Chapter 5

“Lift your face and look at me.”

The command came out sudden and sharp, cutting through the silence of the office. His tone left no room for negotiation, and yet… she didn’t move.

Her head stayed bowed, her gaze locked firmly on her lap as though her life depended on it. The stubborn refusal to obey him—to obey Caius Grivano—was almost unthinkable. And still, here she sat, trembling but unyielding.

He leaned back slightly in his chair, studying her. He didn’t know what to make of this woman.

A few minutes ago, she had been fierce enough to lash out at him, spitting fire when he accused her of something unforgivable. Brave enough to defy his threat of death. And now? Now she couldn’t even look him in the eye.

It was infuriating. It was fascinating.

“Noelle Grivano.”

Her head snapped up so fast it startled even her.

The use of that name—his name—hung heavy between them.

A slow smirk curved his lips at her shocked expression. He let it linger just long enough to unsettle her before letting it fade. “Seems my last name has more weight on you than my threats.”

Heat bloomed across her cheeks before she could stop it.

She hadn’t expected him to call her that. Not now. Not so soon. They had signed the contract mere minutes ago—ink barely dry on paper—and yet hearing his surname tied to hers felt like the ground had shifted beneath her.

He called me by his last name… did I hear wrong?

But his teasing look confirmed she hadn’t. And that realization made her chest tighten strangely.

Caius Grivano did not tease. Everyone knew that. Everyone feared him precisely because he was too cold, too controlled, too merciless to ever indulge in something as light as teasing. His subordinates would have been shaken to their core had they witnessed this moment.

But she didn’t know that. She had only met him today.

If only she realized how unusual this was—how much of a change she had already sparked in him—perhaps she would have run before it was too late.

He studied her again, and this time, amusement flickered briefly across his lips.

“That’s right,” he said slowly, voice low and deliberate.

Her breath caught as their eyes locked.

“You signed the paper,” he continued. “My name is yours now. You are Mrs. Grivano.”

The title made her tremble, her pulse quickening wildly in her chest.

Mrs. Grivano.

It was supposed to be nothing more than formality, a label, a legal convenience. And yet when he said it, it sounded… intimate. Dangerous.

For a woman of twenty-three who had never even been courted properly, never held a man’s hand with affection, the sound of it was overwhelming. Foreign. Dizzying.

She bit her lower lip unconsciously, a feeble attempt to ground herself. This is temporary. It’s just a contract. Don’t forget that.

But a softer, more reckless voice whispered traitorously in her mind—If only it weren’t.

“You bear my name now,” he said, his tone steadier, more controlled. “That means you bow to no one. Not even me. As my wife, you are my equal. Not my enemy.”

His voice carried the authority of a man who had been married before, who knew the weight of such vows.

“A Grivano does not show weakness,” he continued firmly. “We display strength—in our choices, in our silence, in our very presence. You’ll learn that soon enough.”

His gaze sharpened, waiting for her response.

She drew herself upright, forcing her shoulders back. Her voice was soft but steady. “I understand.”

For a heartbeat, something flickered in his eyes—satisfaction. Approval.

“Good,” he said simply.

He leaned back in his chair, the movement fluid, deliberate, like a man returning to control after briefly letting it slip.

“Go home,” he ordered calmly. “Pack your belongings. My driver will collect you this evening. From now on, you live with me. In my home.”

Her eyes widened in shock. “This evening? That’s— that’s hardly any time at all! How am I supposed to pack everything by then?”

He regarded her panic with infuriating calm, his face unreadable. “You don’t need everything. Just the essentials. The rest will be provided.”

Her lips parted in protest. “But… I’ll be leaving my house for three years.”

She sounded small then, vulnerable, and something in her words tugged at him—but he did not soften.

Instead, he picked up his phone. His tone was clipped, dismissive, when he spoke into the receiver. “Buy me an entire building. I want the key to one apartment delivered to my home by tomorrow morning.”

When he ended the call, her stomach sank. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong.

“What did you just do?” she asked, her voice trembling.

He met her gaze without blinking, his expression as calm as if he were discussing the weather. “I purchased the building where your apartment is located. From now on, the unit you live in belongs to you. You can keep it, rent it out, or sell it. Do as you please. If you prefer, I’ll arrange for someone to manage it while you stay with me.”

Her jaw dropped. She could barely form the words. “You… you bought the entire building? Just like that?”

He didn’t flinch. Didn’t blink. “It’s more convenient.”

“For who?” she whispered, her disbelief plain.

“For you,” he said, as though that explained everything.

It didn’t. Not at all.

“Convenient? That’s not convenience, that’s—”

He raised a hand, silencing her effortlessly.

“Consider it your dowry. If it’s not enough, I’ll find you something better. A penthouse. A villa. It doesn’t matter.” His tone was dismissive, as though real estate were no more significant than groceries. “Property is a trifle. Don’t waste energy worrying over it.”

The sheer absurdity of it overwhelmed her. He was speaking of millions as though they were pennies. Her head spun, and for once, she couldn’t even find the words to argue.

Satisfied with her stunned silence, he turned back to the papers on his desk. The scratch of his pen against contracts filled the room, his attention no longer on her.

“Go home,” he said without looking up. “I have work to finish.”

Just like that, she was dismissed.

Her lips parted, but no sound came out. The weight of his words still pressed heavily against her chest. She swallowed hard, gathered her purse with unsteady fingers, and rose to her feet.

The office suddenly felt colder.

Without another word, she walked to the door, each step echoing louder than it should have. She paused briefly, as though wanting to look back—but she didn’t.

She slipped out quietly, the heavy door shutting behind her with a final thud.

Inside the office, Caius lifted his head briefly, eyes lingering on the space she had just left. His hand stilled on the paper, grip tightening on the pen.

Something in him shifted again, something he refused to name.

Then he exhaled, slow and measured, and forced his gaze back down.

Work. Always work. It was easier than everything else.

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