Eleanor POV
One month of marriage teaches you what torture really is.
Eleanor used to think torture was James ignoring her. She used to think torture was eating alone in a massive dining room or sleeping in a bed that was prepared for someone else. She used to think torture was being married to someone who despised her.
She was wrong.
Real torture is watching someone you love treat you with distance when they're sitting three feet away. Real torture is falling in love with your husband and knowing he's only being kind because he feels guilty. Real torture is wanting something you can never have because the contract says you're married but the heart says something else.
Eleanor is falling in love with James.
She tries not to. She tells herself it's foolish. She reminds herself that he married her because of a contract signed before she was born. She reminds herself that he's only teaching her because he wants her to survive in his world, not because he actually cares about her survival.
But every time he shows her something new, Eleanor feels her defenses crack a little more. Every time he defends her at a dinner party, she falls a little deeper. Every time he smiles at her like she's said something clever, her heart breaks and rebuilds itself a thousand times over.
Eleanor has become very good at hiding this.
She moves through the penthouse with more confidence now. She speaks up in conversations instead of hiding. She lets herself take up space. But when James is near, she keeps her distance. She keeps her heart locked away. She keeps herself safe by not letting him know that she's drowning.
Thursday night there's a business dinner.
It's James's company and his competitors and his allies all in one room trying to figure out who's going to win the next major acquisition. Eleanor sits next to James at the table and watches him work. He's brilliant. He's strategic. He's in complete control of every conversation.
Until he's not.
James is explaining an acquisition strategy for a company that's struggling in the tech sector. He talks about buying them cheap, restructuring the workforce, cutting costs, maximizing profit. He's explaining it like it's the obvious choice. Like there's no other way to see this situation.
Eleanor listens and hears the flaw immediately.
She sees it so clearly that she's surprised no one else is seeing it. James is focusing on short-term profit but he's missing the long-term value. The company he wants to buy has a research division that's developing technology that could revolutionize the industry in five years. If James cuts costs, he'll destroy that research. He'll make fast money but he'll lose something much more valuable.
Old Eleanor would have stayed quiet. Old Eleanor would have let James make this mistake because correcting a powerful man was too dangerous. Old Eleanor would have disappeared into the background and let him fail.
New Eleanor raises her hand.
The table goes quiet immediately. It's not appropriate for a wife to interrupt a business discussion. It's definitely not appropriate for a wife to contradict her husband in front of his competitors.
James looks at her like she's just thrown a grenade into the middle of dinner.
"What," he says. It's not really a question.
Eleanor's hands are shaking but she doesn't stop.
"You're looking at this wrong," she says. "You're seeing short-term profit but you're missing long-term value. The company has a research division developing technology that could change everything in five years. If you cut costs, you destroy that research. You make fast money but you lose something worth billions."
James stares at her.
The entire table is staring at her.
Eleanor keeps talking because she's already committed and stopping now would be worse than continuing.
"Instead of cutting costs, you invest in the research," she continues. "You support the division that's developing new technology. You let the company keep its foundation while you stabilize its operations. In five years, the technology is ready. You own the company and the innovation and you own the future of the entire industry."
The table is completely silent.
One of James's competitors, a man named Richard, leans forward.
"That's actually brilliant," he says.
James hasn't looked away from Eleanor.
"Explain more," he says.
Eleanor explains her thinking. She explains the market trends she's noticed while reading business reports at the penthouse. She explains why investing in research creates more value than cutting costs. She explains the long game instead of the quick win.
When she finishes, the entire table is quiet again.
James says something that Eleanor will remember for the rest of her life.
"You are right," he says. "That is a better strategy."
He doesn't just admit she's right. He says it in front of his competitors. He says it like she's not a woman who married him by contract. He says it like she's someone worth listening to. He says it like she matters.
The dinner continues but everything has changed.
Eleanor watches James work through the rest of the evening and she sees something different in his eyes when he looks at her. He's not looking at the poor girl he was forced to marry. He's not looking at someone he tolerates because of a contract. He's looking at Eleanor like she's someone he actually wants in the room.
When they get home, James doesn't go to his office. He takes Eleanor's hand and leads her to the balcony. The city is glowing below them. The night is cool and endless and full of possibility.
"You were brilliant tonight," James says.
Eleanor can barely breathe.
"I just saw something you missed," she says.
"No," James says. "You saw something I was too close to see. You saw the bigger picture. You saw what I couldn't see."
He steps closer and Eleanor feels her heart stop completely.
"I didn't marry a contract," James continues. "I married a woman who understands business better than most people I've worked with. I married someone who's brave enough to challenge me in front of competitors. I married someone real."
Eleanor opens her mouth to respond but before she can say anything, James's phone rings.
He ignores it.
The phone rings again.
"It's Isabelle," Eleanor says, looking at the screen.
James sighs and answers.
"What," he says into the phone. He listens for a moment and his expression changes. "When?" He listens more. "Fine. Tomorrow morning."
He hangs up and looks at Eleanor.
"Isabelle wants to meet with you," he says. "Immediately."
Eleanor's stomach drops.
"Why," she asks.
"She didn't say. But when my sister uses that tone of voice, it means something important has happened."
Eleanor feels the fragile thing that was building between her and James suddenly feel very dangerous. Isabelle is James's family. Isabelle is someone Eleanor hasn't met yet. Isabelle is someone who might tell James things that will change everything between them.
"She's protective of me," James says carefully. "She might be difficult."
"What would she want with me," Eleanor asks.
James pulls her close and Eleanor realizes she's shaking.
"I think," he says slowly, "my sister wants to meet the woman who just made me question everything I thought I knew about strategy and business and possibly everything else."
He kisses her forehead and Eleanor feels like she's standing on the edge of something she can't take back.
"Get some sleep," James says. "Tomorrow's going to be complicated."
Eleanor goes to bed but she doesn't sleep. She lies awake thinking about a woman she's never met. A woman who is James's sister. A woman who might decide whether Eleanor belongs in this family or not.
At three in the morning, Eleanor's phone buzzes. A text from an unknown number: "Hi Eleanor. I'm Isabelle. James's sister. I'll be at the penthouse at ten tomorrow. We need to talk about whether you're using my brother or if you actually care about him. See you then."
Eleanor stares at the text and realizes that everything good she just built with James is about to be tested.
And she has no idea if she's going to survive it.