Chapter 5

Madison

For a moment, I just stood there in the doorway, staring at the man who opened it like he owned the place. Because apparently… he did.

Alex Thorne. The mysterious man I had no idea about. He just suddenly came into my life and turned it upside down.

The same smug, suited stranger who pulled me aside at the wedding. The same man who stood beside me while I watched my entire life crumble.

And now—

He was standing in my house like he belonged here. Because it did.

I swallowed the knot in my throat, squinting at him. "Who the hell are you? What are you doing here?" I did not even try to be civil with this man.

He raised an eyebrow, his arms still folded across his chest. "Funny. I was about to ask you the same thing." He looked as if he was bored.

I narrowed my eyes. "Don't play games. This is private property."

"Was," he corrected, his voice maddeningly calm. "It was private property. Now it's mine."

My grip tightened around my phone. "If you don't leave right now, I'm calling the police."

Alex let out a soft, amused breath. "Please do. I'd love to watch you try and explain to them why you're trespassing in my house." He was mocking me. I want to punch his handsome face and watch it turn ugly somehow.

I stared at him, stunned. "This is my family's home."

"Not anymore." He stepped back a little and leaned against the doorframe like we were having a polite conversation and not… whatever this was.

He looked like a man completely at ease, like he had nothing to prove, nothing to lose. Meanwhile, I was standing in the rain, soaked to the skin, my life disintegrating piece by piece — and this arrogant stranger was telling me I didn't even have the right to walk into the one place I thought was safe.

"You expect me to believe that you just… bought it?" I asked, incredulous. "Just like that?"

Alex's expression didn't change. "Yes."

I crossed my arms. "Show me proof."

To my surprise, he didn't argue. He stepped back inside for a second, then returned with a slim leather folder. He flipped it open and handed me a neatly printed set of documents.

My heart sank as I read the words.

Transfer of Ownership.

Property Deed.

Seller: Rae Holdings. Buyer: Thorne Enterprises.

Signed. Stamped. Finalized.

It was real.

I staggered back a step. "No… this can't be…"

My fingers trembled slightly as I handed it back. The cold bit at my damp sleeves, but the chill in my chest had nothing to do with the weather.

"Why would they sell it? So suddenly?" I whispered.

He shrugged. "After your parents were arrested, your family assets froze. The lawyers moved fast. The house was listed the next morning. I was already interested. I made a generous offer."

I wanted to scream.

But I didn't have the luxury of rage. Not right now. Not when I still had something to fight for.

"There's something inside," I said quietly. "Documents. My father's files. I need to find them."

Alex didn't blink. "No."

I looked up at him. "No?"

"You heard me." He crossed his arms again. "You're not going through my house."

"It's not just your house!" I snapped, frustration boiling over. "You bought walls and floors, fine — but there are still things in there that belong to me. To my family." this house meant the world to me. How could he act as if I was asking something that belonged to him?

Alex's gaze was steady, unreadable. "Not anymore."

My hands balled into fists. "If you had any decency at all—"

"I'm not in the business of decency," he said coolly. "I'm in the business of leverage. And you, Madison Rae, are standing on my doorstep without any." He spoke calmly as his gaze fell on my body. My clothes were sticking to my skin.

Tears stung the back of my eyes, but I blinked them away before he could see.

I turned around, stepping off the porch. "Fine. I'll find another way. I always do."

"Wait."

The word stopped me cold. Maybe he changed his mind.

I slowly turned back toward him. He was still standing in the doorway, but something in his expression had shifted — just slightly. Calculating.

"What?" I asked warily.

Alex tilted his head. "You need something. I need something. Maybe we can help each other."

I eyed him suspiciously. "What are you talking about?"

He opened the door wider, motioning me in. "Come inside. Let's talk."

I hesitated for a second — then stepped in.

Everything was the same and yet completely different. The chandelier still hung above the foyer, the marble tiles still gleamed under my shoes, but it no longer felt like home. It felt like someone had taken a scalpel to my life and carved it out of this place.

Alex led me into the study and gestured toward one of the armchairs. I didn't sit. I didn't trust him enough for that.

"You said you needed something," I reminded him. "So get to the point." I was taking too long as if he had all the time in the world.

He leaned against the edge of the desk, his voice low and casual. "My company's stock price is in freefall after my ex-fiancée walked out on me. We have that in common. The board wants stability. Public faith. A good headline."

I stared at him, unsure where this was going. He sure like to stretch things unnecessarily.

"And?"

"And you," he said slowly, "just got dumped at the altar, humiliated in front of half the city, and have nowhere else to go." He spoke with a slow smirk coming on his face.

My chest tightened. "Get to the point, Thorne."

He gave me a knowing smile. "You need a roof over your head and a shot at clearing your family's name. I need a wife."

I froze. "Excuse me?"

"A fake wife," he clarified smoothly. "A contract. Temporary. Strictly business. We pretend we're in love, we do a few public appearances, we clean up both our reputations. You get access to the house — and maybe, if you play your cards right, some help digging into your parents' case. I will say that it was me in those photos that were displayed at your wedding."

I stared at him in disbelief.

"Are you insane?" I breathed. "You think I'm going to marry a man I barely know just to—"

"Do you have a better option?"

The room went silent.

Of course I didn't.

And he knew it.