When Sophia "Sophie" Chen loses everything in a single devastating week—her job, her apartment, and nearly her sanity—she never imagined that a chance encounter with Manhattan's most elusive billionaire would change her life forever.
Alexander "Alex" Blackstone, heir to the Blackstone Global empire, is a man haunted by tragedy and bound by duty. Scarred both physically and emotionally from a car accident that claimed his fiancée's life, he's spent three years in self-imposed isolation. But when his grandfather's will threatens to strip him of his inheritance unless he marries within six months, Alex makes an impulsive decision that will shock New York's elite society.
One collision on a rain-soaked street. One contract. One year of pretending to be the perfect couple.
Sophie needs money to save her sick father and rebuild her shattered life. Alex needs a wife to secure his billion-dollar legacy. Their marriage of convenience seems like the perfect solution—until the lines between pretense and reality begin to blur.
But the past has a way of catching up, and when dark secrets surface about the accident that changed Alex's life, Sophie discovers she's not just married to a man—she's bound to his demons. As passion ignites between them and their fake marriage starts feeling dangerously real, they must decide: Is love worth fighting for when the truth could destroy everything?
In a world where power is everything and trust is a luxury few can afford, Sophie and Alex will learn that the heart doesn't honor contracts—and sometimes the greatest risk is letting someone in.

One year. One lie. One chance at something real.

BOUND BY CONTRACT, FREED BY LOVE

 Chapter 27:  Unspoken Affections


The grand hall of Blackstone Manor gleamed under the crystal chandeliers, casting prismatic light over the faces gathered in carefully curated social splendor. Sophie stood at the edge of the ballroom, her posture perfect, her smile rehearsed but effortless, every inch the confident wife of Alexa...

Chapter 12: A Dance of Pretend and truth

Chapter 1: when it rains, it pours 

Chapter 2:The man in the storm

Chapter 3: Collision Course 

Chapter 4: The Proposition 

Chapter 5: The Meeting 

Chapter 6: The decision 

Chapter 7:  Transformation 

Chapter 8:  The hidden Truth 

Chapter 9:  The First Night 

Chapter 10: Cracks in the Foundation 

Chapter 11: The pact

Chapter 13: The  Unexpected Ally

Chapter 14: Shadows of Betrayal 

Chapter 15: The Unraveling 

Chapter 16: The Fallout 

Chapter 17: The Reckoning 

Chapter 18:  The Third way

Chapter 19: The Breaking Point 

Chapter 20: Breaking the Silence 

Chapter 21: Fractures and Alliances

Chapter 22: The Gilded Cage

Chapter 23: The First Family Meeting

Chapter 24:  The unveiling 

Chapter 25:  The Echoes of Sarah 

Chapter 26:  The Unseen strings