A Forced Contract Marriage with the Devil novel Chapter 16

A FORCED CONTRACT MARRIAGE WITH THE DEVIL

Chapter 16

“Yes,” he said, his voice firm despite the uncertainty in his eyes.

1 let the moment stretch before I finally answered.

“Okay,” I said simply. “After earning it.”

His brows furrowed in confusion. He stared at me, wordless, his mind scrambling to understand.

“Earn it?” he echoed, the wariness creeping back into his voice.

I leaned forward, resting my forearms against the table as I met his gaze head–on. “Yes. Earn it.”

He was silent, waiting for an explanation.

1 let him wait.

When the silence stretched too long, he finally snapped. “Earn it how?”

I could see the way his fingers twitched, the way his throat bobbed as he swallowed thickly. He knew I wasn’t going to make this easy for him.

I exhaled, slow and measured. “Don’t play dumb, Nikolai. If you want to go back to your studies, you’ll have to prove that you’re worthy of it. Nothing in this house comes without a price. If you think I’ll let you slip back into your comfortable little life without showing me you can actually

follow through, you’re wrong

His eyes flashed. “But it’s my right.”

I laughed. A low, dark sound that made his shoulders stiffen.

“Your right?” I repeated, shaking my head. “You think this is some sort of democracy where you get to make demands? No, Nikolai. Nothing is a right in this house unless I say it is.”

His lips parted, and for a brief moment, I saw it–the desperation, the lingering hope that I might be reasonable. But hope had no place here.

“I’m not a prisoner, he muttered, more to himself than to me. “I may be under your roof, but I still have my own life to live, my own aspirations. You can’t take everything from me, Alessandro.”

I tilted my head, considering his words. Then, I leaned back, my fingers absently twirling the stem of my wine glass.

“I can take whatever I want, Nikolai,” I said, my voice dangerously soft. “And if you want to go back to your studies, prove you can be useful. Prove you can play by my rules. Until then, you’ll remain

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Chapter 16

under my thumb, doing what I tell you.”

I watched as the fight flickered in his eyes–anger, frustration, helplessness..

Good.

Let him understand.

Let him break.

Because whether he realized it yet or not, he already belonged to

“How should I earn my studies?“. He still confidently asked.

“I meant proving you’re worth my investment,” I spoke slowly as if I was talking to an idiot because

it genuinely felt like I was.

“Do the roles you married to do.”

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