They made their way to Tessa’s luxurious mansion, pulling up in front of the grand entrance.“Honey, is this your house?” Adam asked, looking around in awe.Tessa nodded. “I haven’t stayed here much since buying it, but I’ll be living here more often now.”“Where’s the bedroom?” he asked, glancing at the expansive layout.Tessa sat down on a plush couch, feeling the weight of the world on her shoulders. Even with a marriage certificate in hand, she knew her family would not accept this arrangement easily. Trouble was surely on the horizon.Adam wandered through the house, checking the two bedrooms on the first floor. After confirming they were empty, he returned. “Tessa, where’s your room?”Tessa’s guard shot up. “Why do you want to know?”“Come on, now that we’re married, we’ll be sharing a space. You won’t have to be alone anymore,” Adam said with a charming grin.“You’re overthinking this,” Tessa said, her tone even. “I married you out of necessity, so we need to establish a clear

A stunned silence followed.Eleanor’s face turned scarlet with fury. “Married? You can’t be serious!” She whirled toward Ethan’s family. “Please forgive us—this is nothing but a childish act of rebellion!”Cassandra, Ethan’s mother, offered a tight smile, her voice cool. “We understand wedding nerves, Tessa. But this stunt? It’s disrespectful.”Tessa met their gazes without flinching. “This isn’t a stunt. The marriage is real.”Ethan’s face twisted in rage. “Why would you do this, Tessa? Why him?”Her grip on Adam’s arm tightened. “Because I chose him. And there’s nothing anyone can do about it.”Adam’s grin widened as he leaned in slightly, locking eyes with Ethan. “Don’t worry, Ethan. I’ll take good care of her.”“We're not acting. We just got married,” Tessa said, her voice unwavering despite the chaos unfolding.“Do you expect us to believe that nonsense?” Eleanor scoffed, her eyes narrowing with disbelief.Tessa, clearly done with the back-and-forth, pulled the marriage certifica

The Darkclaw CEO, Mr. Wilfred was a ruthless man, he's the king of the underworld in Storm City, he gets whatever he wants. The Armands have been trying to close a deal with him, but he requested sleeping with Tessa before he would grant them the deal. On one occasion he even tried to forcefully sleep with Tessa, but she escaped. If it was left to her, she wanted to forget about the deal with such a cruel organization."That’s not my problem," Eleanor said dismissively. "If he’s truly capable, he’ll survive. If not, I won’t tolerate him—or the child."Adam gave a small laugh. "I accept your challenge."Tessa turned to him, disbelief etched on her face. "Why are you agreeing to this? You know how dangerous this is!"Adam’s expression softened as he looked at her. "I don’t lose, Tessa. And I won’t lose you or our child."Though fear churned in her heart, Tessa found a sliver of comfort in Adam’s confidence.Eleanor crossed her arms. "Five days, Adam. If you fail, the marriage ends—and s

Eleanor raised an eyebrow, skepticism evident in her tone. "Tessa has tried several times and failed to secure that deal. Are you confident?""Of course," Ethan replied, brimming with self-assurance. "I'm good friends with Mr. Wilfred's son, Kelvin. I’ll personally speak to him on the day of the bidding event and make sure we succeed."Ethan was optimistic. He often indulged in wild nights with Kelvin and had recently gifted him his favorite secretary. He was certain Kelvin would return the favor in kind.---After leaving the hospital, Tessa didn’t head home but instead called Adam. "Where are you?" she asked, urgency lacing her tone."I'm at work. What's going on?" Adam replied, his voice steady."Come home after work; I need to talk to you," Tessa said before abruptly ending the call.Adam had initially planned to head home immediately. But recalling Tessa’s urgency, he chose to stay busy until it was nearly time to leave before finally driving back.Despite the range of luxury car

Eleanor scoffed, folding her arms smugly. “Do you really think you can win the bidding? Don’t overestimate yourself, Adam. We’ll secure the bid today—but not because of you.”She cast a glance toward Ethan, her lips curling into a pleased smile. “It’s Ethan who holds the key. He’s close to Kelvin, and a simple word from him will seal the deal.”Adam’s lips twitched upward into a slow smirk. “That’s not necessarily true.”Ethan sneered, his eyes narrowing in disdain. “You’re delusional. You don't belong here, Adam. This isn’t some playground—it’s a battlefield. You don’t have the slightest chance.”Adam leaned back in his seat, arms draped casually over the armrests. “You sound awfully confident for someone who hides behind connections.”Ethan’s jaw clenched, and his eyes darkened with irritation. “I don’t need to hide behind anything. I know exactly what I bring to the table—unlike you, a useless parasite leeching off others.”Adam’s expression didn’t falter. “Big words from someone r