His Contracted Wife: When Revenge Meets Love
Five years ago, Nina Hale lost everything... her family, her reputation, and the man she once loved. Betrayed by her own sister and abandoned by those she trusted most, she disappeared without a trace.
Now she's back.
With a new identity and a burning determination, Nina is ready to reclaim her life and chase the dream she once gave up: becoming a star actress. But her return awakens old enemies, and her scheming sister Lydia is determined to ruin her again.
Just when Nina thinks things can't get worse, she's caught in another trap... and unexpectedly crosses paths with a quiet, lonely little boy.
Ethan Grant hasn't spoken in years.
Feeling responsible for him, Nina agrees to stay and help the child come out of his shell. But she didn't expect Ethan's dangerously charming father, Lucas Grant, to enter the picture.
Cold, powerful, and impossible to read, Lucas slowly finds himself drawn to the woman who brightens his son's world.
What begins as a simple act of kindness soon turns into something far more complicated, because Nina came back for revenge.
She never planned to fall in love.
**********
"I saw you with him," Lucas said quietly, but the tension in his jaw gave him away.
Nina exhaled, crossing her arms. "You don't get to care."
"Don't I?" He stepped in, close enough that she had to tilt her head back to meet his eyes.
"This is just a contract."
"Then why does it bother me?" His hand hovered near her waist, not touching-yet.
"It shouldn't." Her breath faltered.
His gaze darkened, "And yet it does."
Chapters
Share
Chapter 7
The hospital room had grown strangely quiet.
Too quiet.
Nina could feel Lucas Grant's gaze resting on her like the weight of a spotlight. He wasn't speaking. He was studying her... slowly, carefully. The kind of quiet scrutiny that made it feel like every thought in her head had suddenly become visible, as if he could peel back the layers of her mind with nothing more than a look.
Nina shifted uncomfortably against the hospital pillows, her fingers twisting the thin blanket.
Why is he staring like that?
The silence stretched between them, thick and suffocating. She resisted the urge to fidget further, knowing it would only betray her growing unease. His gaze wasn't exactly hostile... there was no anger in those sharp eyes.
But it wasn't friendly either. It was analytical, measured. Like a chess player studying the board before making a decisive move, calculating every possible outcome.
Lucas leaned slightly back in his chair, his long fingers resting loosely on the armrest, the picture of controlled composure.
Even seated, he radiated an effortless authority that filled the room.
Nina found herself holding her breath without meaning to. The man didn't need to raise his voice or make grand gestures. His mere presence commanded attention, demanded respect.
After several long seconds that felt like minutes, he finally spoke.
"Tell me what you want."
Nina blinked, the unexpected question catching her off guard."...Sorry?"
The words felt completely out of context, disconnected from everything that had happened. Lucas's expression didn't change. Not a flicker of impatience, not a hint of clarification. Just that same steady, unreadable gaze.
"Your request."
Nina stared at him, her confusion deepening."...My what?"
Before Lucas could elaborate, Axel suddenly clapped his hands together like he'd been waiting for this moment, practically bouncing in his seat with barely contained energy.
"Oh! Right!"
He grinned widely at Nina, his enthusiasm a stark contrast to his brother's cool demeanor. "My brother means your reward."
Nina's brain stalled again, struggling to process the shift in conversation. "Reward?"
"You saved Ethan," Axel said matter-of-factly, as if this should have been obvious from the start. "Which means Lucas wants to repay you."
He leaned forward conspiratorially, lowering his voice like he was sharing a valuable secret."Trust me, this is a very profitable situation for you. My brother doesn't offer favors lightly. When Lucas Grant owes someone, he pays his debts, and he pays them well."
Nina's eyes widened slightly.
Her brain kicked into overdrive, analyzing the situation from every angle.
Careful.
She had heard enough horror stories about wealthy families to know one crucial thing: the richer someone was, the more suspicious they tended to be. They didn't accumulate fortunes by trusting people at face value.
Especially powerful men like Lucas Grant.
If she acted too eager, they might assume she had orchestrated the whole incident. If she asked for something outrageous, they would brand her a schemer, perhaps even a threat. The Grant family probably had lawyers who could make her life miserable.
If she refused entirely, though... Well, Lucas didn't strike her as a man who enjoyed having his gestures rejected. His entire demeanor screamed control, and people like that rarely appreciated being told "no."
Nina drew a slow, steadying breath, weighing her options. Then she shook her head gently, hoping she appeared more confident than she felt.
"You really don't need to repay me."
Axel blinked, his expression shifting to pure confusion."...What?"
Nina gestured toward the sleeping Ethan, his small chest rising and falling peacefully beneath the hospital blanket. "It's true that I helped him," she said, keeping her voice calm and measured. "But he helped me too."
Lucas's gaze sharpened, his attention now fully focused on her. She could feel the weight of his scrutiny, as if he were dissecting every word.
Nina pressed on, maintaining her composure. "If Ethan hadn't climbed out that window and found help, I'd still be locked in that storage room. Who knows how long before someone would have found me?"
She offered a light shrug, as if the matter were simple. "So if you really think about it... we kind of saved each other. We're even."
Axel stared at her as though she had just torn up a winning lottery ticket and tossed it into the wind."...You're serious?"
"Completely," Nina nodded, her expression earnest.
She even managed a small, reassuring smile, the kind meant to convey sincerity and put others at ease.
Inside her head, however, alarm bells were ringing at full volume.
Abort mission. Abort mission. Do NOT get involved with billionaire drama. Nothing good ever comes from owing favors to people like this.
Axel rubbed the back of his neck, clearly at a loss. His usual charm seemed to falter in the face of her unexpected response."Well... that's very noble of you..."
He glanced sideways at Lucas, as if seeking guidance. Lucas's expression had not improved. In fact, it had darkened considerably, his jaw tightening almost imperceptibly. The temperature in the room seemed to plummet by several degrees, and the air grew thick with unspoken tension.
Nina immediately sensed something had shifted.
Why does he look more annoyed now?
Had she miscalculated? Did she say something offensive? Perhaps wealthy people had different rules about these things, unspoken protocols she'd unknowingly violated.
Her pulse quickened as she tried to read Lucas's inscrutable face, searching for any clue about what she'd done wrong.
Lucas leaned forward slightly, his posture shifting with deliberate intent."You're refusing compensation."
It wasn't a question. It was an observation, delivered with the precision of a man accustomed to analyzing every transaction.
Nina hesitated, suddenly uncertain of her footing."...Yes?"
Silence descended... heavy, uncomfortable, stretching between them like a taut wire. Then Axel suddenly burst out laughing, the sound shattering the tension. "Okay, wow. Lucas, your face right now looks like someone just returned your birthday gift," he said, shaking his head in apparent disbelief.
Lucas ignored him entirely, his focus never wavering from Nina.
Axel turned back to her, his expression more sympathetic now. "My brother has a thing about debts. He hates owing people," he explained, his tone almost apologetic.
"Hates it," he repeated with theatrical emphasis, gesturing for effect.
"Like... physically allergic to the concept."
"So please, just ask for something," Axel continued, spreading his hands in a gesture of encouragement. "Anything at all."
Nina hesitated, her mind racing through possibilities."...Anything?"
"Anything," Axel confirmed.
She glanced at Lucas. His expression remained unreadable, carved from stone. But his gaze was unwavering, fixed on her with an intensity that made her skin prickle. Waiting. Demanding an answer.
Oh boy.
Nina's brain kicked into overdrive, frantically calculating her next move.
Okay, think. What do wealthy people value?
Simple solutions. Direct transactions.Money.
Money solved everything in their world.
And if she asked for money, they'd assume she was straightforward and honest... refreshingly uncomplicated.
Yes. Perfect logic.
Besides, her bank account currently contained approximately the same amount as a moderately successful lemonade stand after a rainy week. Her acting career was hanging by a thread so thin it might snap at any moment. Her rent was due in less than two weeks. Her fridge contained half a bottle of ketchup, some wilted lettuce, and a yogurt whose expiration date she'd stopped checking out of self-preservation.
So yes.
Money would be extremely helpful. Necessary, even.
Nina cleared her throat carefully, steeling herself.
"Well... if you really insist..."
She forced herself to say it, the words feeling strange on her tongue. "...You could give me money."
Keep Reading
The story is getting intense! Switch to App to
Unlock All Chapters
You may also like
9.1
Julian Laurent was known as the most notorious playboy in Rivermont, changing girlfriends as often as he changed his clothes and treating marriage like a joke.
Clara Sterling, on the other hand, had always been the most quiet and obedient daughter of the Sterling family. Raised as the heir since childhood, she had been flawless in every word and every gesture.
A family-arranged marriage forced these two complete opposites into the same life.
On their wedding night, Julian openly made out with a young model at a nightclub.
For the first time, Clara cast aside her propriety, slapping him and demanding a divorce on the spot.
But before the next day was over, their families had forced them to remarry.
This time, Julian managed to stay faithful for a month before he cheated again.
Clara filed for divorce once more, cutting ties with him completely.
However, that very same day, it was revealed that Clara was not the real daughter of the Sterling family, and she was thrown out.
At her lowest point, Julian found her and solemnly promised to protect her from then on.
They remarried again, and from that day forward, the scandals surrounding Julian ceased.
Everyone said Clara was lucky. Even her best friend insisted that Julian had truly settled down, and Clara believed it.
Until she saw him in a hospital corridor, holding her best friend's hand, his voice strained with deep emotion, "I never liked her. You're the one I've always loved!"
It turned out all of his tenderness had been a lie.
This time, she walked away and never looked back.
And the man who had once treated her as disposable only realized after she was gone that he had long since drowned in her quiet love, unable to escape.
8.8
I am the best esports jungler in the league, but I've been hiding a severe wrist injury just to keep my team alive in the semifinals.
Right in the middle of the crucial tie-breaker game, our mid-laner deliberately walked into the enemy team and died without casting a single defensive spell.
He was match-fixing for offshore betting sites, throwing away our entire season for a massive payout.
Because of his betrayal, we had to sub in two terrified rookies, and we were absolutely slaughtered. The stadium crowd booed us out of the arena. The internet exploded with pure vitriol, trending hashtags calling me a washed-up fraud who hid on the bench to save my own stats. The media demanded I retire immediately. My physical therapist gave me a grim ultimatum: my shredded nerves only allow me four hours of playtime a day before my right hand completely locks up.
I destroyed my own body for this team, only to be sold out by a coward and crucified by the very fans I bled for. Why should my legacy end in total disgrace because of someone else's greed?
I refuse to step down. I forced the traitor out, ignored management's safe roster choices, and locked my eyes on the most toxic, universally hated streamer on the platform.
"He's a walking PR nightmare," my coach warned.
I don't care. He is an arrogant, unhinged killer in the game, and I am going to make him mine.
7.5
I was the adopted daughter of the wealthy Ruiz family, but the moment their true heir appeared, I was thrown away like trash.
Not long after being kicked out, my adoptive father and uncle hired a hitman to stage a fatal car crash on Mulholland Drive.
Pinned under an overturned Porsche with a shattered leg, I watched the hitman point a suppressed pistol between my eyes.
"The Ruiz family sends their regards."
Before this, my reputation had already been completely destroyed by a director, a pop idol, and a reality TV star, leaving me blacklisted and universally hated.
My adoptive family didn't just want me ruined; they wanted me permanently silenced to tie up loose ends.
The hitman pulled the trigger, and the original Alicia died in despair, tasting only rain and blood.
Until her last breath, she didn't understand.
Why did the family she loved treat her like a disposable object? Why did those three men maliciously frame her and turn the world against her?
Opening my eyes again, the fear was gone, replaced by an ancient, cosmic indifference.
I, the Arbiter, had taken over this deceased vessel.
Moving faster than the human eye, I crushed the hitman's steel gun with my bare hand and turned his soul into dust.
Looking at the memories of those who wronged this girl, I signed a contract for the very reality show they were starring in.
Since I borrowed this body, taking out the trash is a required courtesy.
9.2
After catching my fiancé cheating with my adoptive sister, I broke off our engagement on the spot.
In retaliation, my abusive adoptive parents sold me to Kaelen Knight, the Lycan King, to clear our pack's debts.
He was rumored to be a ruthless, reclusive monster who had been horribly crippled in a fire centuries ago.
To ensure my absolute ruin, my sister planted fake love letters to my ex in my luggage and anonymously destroyed my university scholarship, cutting off my only escape route to the human world.
"A wolfless whore. You planned to drug me," Kaelen sneered, looking at the fake evidence with absolute disgust.
Believing I was a spy, my new husband had his guards throw me into the freezing woods with the Dire Wolves, leaving me to survive the night alone.
I was just a broken, wolfless Omega, entirely at the mercy of a cruel, powerless Lycan and a family that wanted me dead.
But I was wrong about him being powerless.
One night, I accidentally saw him rise from his wheelchair, his tall frame radiating an overwhelming, lethal aura.
He wasn't crippled at all.
The secret I thought was my shield was actually a loaded gun pointed at my head. Trapped with a terrifying predator, I had to stop playing the victim and fight for my life.
7.2
Allie Patterson poured fifteen years into her husband Grayson’s tech startup, living in a cramped San Jose apartment. Every penny, every late night coding session, was for their shared future, built on his constant claims the company struggled, always on the verge of its big break.
Then, a grant deed arrived: a stunning $4.2 million Atherton villa, paid in full, listing Grayson and an unknown Kacey Schmidt as joint tenants.
Her coffee mug shattered as Allie’s world imploded. Driving to the mansion, she found Kacey in silk pajamas, flaunting a massive pink diamond and, beneath it, Grayson’s grandmother’s heirloom ring – the one he’d tearfully claimed to have lost years ago.
Kacey purred, "He's in the shower. We were so tired last night."
The words were a serrated knife, twisting, confirming years of lies.
Humiliation and rage burned out, leaving a terrifying, absolute silence. All her sacrifice and trust were a cruel, elaborate joke, orchestrated by the man she loved.
Allie calmly took photos, then gave herself one minute in her beat-up car to mourn. When it passed, her tears stopped, replaced by cold, calculated murder in her eyes. She typed a text to Grayson:
"Come home early tonight. I have a surprise for you."
9.0
My father was dying in the ICU, and our family company, the Martin Group, was on the verge of total collapse.
While I was desperately trying to sign the consent form for his life-saving surgery, my fiancé, Eston, sent me a text.
"I told you not to be stubborn. The company is mine by Friday. Beg me, and I might pay for the funeral."
He had been secretly looting my family's assets from the inside, waiting for me to break so he could steal everything. He thought I would crawl back to him in absolute despair, surrendering my father's legacy just to survive. The sheer weight of my helplessness crushed my chest as the heart monitor next to my father's bed let out a frantic, high-pitched scream.
The betrayal tore through me, but the despair quickly hardened into a cold, sharp stone.
Why should I let the man who ruined me dance on my family's grave? Why should I let him walk away with everything while I lost the only family I had left?
I wiped away my tears and blocked his number permanently.
Then, I stepped out into the freezing Manhattan rain and went straight to the top floor of the Maxwell building.
I threw my remaining shares onto the desk of Ellwood Maxwell—the apex predator of Wall Street, and Eston's untouchable, ruthless uncle.
"I want you to marry me," Ellwood said, pushing a marriage contract toward me. "That is the only way your company survives."
I picked up the pen. If Eston wanted to destroy my life, I would become his aunt and make him bow.