CHAPTER SIX — SIGNING WITH THE DEVIL
The contract lay on the glass table like a silent threat.
Pages and pages of neatly printed clauses, each one carrying the weight of a decision Naomi wasn't sure she had the strength to make. Adrian had placed the document in front of her, along with a sleek black pen. Then he stepped back, giving her space… or perhaps watching her struggle.
The penthouse felt too quiet. Too tall. Too expensive. Naomi sat stiffly on the couch, staring at the contract while her heart hammered against her ribs.
"You're shaking," Adrian observed from across the room.
"I'm not," she lied.
He arched a brow. "You are."
Naomi closed her eyes and exhaled. "You're really serious about this marriage."
Adrian's voice was calm, but there was a sharp, underlying urgency he could not hide. "I don't make careless decisions. And I don't waste time."
He walked toward her with slow, measured steps, stopping just close enough that she could feel the shift of the air. Naomi forced herself to meet his gaze. He didn't look manipulative or cruel—just determined. A man backed into a corner he refused to remain in.
"You want my grandfather's company that badly?" she asked softly.
"No," Adrian said. "I want control. My father almost destroyed the Cross legacy. I'm the only one capable of restoring it."
"And you need a wife for that."
"Yes."
She swallowed. "Why me? There are a thousand beautiful women who would marry you for free."
Adrian's jaw flexed. "Exactly. Women who would leak information. Seek attention. Sell stories to the media. I don't need a trophy. I need someone who will not betray me."
Naomi lowered her gaze. "And you're sure I won't?"
"I know you won't," he said quietly. "You have too much to lose."
Naomi flinched at the accuracy. He was right. She had nothing—no safety, no allies, no home. And somewhere out in the city, a shadow from her past was searching for her again.
Her fingers brushed the first page of the contract.
Contract Marriage: Naomi Barrett & Adrian Cross
Duration: 12 months
Her chest tightened.
She continued scanning the pages.
Clause 3: Public Appearances
The couple will attend social, corporate, and family events together.
Clause 5: Privacy
Both parties are entitled to personal space unless safety is compromised.
Clause 8: Intimacy
No physical intimacy is required unless mutually agreed.
Naomi's cheeks grew warm.
She hurriedly skipped that part.
Then—
Clause 10: Protection
Adrian Cross is obligated to ensure the physical safety of Naomi Barrett for the full duration of the agreement.
Her breath caught.
Adrian spoke quietly behind her. "You asked for safety. I'm offering it."
Naomi lifted her gaze slowly, meeting his intense stare. Adrian studied her as though he could see the fear she worked so hard to hide.
"What are you really running from, Naomi?" he asked.
She hesitated. "Adrian… please."
"Tell me." His voice softened. "You're not alone anymore."
She shook her head. "You don't understand. If they find out where I am—"
"They won't," he cut in firmly. "Not unless you continue living the way you were. Unprotected. Exposed."
Naomi bit her lower lip. "And being married to you will fix that?"
"Yes."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because no one touches what belongs to me."
The way he said it—cold, final, absolute—sent a shiver racing through her body.
Belong.
She shouldn't like the sound of that.
She shouldn't feel safer hearing it.
She shouldn't want to believe him.
But she did.
Naomi looked back down at the contract.
Her vision blurred slightly as fear, exhaustion, and defeat warred with desperation. She thought of her tiny apartment with the broken locks. The phone calls in the night. The letters slipped under her door. The footsteps she kept hearing behind her.
She thought of the shadowed figure watching her from across the street last week.
Her hand trembled.
Adrian stepped closer, his voice barely above a whisper. "Naomi."
She turned.
"I'm not promising a fairy tale," he said. "But I'm promising protection. And I always fulfill my promises."
Something in his tone—steady, unshakeable—pierced straight through her defenses.
She picked up the pen.
His eyes didn't leave her.
With slow, deliberate strokes, Naomi signed her name.
Naomi Barrett.
Her signature looked small beneath the weight of everything it represented.
She set the pen down with a trembling breath. Adrian picked up the document, scanned the signature, and for the first time since she met him… something flickered in his eyes. Something almost like relief.
Then, without breaking eye contact, he signed his name beside hers.
Adrian Cross.
Two signatures.
One contract.
No turning back.
Naomi's pulse thundered in her ears. "So… what now?"
Adrian closed the folder. "Now," he said, his voice low and certain, "you move in."
"T-Tonight?"
"Yes."
She hesitated. "My things—"
"I already sent someone to collect them."
Her eyes widened. "You what?!"
"I knew you'd sign." He shrugged. "It's efficient."
Naomi wanted to argue, but the exhaustion in her bones collapsed her words. She sank back into the couch, overwhelmed.
Adrian stepped toward her once more. He extended a hand—not demanding, not forceful. Simply waiting.
"Come," he said softly. "Let me show you your room."
"Room?" she repeated.
"Until you're comfortable," he clarified. "I'm not rushing anything."
Naomi placed her hand in his. His grip was firm, warm, grounding. As he led her down a long marble hallway, she glanced back briefly at the contract on the table.
Her name beside his.
Her fate tied to a billionaire with a storm behind his eyes.
She wasn't sure if she had saved herself…
or stepped into something much darker.
END OF CHAPTER SIX