C9 The Rules
Regina had married a billionaire.
She had moved into his mansion.
She was sleeping under the same roof as him.
But the truth was becoming painfully clear.
Alex Hartwell might be her husband on paper, yet there was an invisible wall between them cold, tall, and impossible to climb.
And the next morning, Alex intended to make sure that wall stayed exactly where it was.
Regina barely slept.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the photograph.
The image of the picture keeps flashing through her head.
The woman standing beside Alex.
The happiness in his smile.
The way the staff had spoken about her.
Nobody can compete with the woman he truly loved.
The words replayed in her mind long after midnight.
By morning, exhaustion sat heavily on her shoulders.
She is very weak and tired.
She couldn’t sleep well last night.
Her mind keep going back to the picture she saw.
It’s just keep coming over and over again.
She just keep thinking about it.
She dragged herself downstairs, hoping coffee could fix what sleep couldn’t.
The scent of fresh pastries filled the dining room.
The aroma was giving.
It’s very nice.
It’s giving a very nice smell.
A long table stretched across the room, large enough to seat twenty people.
And at the far end sat Alex.
Reading documents.
Checking the documents properly.
Of course he was.
The man probably reviewed contracts for fun.
Regina pulled out a chair.
“Good morning.”
Alex glanced up.
“Morning.”
How was your night.
“Did you sleep?”
“A few hours.”
“You?”
She grabbed a croissant.
“I spent most of the night questioning my life choices.”
A corner of his mouth twitched.
“Fair.”
Regina pointed at him.
“There. You almost smiled.”
“I did not.”
“You absolutely did.”
Alex returned to his papers.
But Regina noticed he wasn’t quite as cold as before.
At least not this morning.
After breakfast, one of the staff members approached.
“Mr. Hartwell would like to see you in his office.”
Regina froze.
“Oh.”
The staff member smiled politely.
“He said it’s important.”
That didn’t sound reassuring.
At all.
Ten minutes later, Regina stood outside Alex office.
The same office she had almost entered the night before.
She knocked.
“Come in.”
Taking a deep breath, she pushed the door open.
Alex sat behind a massive desk.
Sunlight streamed through floor-to-ceiling windows behind him.
Everything about the room screamed power.
Money.
Wealth.
So unique.
And somehow, Alex fit perfectly inside it.
“Have a seat.”
Regina lowered herself into the chair.
She sat gently on the chair.
The serious expression on his face immediately made her nervous.
“What happened?”
“Nothing.”
“Then why do you look like you are about to fire me?”
His eyebrow lifted.
“You are not an employee.”
You are your own boss.
“Good. Because I was terrible at being one.”
A brief silence followed.
Then Alex folded his hands together.
“We need to talk.”
The words instantly made Regina uneasy.
Nobody ever said we need to talk before delivering good news.
“Okay.”
Alex exhaled slowly.
“Our situation is unusual.”
“That’s one way to describe it.”
“We got married hours after meeting.”
We don’t know each other.
“Also true.”
His gaze remained steady.
“So I think we should establish some boundaries.”
There it was.
The contract.
The conditions.
The reality check.
Regina sat back in her chair.
“Go ahead.”
Alex nodded.
“The marriage is temporary.”
Not a forever deal.
The words hit harder than she expected.
Even though she already knew it.
Even though she had agreed.
Hearing it out loud still hurt.
It’s hurt her.
She forced a smile.
“Right.”
“My grandfather needs peace of mind right now.”
I need to do want he wants.
His happiness matters to me a lot.
His happiness is my priority.
Regina nodded.
“And when he recovers?”
“We will reevaluate.”
The answer felt careful.
Too careful.
As if he didn’t want to make promises.
Alex continued.
“You will have complete freedom in the house.”
“Generous.”
“You can spend what you need.”
Her eyes widened.
“Dangerous.”
That earned the smallest smile.
But only for a second.
Then he became serious again.
“There are also things I need from you.”
“Such as?”
“In public, we act like a married couple.”
Make it real.
No suscipion.
Regina nodded.
“Fair.”
“No scandals.”
“Fair.”
“No discussing private family matters with outsiders.”
“Fair.”
“No media interviews.”
She laughed.
“You think reporters want to interview me?”
“Trust me.”
His expression darkened.
“They will.”
They will surely come.
The realization settled heavily between them.
She wasn’t invisible anymore.
By marrying Alex, she would stepped into a spotlight she never asked for.
Alex stood and walked toward the window.
His shoulders looked tense.
Almost rigid.
“There is one more rule.”
Regina watched him carefully.
“What is it?”
A long silence followed.
Then he spoke.
“No falling in love.”
No love.
No feeling.
No affection.
The room became completely still.
Regina stared.
For a second she wondered if she had heard him correctly.
Then she laughed.
Actually laughed.
Alex turned.
“I am serious.”
“Oh, so am I.”
She shook her head.
“Trust me, Alex. Falling in love with my accidental husband wasn’t exactly on my to-do list.”
Nobody is falling in love.
His jaw tightened.
“This isn’t a joke.”
The amusement disappeared from her face.
“Then why does it sound like one?”
Neither looked away.
The tension thickened.
Finally Regina stood.
“You think I’m going to wake up one day hopelessly in love with you because you own a mansion?”
Because of your money.
Because of what you have.
Because you owns a lot of property.
Am not here for your money.
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Then what did you mean?”
Explain.
Explain exactly what you mean.
Alex expression hardened.
For a moment she thought he wouldn’t answer.
Then something unexpected happened.
His mask cracked.
Just slightly.
Enough for her to glimpse the hurt beneath.
“I don’t want anyone getting hurt.”
I don’t want any feelings to be hurt.
The anger left Regina instantly.
Because those weren’t the words of an arrogant billionaire.
They were the words of someone who had already been hurt.
Badly.
So badly.
And doesnt want it to happened again.
The room fell quiet.
Alex looked away first.
Regina suddenly understood.
This wasn’t about her.
It never had been.
It was about the woman in the photograph.
The woman he still couldn’t forget.
The woman whose memory still haunted him.
“You loved her.”
The words escaped before she could stop them.
Alex froze.
For several seconds, he didn’t move.
Then he quietly answered.
“More than anything.”
Regina’s chest tightened.
The honesty in his voice was impossible to ignore.
Whoever that woman was, she’d left a wound that never healed.
“I’m sorry,” Regina said softly.
Alex looked genuinely surprised.
“Why?”
“Because losing someone you love changes you.”
His eyes met hers.
For the first time since they’d met, there was no billionaire.
No cold businessman.
No carefully constructed wall.
Just a man carrying grief.
And for a brief moment, Regina felt it too.
The loneliness.
The sadness.
The exhaustion.
Then the wall returned.
Just as quickly as it had disappeared.
Alex cleared his throat.
“We should stick to the agreement.”
Regina nodded.
“Fine.”
“Fine.”
They shook hands.
Like business partners.
Not husband and wife.
The gesture should have felt ridiculous.
Instead it felt strangely sad.
That evening, Regina sat in her room staring out the window.
The conversation replayed endlessly in her head.
No falling in love.
Temporary marriage.
Boundaries.
Rules.
It should have made things simpler.
Yet somehow everything felt more complicated.
A knock interrupted her thoughts.
She opened the door.
A young assistant stood outside holding an envelope.
“This arrived for you.”
Regina frowned.
“For me?”
The assistant nodded.
“It’s marked urgent.”
Confused, Regina took the envelope.
The moment she saw the sender’s name, her heart stopped.
Collins.
Her ex-fiancé.
Slowly, she opened the letter.
Inside was a handwritten note.
Only one sentence.
“We need to talk. You don’t know the truth about what really happened that day.”
Regina’s hands trembled.
Because if Collins was telling the truth.
then everything she believed about her ruined wedding might have been a lie.
Just when Regina starts adjusting to her new life, a shocking message from Collins threatens to drag her back into the past and uncover secrets that could change everything.
