UNDYING LOVE: Between Power and Pain

{The past is in the past}

Amber Gareth believed love was something you survived, not something you chased.

Once upon a time, she loved deeply—recklessly, hopelessly. And when that love shattered, she buried it so far beneath her confidence, sarcasm, and sharp tongue that even she forgot what it felt like to hope again. Now, she lives by one rule: no relationships, no attachments, no love.

Marriage?
Out of the question.

Amber is rich, famous, desired, and completely uninterested. With her curvy figure, unapologetic confidence, and biting honesty, men fall at her feet—but she walks past them without a second glance. To the world, she’s the fearless Gareth sister. To herself, she’s a woman who refuses to bleed again.

But fate has its own cruel sense of timing.

Alexander Wilson is everything Amber avoids.

Cold. Powerful. Untouchable.

As the president of Wilson Group, Alex has built an empire on discipline and silence. He doesn’t smile, doesn’t date, and doesn’t explain himself. The board fears him. The media speculates about him. And society whispers behind his back—why is a man this successful still unmarried?

What they don’t know is that Alex already lost the only woman he ever loved.

The past didn’t just wound him—it froze him.

Now, pressure mounts. Investors demand stability. The board demands a wife. His parents demand grandchildren. And Alex is forced to make a decision he never planned to face again.

Marry… or lose control of everything he built.

So when an unexpected solution presents itself, Alex does the unthinkable—he proposes a contract marriage.

No love.
No emotions.
No expectations.

Just a signature.

Amber never planned to cross paths with Alexander Wilson. And she definitely never planned to become his wife.

But circumstances collide, families interfere, and a deal is struck—one that benefits them both. A temporary marriage. A public image. A private agreement.

What could possibly go wrong?

Living under the same roof was never part of the plan.
Neither was late-night arguments.
Lingering glances.
Unspoken jealousy.
Or the way Alex’s cold eyes soften only when Amber isn’t looking.

As the contract blurs and emotions creep in, the past begins to claw its way back to the surface.

Secrets unfold.
Old wounds reopen.
Ex-lovers resurface.
And truths long buried threaten to destroy everything.

Amber’s sharp tongue hides a heart still afraid to love.
Alex’s silence hides a pain he never healed from.

And when love finally knocks—harder than either of them expects—the question remains:

Can two broken people risk loving again… without losing themselves?

Or will the past prove that some hearts are never meant to heal?

They crept in—whispers disguised as business news, comments buried under glossy headlines, a name slipped casually into conversations that weren't meant to matter.


She was scrolling through her phone, coffee untouched, when a photo flashed across her screen.


Alexander Wilson, exiting a private members' club downtown.


Beside him—elegant, composed, undeniably familiar to the media—was her.


Amber stared at the image longer than she meant to.


Isabella looked exactly like someone from Alex's world: tall, refined, expensive in a way that whispered old money and quiet entitlement. Her hand wasn't on his arm, but it hovered close enough to suggest history. Comfort. Access.


WILSON GROUP PRESIDENT SPOTTED WITH FORMER FLAME — BUSINESS OR SOMETHING MORE?


Amber scoffed softly and locked her phone.


Because nothing in her life was allowed to stay uncomplicated for long.


She heard movement behind her and didn't turn.


"You're up early," Alex said, voice neutral.


"Couldn't sleep," she replied, lifting her cup at last.


He walked to the counter, pouring himself coffee. She watched his reflection in the marble—calm, controlled, unreadable.


"So," she said lightly, eyes still forward. "Your past seems very photogenic."


"Hard not to." She finally looked at him. "She's beautiful."


Amber arched a brow. "That's not a denial."


She smiled, sharp and practiced. "Relax. I'm not asking for explanations. That's not part of the contract, remember?"


Her smile didn't reach her eyes. "How else should I feel?"


Alex studied her, clearly weighing his words. "Isabella and I ended things years ago."


"And yet she keeps ending up beside you."


"She's connected to the board," he said. "And to certain investors. Proximity is… unavoidable."


Amber took another sip of coffee, ignoring the unfamiliar tightness in her chest.


"Must be comforting," she said. "Being around someone who knows you from before all this."


Alex's gaze sharpened. "You're not her replacement."


The words landed heavier than either of them expected.


Amber laughed softly, but it lacked humor. "You didn't need to say that unless you thought I was."


"Then don't underestimate her," Amber said, standing. "Women don't hover like that unless they want something back."


Alex watched her walk toward the hallway.


"And Amber," he added. "This doesn't change anything."


She paused at the doorway, back to him.


"No," she said quietly. "It just reminds me that some ghosts don't stay buried."


Later that evening, Amber attended a charity meeting she barely listened through. Her phone buzzed nonstop—messages from friends, from Camila, from strangers who suddenly had opinions about her marriage.


Is everything still real between you two?


Across town, Isabella Moore sat in a private lounge, smiling as she watched the speculation explode.


"Interesting," she murmured, eyes gleaming. "So this is the wife."


Back at the penthouse, Alex stood at the window, city lights reflecting off glass and doubt.


For the first time since the contract began, the past had stepped directly into the present.


Chapter 65 - Chapter 65 – The Ex Factor