The CEO's Contractual Wife (Olivia and Alexander) novel Chapter 247

Chapter 247

Chapter 247

Olivia

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His breathing evened out behind me, his chest rising and falling against my back. The room fell into comfortable silence, just the distant hum of the city through the windows and the occasional rustle of sheets.

I stared at the ceiling, my mind refusing to quiet despite my exhausted body.

“Do we win in this game?” I asked suddenly, my voice barely above a whisper.

Alexander’s arm tightened around my waist. “What game?”

“With Victoria. With all of this.” I turned my head slightly. “Does it ever end?”

He was quiet for a moment, his thumb tracing lazy circles on my hip. “Victoria will lose in the end. She always does.”

“You sound pretty confident about that.”

“I am.” His voice carried that trademark Carter certainty. “Don’t worry about Victoria. She makes a lot of noise, but that’s all it is. Noise.”

I wanted to believe him. Wanted to trust that everything would work out, that the contract would end smoothly, that I’d walk away with my money and my dignity intact.

But there was a question I couldn’t bring myself to ask. What happens to me when this is over? When the contract expires, and Alexander no longer needs a wife?

I’d told him I’d pay the money back ten times over. A ridiculous promise, considering I had nothing. No savings, no assets, nothing but my salary and the contract payments he’d already given me.

How exactly was I planning to pay back millions of dollars? The thought sat heavy in my chest, but I kept my mouth shut.

“Get some sleep,” Alexander murmured against my hair. “Tomorow’s another day.”

I closed my eyes, trying to let exhaustion pull me under.

Sleep came eventually, restless and broken.

I woke to sunlight streaming through the windows and the insistent buzzing of my phone on the nightstand. I fumbled for it, squinting at the screen.

Mom.

I answered groggily. “Hello?”

“Olivia.” Mom’s voice was tight with concern. “Have you seen the news this morning?”

I sat up, suddenly alert. “What news?”

“There are articles everywhere. About you and some man name James. They’re saying you’re having an affair.“

My stomach dropped. “What? That’s insane.”

“I’m looking at it right now. Photos of you with him at a cafe, at bar. The headlines are calling you a gold digger who’s cheating on Alexander,”

“Mom, those photos are nothing. He’s just a business acquaintance. We had coffee a couple of times.”

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Chapter 247

“Then why are people saying you’re leaking company secrets to im?”

“What?”

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“The articles claim an anonymous source says you’re passing information to competitors. That you’re using your position at Carter Enterprises to help this James person.”

“That’s complete bullshit,” I hissed. “Who’s reporting this?”

“Multiple outlets. It’s all over social media too. Olivia, what’s going on?”

My stomach twisted into a knot so tight I thought I might be sick “Mom, I need to call you back. This isn’t real. Someone’s making shit up.”

“Olivia-”

“I’ll call you right back. I promise.”

I hung up before she could protest, my hands shaking as I pulled up my browser. The first search result made my blood run cold.

Carter Enterprises CEO’s Wife Caught with Business Rival

I clicked through to the article, my vision blurring as I scanned the words. Photos of me with James at the café. At

O’Malley’s. Each one angled to look more intimate than it was, captions suggesting secret meetings and corporate espionage.

“Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck.”

I scrolled through more articles, each one worse than the last. Anonymous sources claiming I was feeding company secrets to James. Speculation about my marriage being a cover for corporate sabotage.

I scrolled down to the comment section. Big mistake.

Gold digger caught red handed

Poor Alexander Carter. Married a snake

She’s obviously using him for insider information

Sleeping her way to the top like a common whore

This is what happens when CEOs marry employees. Nothing but a power grab

Alexander Carter must be so disappointed

I closed the browser before I could read more, my hands shaking. Each comment felt like a physical blow, cruel words from strangers who knew nothing about me or my life.

The bed shifted. Alexander stirred beside me, his arm reaching out before his eyes even opened.

“What time is it?” His voice was rough with sleep.

“Early.” I set my phone face down on the nightstand, not wanting him to see what I’d been reading.

Too late. Alexander sat up, reaching for his own phone. I watched his expression shift as he scrolled, his jaw tightening with each swipe.

“They’re everywhere. The Sentinel, Business Insider, and even TMZ picked it up. Someone leaked those photos deliberately. Angled them to look worse than they were.”

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Chapter 247

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