CH 13

HER POV ~

The moment my eyes fluttered open, a wave of panic settled deep in my stomach.

This wasn’t my apartment.

My gaze darted around the lavish living room, the dim morning light filtering through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Lucian’s penthouse.

I groaned, rubbing my face. I fell asleep here?

The last thing I remembered was sitting on the couch, scrolling through my phone, lost in thoughts about my life, my career, and… my upcoming marriage.

And now, the sun was up.

Shit.

I straightened immediately, my heart hammering. What if Lucian had already left? Or worse—what if he had seen me like this?

Just as the thought crossed my mind, my eyes landed on the kitchen counter. A steaming cup of coffee sat there, untouched.

Wait… did he make that?

No way.

Lucian Blackwood was many things, but considerate wasn’t one of them.

Still, my stomach twisted at the thought. Had he noticed me asleep and… just left me there?

I exhaled sharply, pushing the ridiculous thought aside. None of this mattered. What mattered was that it was already late, and I was still here.

I needed to leave. Fast.

Forcing myself up, I ran a hand through my hair, silently cursing myself for ever dozing off in the first place.

________________________________

I sighed, running a hand through my hair as I stepped into the elevator.

The ride down felt slower than usual, or maybe that was just my frustration making time drag.

By the time I reached the lobby, I had already decided—I wasn’t going to overthink this.

The driver was already waiting, and without a word, I got into the car, staring out of the window as the city blurred past.

By the time I reached the office, my mood hadn’t improved. If anything, stepping into the building, knowing I’d have to see him, made my irritation spike.

I headed straight to my office, dropping my bag onto the desk and sitting down with a sigh. My laptop screen blinked to life, but my mind wasn’t on work.

Instead, it was still on last night. On the argument, the storm, and the fact that in just a week, I was supposed to marry that infuriating man.

A knock on the door pulled me from my thoughts.

"Come in," I called, straightening up.

The door opened, and for a second, I thought it might be Lucian. But instead, it was his assistant whom he refused to fire.

I'm his assistant too, but I don't think he needs my presence right now as his assistant is already available to give him information about his schedule, and also I didn't prepare for anything last night because I was stuck with that devil.

"Miss Eleanor, Mr. Sinclair has asked for you in his office."

I exhaled slowly, standing up. "Of course, he has."

Grabbing a folder just to make it look like I had actual work to discuss, I walked out, my heels clicking against the marble floor. As I reached Lucian’s office, I took a deep breath before pushing the door open.

Lucian sat behind his desk, looking as composed and cold as ever. He didn’t even glance up immediately. His eyes remained fixed on the document in his hands.

"Nice of you to finally show up," he said flatly.

I folded my arms, leaning against the doorframe. "Wow, good morning to you too, boss."

Now he looked up, raising an eyebrow. "Do you always take your sweet time coming to work?"

" It's you who didn't wake me up. When you woke up this morning, you could've just called out my name to wake me up but why would you do that?" I said and rolled my eyes.

He leaned back and said," So now it's my responsibility to wake you up?"

" It's just a nice gesture." I argued.

For a second, we just stared at each other, the air thick with unspoken words. But as always, Lucian was the first to shut it down.

"Sit," he finally said, his voice clipped. "We have things to discuss."

I let out a humorless laugh but pulled out the chair across from him anyway. "This better be worth my time."

He looked at me, eyes dark and unreadable. "Trust me. It is."

AUTHOR'S POV ~

Eleanor crossed her legs, leaning back in the chair, arms folded. "Alright, let’s hear it. What’s so important that you called me here first thing in the morning?"

Lucian placed his pen down and finally met her gaze. "Rules."

Her brows furrowed. "Rules?"

He nodded, his expression unreadable. "Since we’ll be married in a week, it’s only logical that we establish some boundaries."

"Boundaries, rules, contracts… seriously, Lucian, do you ever do anything that’s not written in black and white?"

Lucian didn’t react. "It’s necessary."

"For what? Maintaining your robotic lifestyle?" She tilted her head, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "Or are you just terrified of dealing with emotions like a normal human being?"

His jaw twitched. "This isn’t about emotions. It’s about clarity."

Eleanor scoffed. "Oh yes, clarity. Let’s be clear that we’re fake, that we’re only together because our parents forced us, and that despite signing our lives away, we must keep a three-foot emotional distance at all times.

Lucian exhaled through his nose. "You knew what you were getting into."

Lucian's lips pressed into a thin line.

Eleanor shook her head, grabbing the file again. "Whatever. You can shove your rulebook, Lucian. I already know exactly how to handle you."

His brow lifted slightly. "And how is that?"

She smirked. "By ignoring 90% of what you say."

HIS POV ~

Ignoring whatever she said I pushed a neatly typed document toward her. "These are the terms you’ll follow once we’re married."

She picked up the paper, her eyes skimming over it.

Professionalism in Public – Maintain a respectable image. No unnecessary comments or displays of emotions.

Privacy – Personal lives remain separate outside of required public appearances. No interference in each other’s affairs.

Living Arrangements – We will share the penthouse after the wedding. Different rooms. No exceptions.

Workplace Etiquette – No personal discussions at work. Maintain the superior-subordinate relationship.

Social Gatherings – Attendance is mandatory for family or business events. Act accordingly.

Boundaries – No unnecessary physical contact. No uninvited opinions. No overstepping.

I leaned back, watching her reaction. She stayed silent for a long moment before finally speaking.

"Are you serious?"

"Completely."

She blinked at me, then let out a sharp laugh. "Oh wow. This is next-level ridiculous." She waved the paper. "You really wrote out a contract for our marriage?"

"It’s necessary."

"For who? You?" She scoffed. "Are you afraid I’m going to ruin your perfectly structured life by, God forbid, existing in it?"

I didn’t answer.

She leaned forward, her expression mocking. "Let me guess—this is your way of keeping me at a safe distance, right? Just enough to play the part but not enough to actually acknowledge that I’m your wife?"

I met her gaze. "This isn’t a real marriage. There’s no need to act like it is."

Eleanor shook her head in disbelief. "You’re unbelievable." She placed the paper down and crossed her arms. "Alright, let’s go over these ‘rules’ one by one."

I nodded, motioning for her to continue.

"First—‘Professionalism in Public’—do I look like an idiot to you? I know how to behave at events."

"Then it won’t be a problem."

She huffed but moved on. "‘Privacy’—you’re basically saying I should pretend you don’t exist outside of scheduled appearances. I don’t think that’ll be a challenge."

I clenched my jaw. "Good."

"‘Living Arrangements’—different rooms? No exceptions?" She smirked. "Scared of temptation, Sinclair?"

I didn’t react. "It’s for both our convenience."

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say."

Her fingers drummed against the desk as she read further. Then she narrowed her eyes. "‘Workplace Etiquette’—so I’m just supposed to call you ‘sir’ and pretend I don’t know you when we’re in the office?"

"That would be ideal."

She let out a mock gasp. "How tragic. And here I thought we were forming such a strong bond."

I ignored her sarcasm again. "Continue."

Eleanor sighed dramatically. "‘Social Gatherings’—yeah, yeah, I get it. Put on the perfect couple act, make our parents happy, yada yada. Moving on."

Then she reached the last rule.

Her expression changed slightly.

"Boundaries," she read slowly. Her lips twitched. "No unnecessary physical contact, no uninvited opinions, no overstepping."

She glanced up, her gaze sharp. "Define unnecessary physical contact."

I met her stare without hesitation. "Exactly what it sounds like."

She leaned back, pretending to think. "So, what happens if I—oh, I don’t know—touch your arm by accident? Will alarms go off? Will security drag me out?"

I sighed. "Don’t be dramatic."

She smirked. "But that’s my specialty."

I exhaled slowly, rubbing my temple. "Are you done?"

She tapped the paper. "Oh, I still have one issue."

I arched a brow.

She crossed her arms. "I don't see a rule about me breaking your stupid rules."

I narrowed my eyes. "Don’t test me, Eleanor."

She grinned. "No promises."

I sighed, rubbing my temple. "So you accept the terms?"

She leaned back, tilting her head. "Do I have a choice?"

I didn’t answer because we both knew the truth.

After a long moment, Eleanor grabbed a pen from the desk and twirled it between her fingers. Then, with a dramatic sigh, she signed her name at the bottom.

"There," she said, tossing the pen aside. "Happy now?"

I took the paper and placed it back in the folder. "Ecstatic."

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