Xavier's POV
I sat in my lawyer's office at seven in the morning, looking at a stack of papers that would change everything.
The marriage contract. Marcus Williams had been my family's lawyer for twenty years. He'd seen me grow up, watched me take over the company, and never asked questions about the darker side of our business.
But today, his eyebrows were raised so high they almost touched his forehead.
"Xavier," he said, fixing his glasses. "Are you absolutely sure about this?"
"I don't pay you to question my decisions, Marcus."
"No, but I'm paid to protect your interests. And this..." He waved his hand at the paper. "This is either brilliant or insane."
I leaned back in my leather chair. "Explain."
Marcus picked up the first page. "You're giving Elena Carter access to company funds, board meetings, and family assets. If she wanted to destroy you, this contract is practically a roadmap."
"She won't."
"How can you be sure?"
Because I knew her. I'd watched her for weeks now.
Elena wasn't just angry—she was desperate for the truth. And desperate people made obvious choices.
"She needs what I can give her more than she wants to hurt me," I said. Marcus shook his head.
"What about the prenup? You're offering her five million if the marriage lasts the full year. That's a lot of money for a fake wife."
"It's not about the money."
"Then what's it about?"
I stood up and walked to the window. My office building was across the street, and I could see people rushing to work. Normal people with normal problems.
"Control," I said finally.
"Of what?"
"Everything."
Marcus was quiet for a moment. Then he said, "Your father called me last night."
My jaw tightened. "What did he want?"
"To know why you were going into marriage. He thinks Elena is a spy."
"She is."
"And you're marrying her anyway?"
I turned back to Marcus. "Especially because she's a spy."
"I don't understand."
"My father has been controlling this business from the shadows for years. Every decision, every deal, every hire—he has to accept it. But there's one thing he can't control."
"What's that?"
"Who I marry. According to the company charter, my wife immediately gets voting rights on the board. With Elena's votes and mine combined, we can outvote him."
Marcus's eyes widened. "You're using her to take control from Matteo."
"Finally, you're catching on."
"But what happens when she finds out you're using her?"
That was the million-dollar question.
What would happen when Elena learned I wasn't just her ally—I was playing my own game?
"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," I said.
Marcus collected the papers.
"I'll need both signatures by noon if you want this filed today."
"Elena will sign."
"How do you know?"
"Because she doesn't have a choice."
After Marcus left, I sat alone in my office. The contract sat on my desk like a loaded gun.
My phone buzzed. A text from Diego: "Warehouse raid tonight. Victor Carter took the bait."
Perfect. Lorenzo thought he was so smart, using Victor to steal from my father. But I'd been three steps ahead the whole time.
The files Victor stole were fake. I'd planted them in Matteo's safe weeks ago, knowing Lorenzo would finally try to get them.
Tonight, when Lorenzo met with Victor, the FBI would be waiting.
My door opened. Elena walked in, and I felt something twist in my chest. She looked tired.
Her eyes were red, like she'd been crying.
"The contract is ready," I said, pushing it across the desk.
She sat down and started reading.
Her finger drew each line, and I watched her face change as she realized what she was signing.
"Five million dollars?" she asked.
"Consider it payment for services rendered."
"What services?"
"Being my wife. Playing the part. Giving me what I need to take control of this company."
She looked up at me. "And what do I get besides money?"
"Access to everything. Company records, family talks, my father's personal files. Whatever you need to clear your father's name."
"And after a year?"
"You disappear. New identity, new life, wherever you want to go."
She was quiet for a long time. Then she said, "What about Victor?"
"What about him?"
"He's my brother. When this is over, I want him protected."
I almost laughed. Elena still thought she could save Victor. She had no idea what her brother had gotten himself into.
"I'll do what I can," I lied.
She picked up the pen. "You promise? You swear you'll protect him?"
"I promise." The lie came so easily.
But as I watched Elena sign her name, I felt something I didn't expect. Guilt.
"There," she said, sliding the paper back to me. "I hope you know what you're doing."
"I always do." I signed my name next to hers.
Xavier Moretti and Elena Carter, joined together by law and lies.
"When do we do this?" she asked.
"Tomorrow. City Hall, two o'clock. Just us and the judge."
"That's fast."
"Speed is important in business."
She stood up to leave, then turned back. "Xavier?"
"Yes?"
"If you betray me, I'll destroy you."
I looked into her eyes and saw the fire there. The same fire that had drawn me to her in the first place.
"I'd expect nothing less." After she left, I called Diego.
"Is everything set for tonight?" I asked.
"Victor's meeting Lorenzo at the warehouse at midnight. FBI will be in position by eleven."
"And the fake documents?"
"Lorenzo will try to use them to blackmail three senators and a federal judge. When he does, we'll have him on extortion charges."
"Good. What about Matteo?"
"Your father's been asking questions about Elena. He knows something's up."
"Let him ask. After tonight, it won't matter."
"Xavier," Diego said quietly. "Are you sure about this marriage thing? Elena's not just some random girl. She's scary."
"I know exactly what she is."
"Do you?"
I thought about the way Elena had looked at me when she signed the contract. The way she'd made me promise to protect Victor. The way she'd threatened to destroy me if I crossed her.
"She's my wife," I said.
"Tomorrow, anyway."
"And if she finds out you're planning to have her brother arrested?"
"She won't. Not until it's too late."
But as I hung up the phone, I wondered if I'd made a mistake. Elena was smart, and she knew her brother better than anyone. What if she figured out my plan before tomorrow? What if she understood the marriage was just another trap?
My phone rang. The caller ID said "Unknown."
"Xavier Moretti," I answered.
"Hello, Xavier. It's your new father-in-law."
My blood went cold. "Who is this?"
"Robert Carter. Elena's father."
"That's impossible. Robert Carter is dead."
The man on the phone laughed.
"That's what everyone thinks. But I've been very much living, watching from the shadows. Watching you control my daughter."
My hands started shaking. "This is some kind of joke."
"No joke. I faked my death to protect Elena and Victor from your family. But now you've pulled them into danger anyway."
"What do you want?"
"I want you to tear up that contract and let my daughter go."
"Never."
"Then you've made a terrible mistake, Xavier. Because now you're not just fighting Elena. You're fighting me."
The line went dead. I stared at the phone, my mind running. Robert Carter was alive? How was that possible? I pulled out Elena's file and flipped through it. Death document, funeral records, newspaper obituary.
Everything looked real.
But if Robert Carter was living, that changed everything. It meant Elena didn't know her father was still alive. It meant the whole reason for her revenge was based on a lie.
And it meant I'd just married into a family that was even more dangerous than mine.
My door burst open. Gabriella rushed in, her face white with fear.
"Xavier, you need to see this." She threw a newspaper on my desk.
The title made my stomach drop:
"MORETTI HEIR MARRIES MYSTERY WOMAN - ELENA CARTER'S DARK SECRET EXPOSED"
Below the headline was a picture of Elena and me at the restaurant last night. But that wasn't the worst part.
The worst part was the second picture. Elena kissing another man six months ago. The same night she'd been with me.
"Where did you get this?" I asked.
"It doesn't matter. What matters is that your wife-to-be has been playing you from the beginning. She's been working with someone else this whole time."
I looked at the picture again.
The man's face was partly hidden, but I could see enough. Dark hair. Expensive suit. Familiar face.
"No," I whispered.
"Xavier, what is it?"
I looked up at Gabriella, feeling like the world was spinning out of control.
"I know who that man is," I said.
"Who?"
"My brother."