Chapter 1 – The Contract Bride

The grand ballroom of the Han family estate glimmered like a diamond trapped under a thousand chandeliers. Elegant guests in tailored suits whispered among themselves, their eyes darting toward the marble aisle where the ceremony was about to begin. Cameras flashed. Reporters stood like hawks, waiting for one misstep, one scandal.

Sophia Lin stood behind the heavy double doors, clutching her bouquet so tightly the petals trembled.

Her father’s voice echoed in her head.

“Just marry him, Sophia. Han Corp will save us. You’ll save us.”

Her lips parted, but no sound came out. Her father’s debts had strangled their family; this marriage was the price of survival.

Through the half-open door, she could see him — Ethan Han, CEO of Han Corporation, Asia’s youngest self-made billionaire. Cold. Silent. Impeccably dressed in a black tuxedo that fit him like armor. His eyes didn’t hold warmth — only precision, as if calculating profit even in a wedding.

When the music began, Sophia felt her knees weaken. Every step she took toward him was heavy with fear and disbelief.

The whispers grew louder.

“She’s the Lin girl? The one whose father went bankrupt?”

“Poor thing. He’s marrying her out of pity.”

“No, out of convenience. Han Corp gets Lin Tech’s patents.”

Sophia lifted her chin. If she had to become a pawn, she would at least be a dignified one.

Ethan turned as she reached the altar. Their eyes met for the first time that day. His gaze was sharp enough to slice through her soul.

No smile. No warmth. Just a curt nod.

The priest’s voice echoed through the hall.

“Do you, Ethan Han, take Sophia Lin to be your lawfully wedded wife—”

“I do,” Ethan said flatly, cutting the priest off before he even finished.

The crowd laughed nervously.

“And do you, Sophia Lin, take Ethan Han—”

“I… do.” Her voice trembled, softer than the piano music in the background.

When the priest announced them husband and wife, Ethan leaned close enough for only her to hear.

“Jigeum buteo, you belong to me, Sophia Lin. Remember that.”

His breath was cold against her ear. She flinched, but forced a smile for the cameras. Flashbulbs went off like lightning.

The reception was suffocating. Sophia sat beside her new husband at the long table, feeling invisible. He barely looked at her, answering polite questions from board members, sipping his wine in silence.

When someone raised a toast to “the happy couple,” Ethan’s jaw tightened.

After a while, she excused herself, stepping out onto the balcony. The cool night air finally gave her room to breathe. The city lights of Seoul glittered far below — free, alive, everything she wasn’t.

Behind her, the glass doors slid open.

Ethan’s reflection appeared beside hers.

“You shouldn’t wander off,” he said, voice low, clipped. “People will talk.”

“I needed air,” she replied quietly. “This dress weighs more than my heart.”

A ghost of a smirk appeared on his lips — gone as fast as it came. “You’re direct. Most people wouldn’t dare speak like that to me.”

“Most people aren’t your wife,” she said before she could stop herself.

His eyes darkened. For a long moment, they simply stared at each other — the heiress turned pawn, and the CEO who built empires out of ice.

“Let’s make one thing clear, Sophia,” Ethan said finally. “This marriage is a business arrangement. You’ll have your room. You’ll attend events when required. But don’t expect affection. Don’t expect love.”

Sophia’s throat tightened, but she managed a small nod. “I never asked for your love, Mr. Han. Only your respect.”

He paused. Something flickered in his gaze — confusion, maybe admiration, but it disappeared as he turned away.

“Respect is earned,” he said. “Good night, Mrs. Han.”

Hours later, Sophia stood in her new bedroom — spacious, immaculate, lifeless. No trace of warmth. The city lights painted the room in silver streaks. She sat on the edge of the bed, removing her earrings, one by one, feeling her new reality sink in.

Her phone buzzed. A message from her father:

Thank you, Sophia. You did the right thing. The company will survive now.

She typed a reply, then deleted it. What was there to say? That she’d traded freedom for a dying company? That she’d just married a man who looked at her like an investment?

Tears stung her eyes. She whispered to herself in Mandarin,

“Wo yao jianqiang… I have to be strong.”

A knock sounded at the door. Her heart jumped — Ethan? But when she opened it, it was a maid carrying a document folder.

“Mr. Han asked me to deliver this,” the maid said timidly.

Inside were sheets of paper. Rules.

Sophia scanned them:

Rule 1: No entry into my personal office without permission.

Rule 2: No media interviews unless cleared by PR.

Rule 3: Maintain a public image of unity. Privately, our lives remain separate.

At the bottom, his signature.

And beneath it, a single line in neat handwriting:

Don’t fall in love with me.

She laughed bitterly, a sound half broken, half defiant. “Too late to warn me,” she murmured. “I already hate you.”

Outside the window, rain began to fall — gentle, rhythmic, like the sound of a new storm brewing.

In another part of the mansion, Ethan stood by his study window, watching the rain as it streaked down the glass. He should’ve felt relief — the deal was sealed, the merger secure, his revenge against the Lin family complete. But instead, he felt something unfamiliar. Guilt? No. Impossible.

His phone buzzed. A message from his ex, Luna Wei:

Congratulations, Ethan. I didn’t think you’d actually go through with it. Poor girl — she has no idea who she married.

He deleted it.

But as he closed his eyes, the image of Sophia’s trembling hands as she said I do wouldn’t leave his mind.

“This is business,” he whispered to himself in Korean. “Geunyang iliya… just business.”

Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something had just begun — something dangerous.

And somewhere deep inside that ice-cold heart… a single crack had appeared.

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