HIS CONTRACT BRIDE

"Alright then, let's get through this," he muttered, his voice barely audible after entering the room. It was a stark contrast to the usual energy, akin to a distant rumble of thunder in the spacious sitting room where my mother, Jane Jordan, the esteemed heiress of Jordan Jewelleries, sat alongside the dark-haired, stern judge at an oak table placed purposefully in the center. I, a bride dressed in a modest lavender dress and silver heels, felt utterly out of place, unaware of the gravity of the situation unfolding. The judge asked, "Ashley, do you solemnly swear to marry Alexander as your legally bound spouse?" Closing my eyes, I drew in a deep breath and replied, "I do." In that moment, my life irrevocably changed, marrying a man whose true nature I knew not.