Chapter 2
The day after the ink dried on their contract, Stella packed her bags and moved into Louie's sprawling estate.
The mansion was absurdly massive. The interior design was ultra-modern. It felt more like a high-end art gallery than a home. Stella's bedroom was located on the second floor, separated from Louie's master suite by a long corridor.
"Mr. Stone, your suite is prepared. Maria has already unpacked your luggage," the head butler, Sidney Hester, announced respectfully.
Louie gave a brief nod, but his eyes subtly drifted up the grand staircase, lingering on the door to Stella's room.
'My suite? I wanted to share a room with her. I read the contract three times. There wasn't a single clause prohibiting us from sharing a bed.'
Stella, who was standing halfway up the stairs, nearly tripped over her own two feet. Louie was a walking contradiction. His inner monologue and his outward persona were completely different.
"Ms. White, your room is right this way," Sidney added, gesturing down the hall.
Stella smiled as she thanked Sidney, though privately, she amused herself with the thought that Sidney probably had no idea the icy Louie wanted to gift-wrap her and throw her straight into his bedroom.
Later that night, Stella took a shower. Dressed in a delicate silk slip, she climbed into her massive bed and started scrolling through TikTok. Suddenly, a soft knock echoed at her door.
"Ms. White? Mr. Stone requested that you review an addendum to the contract," Maria Johnson, the maid, called through the wood.
Stella's heart did a nervous little flip. An addendum? What was Louie trying to add at the last minute?
She quickly wore a sheer silk robe and pulled the door open. Louie was standing in the hallway, holding a manila folder. He had clearly just stepped out of the shower.
His hair was still damp, a few unruly strands falling across his forehead, softening his usually sharp features. He looked relaxed.
He was wearing a plush bathrobe, tied loosely at the waist, leaving a distracting amount of his sculpted chest and pronounced collarbones exposed.
Stella's eyes betrayed her, dropping to his chest for a fraction of a second before snapping back up to his face.
'She looked. I knew she'd look. God, that silk slip looks incredible on her. I want to rip it off.'
Stella snapped her eyes back, a sudden heat rushing to her face. His inner voice was way too forward!
"What kind of addendum?" she asked, fighting to keep her voice from shaking.
Louie held the folder out to her. His eyes were completely unreadable.
'Stop looking at the paper. Look at me.'
Stella took the folder and flipped it open. Right at the top of the page, printed in bold black ink, it read: [Article 4: Spousal Obligations, including but not limited to physical intimacy.]
She sucked in a sharp breath, her head snapping up to glare at Louie.
'Hmm? She's blushing. She definitely read it.'
"Louie Stone," Stella hissed, her teeth grinding together.
Louie raised a single eyebrow. The microscopic ghost of a smirk played at the corner of his mouth.
'She said my name. Her voice sounds so good when she's mad.'
Stella took a deep breath. She was not going to let him bait her, shoving the folder aggressively back against his solid chest. "Absolutely not. I refuse."
The amusement vanished from Louie's face. The icy mask slammed back into place.
'Refused? She actually said no? That's fine. We have the rest of our lives. I can be patient.'
As he turned and strode away, leaving only his tall silhouette, Stella felt as though she had just survived a whirlwind. He was a walking storm of hormones wrapped in a stoic facade.