📖 His Favorite Mistake
Chapter Two: A Wife in Name Only
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Zara didn't sleep that night.
She sat on the edge of her bed, hugging her knees to her chest, replaying every second of what happened in the study.
Xander had been watching her for months. He knew things she never told anyone. Things she thought were private.
She felt exposed. Like she had walked into a trap… and locked the door behind her.
But what scared her most?
She still didn't know what he planned to do next.
---
The next morning, she came down for breakfast out of habit.
And there he was.
Perfectly dressed. Calm. Cold.
Xander Voss never smiled. Not really. But today… there was a slight curve on his lips.
Like he had already won.
"Sleep well, wife?" he asked without looking at her.
Zara didn't answer.
He took a sip of his coffee. "You broke the first rule."
"No questions?" she whispered.
"No lies," he replied. "And you lied when you pretended you could handle this."
Her jaw tightened. "I'm not afraid of you."
That made him laugh softly. "You should be."
---
She stood there for a moment, staring at him.
"You said no touching, no love, no questions," she said. "But you never said anything about fairness."
Xander raised an eyebrow. "Fairness?"
"I want something in return."
Now he looked up.
Bold move, Zara. Brave… or stupid.
"What exactly do you want?"
She took a breath. "A job. In your company. I'm not going to sit in this house like a prisoner."
He stared at her for a long time, as if searching her face for something.
Then he nodded once.
"You start Monday. As my assistant."
Zara blinked. "Your assistant?"
His voice dropped lower. "You'll follow me. Everywhere."
---
The next few days were torture.
Xander was strict, cold, and annoyingly perfect.
He barked instructions. She followed. He didn't look at her twice.
But the staff? They looked.
They whispered.
None of them believed she was really his wife.
Especially Mira, his stunning, long-legged secretary who had obviously been waiting for Zara to disappear.
Zara caught her smirking more than once.
"You won't last two weeks," Mira said one afternoon, cornering her in the elevator.
Zara smiled sweetly. "And you've been here how many years without a ring?"
Mira's smile faded.
Ding. Elevator doors opened.
Zara walked out like she owned the building — even though her legs were shaking.
---
That night, she found herself outside Xander's office again.
This time, she knocked.
No answer.
She opened the door slowly.
He was there, shirt sleeves rolled up, tie loose around his neck, typing something intensely.
He didn't look up. "I said no questions, Zara."
She stepped inside anyway. "Good. I have a statement."
He glanced at her — surprised, maybe impressed.
She walked up to the desk. "I want answers. Not about my father. About you."
His expression turned to ice.
"You don't get to ask."
"Then why marry me?"
He stood up slowly, walking around the desk until he was right in front of her.
"I told you," he said, voice like steel. "To hurt the man who hurt me."
"And what about hurting me?" she asked, her voice cracking. "What did I ever do to you?"
There was a pause.
A long one.
For the first time, something flickered in his eyes. Regret? Pain?
But then it vanished.
"You married the villain, Zara," he said. "Don't expect a fairytale."
---
She turned to leave.
But his next words made her stop cold.
"You weren't his only daughter."
Zara froze.
"What did you say?"
Xander walked back to his desk, picked up a folder, and tossed it onto the table near her.
Inside… was a photo.
Two little girls.
One of them was clearly Zara.
The other?
She didn't recognize.
"Who is she?"
Xander's face darkened. "Your sister."
Zara's breath caught in her throat.
"No. That's not possible. I'm an only child."
He looked her dead in the eyes. "Not anymore."
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To Be Continued...