Her heart skipped a beat at Theodore’s teasing words. The heat rose to her cheeks as she fumbled for a reply.

Theodore’s fingers suddenly tightened around her chin, forcing her to look up at him. His eyes were icy, his voice biting. “Don’t be foolish, Ariana. I will never have feelings for you. You’d better not entertain such fanciful notions.”

Theodore’s demeanor was as icy as a winter storm, a stark contrast to his earlier more amicable demeanor at the Edwards family’s house. Ariana felt a flush of embarrassment as she confronted him with a question. “Why did you come to the Edwards family’s house and help me so much?” she asked. “Don’t use the property as an excuse. I know you don’t need it.’

Theodore sneered, his eyes cold and distant. “You forget, Ariana,” he said, his voice laced with disdain, “that you are my wife, though in name only. I can’t allow anyone to mistreat my property.”

Ariana felt a pang of hurt and frustration, realizing that Theodore’s intentions were far from noble. To Theodore, she was merely a possession, a toy to be used and discarded as he saw fit.

With a sneer on his lips, Theodore’s eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. “Let’s get one thing straight, Ariana. This is not a love story. It’s a business arrangement. You’re nothing more than a bargaining chip in a game that I hold all the cards in. I have the final say when the game can end. You only need to play the role of my wife obediently. I don’t need your love or affection, nor do I want it. And you, my dear, will do well to remember that.”

Ariana’s eyes blazed with anger, and she struggled to pull her face away from Theodore’s grip. “I’m fully aware of that. I’m not stupid. I know that this marriage is nothing more than a sham. I asked those questions because I was afraid that you would fall in love with me and that would be troublesome. You tricked me and took away my mother’s belongings. I will never, ever fall in love with you. I despise you, and I always will!”

with every word until it echoed through the car, the tension

countenance shifted at Ariana’s outburst. However, she couldn’t care less about his reaction. When the car pulled up to the Anderson family’s mansion, she bolted out of

She was mortified that she had let herself entertain the thought that Theodore might have

love or compassion. He

Ariana realized that she was too hasty and reckless during their

Ariana decided to extend an olive branch to Theodore by cooking him a midnight snack. She hoped to mend their relationship and seize the chance to clear the air between them

Theodore in his bedroom, but he

the study where she saw

knocked on the door, but the silence only

soon as she did, her eyes fell upon the empty room. But the papers and books scattered over the desk suggested he had only

waiting with the tray of food in her hands. Her mind resolved to leave it on the desk so that Theodore would notice

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