Reborn Heiress: Escaping My Contract Marriage with the Cold CEO-Chapter 75: Marry Me

ANNABETH SAINT

His hands stilled in mine. For a heartbeat—maybe two—Devon Thorne didn’t move. Didn’t breathe.

Then his fingers tightened around mine, warm and firm, like he was afraid I’d slip away if he didn’t hold on. His dark eyes searched mine, disbelieving.

"Annabeth." My name was rough on his lips, a scrape of sound that sent a shiver down my spine. "In the Thorne family there are only widows. No divorces."

"Oh. So you don’t want to marry me." Disappointment filled my stomach. It felt like acid. It burned. I hadn’t expected so much pain with rejection.

"That’s not what I’m saying." A muscle in his jaw twitched. He inhaled sharply through his nose, like he was fighting for control of his emotions. "You don’t marry a man like me on impulse."

"Who says it’s impulse?"

He cupped my face in his hands, his thumbs brushing my cheeks. "Listen to me. If I marry you, it won’t be a temporary arrangement. It won’t be a business deal. It won’t be for revenge or power or any of the bullshit your family cares about." His voice dropped. "If I marry you, it’s forever. You’re mine. And I don’t share what’s mine."

A thrill shot through me. Not fear. Anticipation.

"I don’t want temporary," I said softly. "I want you."

His fingers tightened on my face. "Then yes."

The word was a vow. A promise.

A knock sounded at the door.

Devon’s expression shuttered instantly, his body tensing. "What?" he called out.

A muffled voice came from the other side. "Sir, we have a situation."

I caught his wrist before he could leave. "What kind of situation?"

"I don’t know," he said. "But don’t worry, okay? Rest. I’ll be back as soon as I can."

His thumb traced the curve of my cheekbone one last time before he pulled away, leaving my skin tingling in its absence. The warmth of his touch lingered, and I wanted to press my face into his palm and keep him there—just a little longer.

But he was already stepping back, the distance between us widening like a crack in the earth. The air felt colder without him near.

"Devon," I whispered, my fingers curling into the fabric of my skirt.

He paused at the door, his broad shoulders tense beneath his shirt. For a second, I thought he might turn around. That he might come back to me, sweep me up in those strong arms and kiss me the way I’d been dreaming of—slow, deep, like he had all the time in the world.

But duty called, and Devon Thorne was a man who answered.

The door clicked shut behind him, and I exhaled, my body humming with the ghost of his touch. My heart was a wild, reckless thing in my chest, beating too fast, too loud. If I marry you, it’s forever. The words, warm and sweet, felt like honey in my veins.

I pressed my fingertips to my lips, remembering the way his breath had hitched when I said I wanted him. The way his eyes had darkened, just for a second, before he locked it all away again.

Outside, footsteps faded down the hall.

I sank back onto the edge of the bed, the sheets still rumpled where he’d sat beside me.

I closed my eyes and let myself imagine it—his hands in my hair, his mouth on mine, the weight of him pressing me into the mattress. Not now. Not yet. freёnovelkiss.com

But soon.

The thought sent a shiver down my spine.

I’d wait for him. However long it took.

***|***|***|***|***

DEVON THORNE

The knock at the door was an intrusion—a sharp, unwelcome blade slicing through the most important moment of my life.

Annabeth Saint just asked me to marry her.

The words still burned in my chest, raw and bright, like a brand seared into my ribs. Mine. Forever. I had spent years dreaming of this, of her, of the day she would look at me and see more than the ruthless CEO, more than the Thorne legacy of blood and iron. And now—

Another knock.

I clenched my jaw, forcing my mind to shift gears. Business. Crisis. Whatever the hell was happening on the other side of that door, it had better be worth tearing me away from her.

Annabeth’s fingers curled around my wrist, her grip insistent. The worry in her eyes made my heart clench. "What kind of situation?" she asked.

I didn’t know. But if it had Gibson interrupting me now, it was bad.

"I’ll handle it," I said. "Stay here."

I cupped her face a final time, and she leaned into my palm. My heart nearly jumped out of my chest. Annabeth Saint wanted to be my wife.

I still couldn’t wrap my brain around it.

Stepping into the hall, I shut the door behind me and faced Gibson. His face was grim.

"Talk."

"Breach at the downtown data center," he said, voice low. "Someone got past our firewalls. They’re in the financials."

"How long?"

"Ten minutes, maybe. The hackers are trying to lock it down, but—"

"Move."

Gibson fell into step beside me, but my mind was split—half on the emergency, half back in that room with Annabeth.

She said yes.

The thought should have been a distraction. Instead, it was a fucking anchor. Because this wasn’t just about the company anymore. It was about her. About the future I’d just been handed—one where she was my wife, my partner, my always.

And I’d be damned if I let some faceless threat take that away.

"Sir?" Gibson prompted as he opened the car door.

I met his gaze, my voice quiet. "Burn it down if you have to. Nothing leaves that server."

He nodded.

And as I slipped inside the car, I made myself a promise—one just as unbreakable as the vow I’d given Annabeth.

Whoever dared to fuck with the Thorne family would regret it.

The engine roared to life, tires screeching as we tore through the city. My phone buzzed—security updates, damage assessments—but all I could see was Annabeth’s face, the way her lips had curved when she asked the question that changed everything.

Gibson’s voice cut through my thoughts. "They’re escalating. It’s not just data theft—they’re targeting transaction records. If they manipulate the ledgers—"

"They’ll cripple us." My fingers tightened around my phone. This wasn’t random. This was an attack.

"Get me a list of every disgruntled ex-employee, every rival with a grudge. And put extra security on Annabeth."

Gibson hesitated. "You think she’s a target?"

"She’s mine now. That makes her a weakness."

And in my world, weaknesses got exploited.

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