Chapter 4: A Deal with the Devil
Sophie's hands shook as she stared at Adrian.
"She has a video of us getting married?" she repeated, her voice barely above a whisper.
Adrian's jaw tightened. "Yes. And if she releases it, the whole world will know our marriage wasn't exactly… traditional."
Sophie swallowed hard. "What does she want?"
Adrian exhaled, his golden eyes burning with anger. "Me."
Sophie froze.
"She wants me to leave you, publicly humiliate you, and go back to her," he said bitterly.
A sharp pain twisted in Sophie's chest. "And… are you considering it?"
Adrian stepped closer, tilting her chin up. His touch was warm, firm, and dangerously gentle.
"Never."
Sophie's heart pounded.
"You're mine, Sophie," he murmured. "And no one—not Vanessa, not the media, not even you—gets to change that."
Sophie shivered. She should be angry at his possessiveness.
But instead, all she could think about… was how badly she wanted to believe him.
---
Adrian called a private investigator within the hour.
"If Vanessa has that video, we need leverage against her," he told Sophie.
Sophie paced the room. "And if we don't find any?"
Adrian's gaze darkened. "Then we burn her before she burns us."
Sophie stopped, staring at him. "You're really willing to go to war with her?"
Adrian's lips curled into a dangerous smirk. "For you? Yes."
Sophie's breath hitched.
She wasn't sure what scared her more—the fact that Vanessa wanted to destroy her…
Or the fact that Adrian Blackwood was willing to destroy the world for her.
---
Later that night, Sophie sat on the balcony, staring at the moonlit ocean.
Her thoughts were chaotic.
She was trapped in a fake marriage that felt more real every second.
And Adrian?
She still didn't understand him.
One moment, he was cold, untouchable.
The next? He was looking at her like she was his entire world.
She didn't hear him approach until she felt his warmth behind her.
"You should sleep," he murmured.
Sophie sighed. "I can't."
Adrian hesitated, then wrapped his jacket around her shoulders.
The scent of him—expensive cologne and something distinctly him—made her pulse race.
Sophie turned to face him, their bodies inches apart.
"Why are you doing this?" she whispered.
Adrian's golden eyes searched hers. "Doing what?"
"Making me feel like this is real."
Adrian didn't move. "Maybe it is."
Sophie's breath hitched.
And then—he kissed her.
It wasn't soft.
It wasn't careful.
It was fierce, demanding, and devastatingly real.
Sophie melted against him, fingers tangling in his hair as his hands gripped her waist, pulling her closer.
This was a mistake.
A beautiful, dangerous mistake.
But right now?
Sophie didn't care.
---
Sophie's entire body burned as Adrian's lips claimed hers.
There was no hesitation, no pretense.
Just heat.
Just him.
Her fingers tightened in his hair as he deepened the kiss, his grip firm on her waist, pulling her flush against him.
She should have stopped this.
She should have pushed him away.
But when his hand traced down her spine, leaving a trail of fire in its wake, Sophie knew—
She was already lost.
---
Sophie woke up disoriented.
Sunlight streamed through the windows, warming the room.
And then—she felt it.
The weight of a strong arm draped possessively around her waist.
Her breath caught.
Slowly, she turned her head—
And there he was.
Adrian Blackwood.
Asleep beside her.
His dark hair was messy, his breathing slow and steady. Completely relaxed.
And worst of all?
Sophie didn't hate it.
Her heart raced as memories from last night flooded back.
The kiss.
The way he looked at her like she was the only thing that mattered.
The way she let herself believe it.
Sophie swallowed hard, carefully slipping out of bed.
She couldn't do this.
Not when the line between pretend and real was already so blurred.
But before she could move—
Adrian's hand caught her wrist.
His golden eyes fluttered open, hazy with sleep.
"Running away, wife?" he murmured, voice husky.
Sophie froze.
Because for the first time…
He didn't sound like he was pretending.
---
Sophie barely had time to breathe before Adrian's phone rang.
He grabbed it from the nightstand, eyes narrowing when he saw the caller ID.
Vanessa.
Sophie's stomach twisted.
Adrian answered, his voice cold as ice. "What do you want now?"
Vanessa's mocking laughter echoed through the speaker.
"Good morning, darling," she purred. "I hope you and your little wife enjoyed your night together."
Sophie's blood ran cold.
Adrian's jaw tightened. "What are you talking about?"
"Oh, don't play dumb," Vanessa sighed. "You know I have eyes everywhere. Did you really think I wouldn't know what happened last night?"
Sophie's heart pounded.
Vanessa had seen them.
Somehow, some way, she knew.
And that meant—she had more power than ever.
Vanessa's voice turned deadly sweet.
"I suggest you meet me, Adrian," she whispered. "Before I decide to leak everything."
The line went dead.
Sophie's hands shook as she looked at Adrian.
"What do we do?" she whispered.
Adrian exhaled slowly, his expression unreadable.
"We end this," he said.
"For good."
---
What's Next?
Adrian and Sophie confront Vanessa.
A shocking betrayal changes everything.
The truth about their feelings finally comes out.