is very clear. The controlling interest goes to the son with a 'stable, respectable household.' What do you think the board will do when they hear you're divorcing your wife because she was better in my bed than she ever was in yours?"

The room went silent.

I stopped breathing and looked at Everett. The blood had drained from his face as the truth of the trap became clear.

Nolan hadn't slept with me simply because he wanted me. He had done it to take Everett's inheritance.

"You planned this," Everett said quietly, pure hatred burning in his ice-blue eyes.

"I saw an opportunity and took it." Nolan casually slipped an arm around my waist.

Everett stared at his brother's hand. A muscle jumped hard in his jaw, but he did nothing.

"So here's the new arrangement," Nolan said, his thumb moving in slow circles over my hip. "We keep this out of the press, and we don't involve the lawyers. You stay in your fake marriage until the vote. But in exchange for my silence..."

Nolan tilted his head. His lips brushed my ear, and his warm breath touched my skin.

"...Cecily spends her nights with the brother who actually wants her."

I sucked in a breath and looked at Everett, begging him to reject the humiliating demand.

He only stared at us. His eyes met mine for a moment before he looked away. His silence told me everything. To keep his company and have a future with Sabine, he was willing to ignore this.

The contract wasn't void. It had simply been rewritten.