As the sun peeked through the curtains, casting gentle rays across the room, Isabella stirred from her slumber.
With a soft groan, she shifted in the bed, feeling a naked body beside her.
Panic fluttered in her chest as she turned her head and registered the sight of a man sleeping peacefully beside her.
He had his back to her, causing her not to see his face.
Who was this man lying next to her? How had she ended up here?
Her head throbbed faintly, and as she tried to sit up, a wave of dizziness washed over her.
Confusion clouded her mind as she looked around the unfamiliar room, the satin sheets clinging to her skin like a guilty secret.
As Isabella watched his broad shoulders rising and falling rhythmically with each breath, fragmented memories of the previous night began to surface – a crowded bar, laughter, clinking glasses, and then … nothing.
She couldn't recall how she had ended up here, in this bed, with him. But one thing was sure - she had spent the night with a stranger.
"Oh God, this is my first time," Isabella muttered nervously, her heart pounding in her chest.
"Damn it! How could I make such a stupid mistake? I'm married," she berated herself, her hands trembling as she grabbed at her hair in frustration.
The thought of her husband, Alexander, finding out filled her with dread.
Alexander was not just any man – he was one of the most powerful individuals in the country. A billionaire with immense influence and authority, at just 35 years old, he commanded both wealth and military power.
She knew he wouldn't hesitate to punish her, perhaps even with death.
Even though their marriage was solely a contractual arrangement, he had made it abundantly clear that fidelity was non-negotiable.
Just as Isabella was about to be consumed by fear, the man beside her woke up.
Slowly, his eyes fluttered open, and he pulled the cover down from his face. Isabella felt her heart stop the moment she beheld the face of the man.
"Holy shit," she gasped, her hand flying to her mouth as shock and disbelief washed over her.
It couldn't be true, she thought frantically. But no one would recognize this face wrong even if it turned to dust - it was exactly none other than her husband, Alexander Stone.
By all rights, Isabella should be glad she hadn't betrayed her marriage. But in this case, she only felt the tense silence that hung between them like a heavy shroud.
Alexander Stone didn't play by common sense. Her marriage to him was never a normal one.
She wouldn't forget how sternly he'd warned her two years ago when they'd gotten married - no physical intimacy beyond what was strictly necessary for appearances.
Yet now, here they were, tangled in the same bed, naked.
Isabella swallowed hard, her throat dry with apprehension. She knew exactly how much Alexander hated people who broke his rules. None were said to be spared of his punishment.
Just as the imagery of herself dying in the horrible dungeon crept into Isabella's mind, his voice cutting through the silence like a knife.
"Good morning," he said, his voice husky with sleep.
"Good morning," she managed to say, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Do you remember what happened last night?" he inquired, seated on the bed with his back against the headboard.
Isabella lowered her head, her fingers tightly clutching the sheets in fear. He was the only person in the entire world who could instill such deep fear in her core.
Beneath her seemingly innocent Barbie doll facade, Isabella was a fierce, unyielding woman who feared nothing and no one. She was like a wild tiger, untamed and beyond control.
And Alexander, he was a man of principle and authority. But he was beyond far away to know about her true nature.
They had been married for almost two years now, but their union was not born out of love or desire. It was a marriage of duty, a final wish granted before her father's passing.
“I'm asking you a question,” his voice sounded again, cold as always.
Her mind raced, trying to formulate a response.
"I just...I don't remember much from last night." she stammered, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.
A crease formed between his eyebrows as he studied her with intensity in his gaze. Slowly, Alexander pushed the covers off his body and swung his feet to the floor.
Isabella anxiously observed his bare back, noting the tautness of his muscles. Even as he sat on the bed, his entire presence seemed to command the space of the king-sized bed.
He was unlike any man she had encountered before, his sheer size and stature commanding attention. From the powerful lines of his arms to the solid bulk of his torso, every inch of him exuded a sense of raw power and masculinity. It was as if he were a force of nature contained within the confines of a human form, his presence both awe-inspiring and daunting to behold.
Alexander reached for a towel from the nightstand and wrapped it around his lower body.
"From now on, you are not going to those places, and you are forbidden to drink," he declared, his voice carrying an air of dominance. "If you want to drink, do it only at home, and alone."
Isabella gazed at him with wide eyes, but she didn't dare utter a single word.
Alexander strode into the bathroom, the click of the door signaling his departure from the room, leaving Isabella alone on the bed.
Isabella collapsed onto the bed, a frustrated scream muffled by the pillow as she buried her face in its softness. Why did he have to return so suddenly?
She knew that with his return, her fleeting sense of freedom would once again slip through her fingers.
Despite the significant fifteen-year age gap between Isabella and Alexander, their families had pressured them into marriage. However, before the wedding, the two had secretly agreed on a contract stipulating that they would divorce once she graduated.
In fact, since their marriage, Isabella had only seen him twice. One at their wedding, and the other at her father's funeral, which had taken place almost a week after their wedding.
Then Alexander didn't show up anymore, leaving her only with a cold marriage certificate.
Isabella had no problem with that. Not having to deal with that iceberg face every day made her days much easier. She had even hoped such peaceful days could last until her graduation, a milestone she was only three months away from reaching.
Suddenly yet, out of nowhere, Alexander had reappeared.
And what's worse, the first day he came back, she was caught by him in the bar and had a one-night stand with him inexplicably. Why should her life get so confusing?
