31/07/2025
ONLY MINE 💞
Episode 1: The Deal That Tied Us
Elora adjusted the sleeves of her ivory blouse, the fabric now creased from the death-grip of her fingers. Her palms were sweaty, not from the heat of the room, but from the weight of the silence that sat thick in the air.
Across from her, Lucien Vale, billionaire CEO, sat like a painting—perfect, cold, and terrifyingly unreadable. Dressed in all black, from his tailored suit to the ink in his eyes, he leaned back in his chair like he had all the time in the world. His fingers were laced together, elbows resting on the armrests, and his stare? Focused. Sharp. Like he was already un******ng her with his mind… not her body, but her soul.
And it made her skin crawl.
Not with fear.
With something far more dangerous.
“You’ve read the contract,” he said, his voice as smooth as bourbon and twice as dangerous.
“I’ve read it,” she replied, carefully, her voice softer than she intended. But still firm. Still hers.
“And?”
“And it’s…” Her throat bobbed. “Very specific.”
His lips tugged—just slightly. Not a smile. No, Lucien Vale didn’t smile. He smirked. He taunted.
“You mean the clauses about living together. The non-negotiable appearances. Or the ‘intimacy clause’?”
Her breath caught at the last part. “Is that really necessary?”
He leaned forward now, elbows resting on the sleek glass desk, closing the distance between them.
“Darling,” he drawled, “you’re going to be my wife. My name. My signature. My ring. You’ll wear it. Breathe it. Own it. So yes… I think it's necessary to act like you’re mine.”
Her face flushed. Not out of shame, but defiance.
“Act like it?” she echoed. “So this marriage isn’t real.”
Lucien's jaw ticked.
“It will be real enough to the world,” he said, voice cold again. “And to everyone else—you’ll be only mine. That’s all that matters.”
---
Elora had never believed in fairytales. Not since the night she walked out of her past with a suitcase and shattered dreams. But even in her wildest nightmares, she didn’t think she’d end up signing a marriage contract with a man like Lucien Vale.
She needed protection.
He needed a wife.
The exchange was simple.
Or so she thought.
---
THE CONTRACT:
1-year marriage
Full-time cohabitation in his penthouse
Public appearances together as a couple
No dating others
Clause 10.3: “Physical intimacy may be requested and is to be honored within the bounds of mutual discretion.”
Her stomach twisted.
She hated this. The idea of being bound, owned, touched for the sake of appearances. But what choice did she have?
He knew something about her past. She could see it in the way he watched her. Like he was offering her the contract for reasons he hadn’t said aloud. But still… he never forced her.
“Why me?” she asked suddenly, meeting his eyes.
Lucien didn’t blink.
“Because you fit the part,” he said. But his eyes… they burned. “And because you’re not like the others.”
“What others?”
“The ones who don’t run,” he said simply. “The ones who don’t look at me like they’re trying to read the monster behind my smile.”
---
Silence.
It stretched long and sharp between them.
Elora reached for the pen.
She hesitated.
Lucien stood. Walked slowly around the desk. He didn’t touch her—but he stood close. So close her breath caught again.
“Don’t think too much, Elora,” he murmured. “This marriage might be fake in ink… but I don’t play pretend when it comes to what’s mine.”
---
She signed.
One signature. That was all it took.
Her hand trembled slightly, but her heart? It felt… quiet. Like a storm was coming—but she had already chosen to walk into it.
Lucien picked up the paper.
He didn’t say thank you. He didn’t offer a smile.
Instead, he leaned down, his voice brushing her ear like silk and sin.
> “You’re only mine now.”
And then he walked out of the room.
Leaving her with a gold ring, a signed paper…
and a future she couldn’t escape from.
TO BE CONTINUED.........
