All Chapters of THE CEO'S MIDNIGHT VOW: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

8 Chapters

PROLOGUE

The heavy silence of the study was broken only by the sound of a pen scratching against thick paper. Gwen stood on the other side of the mahogany desk looking at the legal documents that were supposed to set her free. This was the moment the original novel had described as the beginning of the end where Lucian was meant to sign the annulment papers and cast her out.She pushed the paper closer to him with a steady hand as she tried to maintain her composure. "I have already signed them Lucian" she said quietly while trying to keep her voice from trembling. "Our contract is over and you no longer have to endure a wife you never wanted. You can finally marry someone of your own choice and I will disappear from your life just like we agreed."Lucian did not pick up the pen and instead he stared at her signature with a dark and unreadable expression that made the hair on her arms stand up. He looked up at her and for a moment Gwen felt a primal urge to run because his eyes were burni

C-1

The tension in the room was so thick it felt like a physical weight against Gwen’s chest as she watched Lucian’s knuckles turn white from the force of his grip on her. She knew that Damian Lillard was downstairs waiting to play the hero and in the original novel this was the moment where the two men would have fought over her like she was a prize to be won. But Gwen was tired of being a pawn in a story she had already read and she knew that if she didn't take control now Lucian might actually kill someone before the sun went down."Let me go down there Lucian" she said as she placed a calming hand over his heart to feel the frantic rhythm beneath his ribs. "If you go down there in this state you will only confirm every rumor my sister has spread about you being a monster and I want you to show him that you are the only man who deserves to stand by my side."Lucian growled and tightened his hold for a brief second as if he were afraid she would vanish the moment his skin left hers b

C-2

The morning of the grand gala arrived with a flurry of activity that Gwen had only ever seen in movies during her past life. The Santori villa was swarming with high-end stylists and makeup artists who moved with a frantic energy because they knew that displeasing Lucian was a career-ending mistake. Gwen sat in a plush velvet chair while three people worked on her hair and nails but her eyes were focused on the reflection of the man sitting on the sofa behind her.Lucian had not left the room for a single second since they woke up. He sat there with his laptop balanced on his knees but his gaze drifted toward her every few minutes with a sharp and possessive intensity that made the stylists tremble. Every time a male tailor got too close to Gwen to adjust the hem of her gown Lucian would let out a low and warning hum that made the poor man break into a cold sweat."You are making them nervous baby" Gwen said as she caught his eye in the mirror and offered him a small and knowing s

C-3

Gwen looked at her sister’s trembling form and then back at the man clinging to her arm like a giant possessive toddler and she realized that Kayla had already been thoroughly defeated by Lucian’s unfiltered mockery. There was no point in staying to kick a woman who was already drowning in the laughter of her peers so Gwen decided to indulge the man who was currently burning holes into the backs of every guest with his glare."Fine we can leave Lucian" Gwen whispered as she smoothed back a stray lock of his hair and saw his eyes instantly light up with a childish triumph that made him look far younger than twenty-eight. "But if we go home now you have to promise to stop pouting and behave yourself while the drivers are watching."Lucian didn't even give her a chance to say goodbye to the hosts before he was dragging her toward the exit with a strength that belied his whining persona. He stopped only once to look over his shoulder at Damian Lillard who had been watching from across

C-4

The morning sun filtered through the heavy silk curtains of the master suite but Gwen was not allowed to see it because Lucian had spent the last hour burrowing his face into her neck and wrapping his limbs around her like a giant vine. Every time she tried to shift or reach for her phone to check the morning business news he would let out a low and disgruntled moan and pull her back against his chest with a strength that was impossible to fight."Stay still baby" he grumbled with a voice that was thick with sleep but still carried that edge of possessive authority. "The world doesn't need you today and the company can rot for all I care as long as you are right here where I can feel your heart beating against mine.""Lucian you have a board meeting at ten and I have a reputation to build" Gwen said while she tried to pry his iron-like arm from her waist but he only responded by nipping at her shoulder and tightening his hold until she was pinned beneath him. "If the most powerful

C-5

The air in the executive office became so cold it felt like the glass walls might shatter under the weight of Lucian’s silent fury. He watched the screen where Damian Lillard was standing behind a podium, looking somberly into the cameras as he spoke about Gwen’s delicate situation and the need for her protection. Lucian’s eyes were bloodshot and his lip curled back in a snarl that looked more animal than human, while his hands began to tremble with the urge to reach through the monitor and tear the other man apart."Look at him baby" Lucian whispered in a voice that was thick with a toxic mixture of mockery and murderous intent. "He looks like a puppy trying to howl at a lion. He thinks that by playing the gentleman he can win a single glance from you, but all he is doing is signing his own death warrant."Lucian suddenly grabbed the desk phone and punched in a series of numbers with a violent force, and within seconds he had the head of his media conglomerate on the line.He didn

C-6

The smell of freshly brewed Blue Mountain coffee and buttery croissants filled the room, but Gwen quickly realized she wasn't even allowed to reach for the tray sitting on the nightstand. Every time she tried to prop herself up on her elbows, Lucian's hands were there to gently but firmly push her back into the mountain of silk pillows. He looked refreshed, his dark hair damp from a recent shower, wearing nothing but a pair of low-slung silk pajama pants that showed off the sheer power of his physique."I can feed myself, Lucian," Gwen said with a weary sigh as she watched him meticulously cut a piece of fruit into a perfect, tiny square. "I am a grown woman and the CEO of a conglomerate, not a toddler."Lucian didn't even look up as he speared the fruit with a silver fork and brought it to her lips, his eyes shimmering with that terrifyingly sweet clinginess that had become his new default setting. "You are my wife, and since I am the reason your legs feel like jelly, it is my re

C-7

The morning of Gwen's official takeover of the Vergara conglomerate arrived with a tension that could be felt throughout the entire city. While the corporate world expected a mourning sister, Gwen stepped out of the blacked-out Santori limousine looking like a woman who had just inherited a kingdom she had already conquered.However, she wasn't walking alone.Lucian followed her into the lobby of the Vergara headquarters like a lethal shadow. He was dressed in a charcoal suit that cost more than most people made in a decade, but he wasn't acting like a CEO today. He was acting like a bodyguard who had lost his mind. He kept his hand firmly on the small of Gwen's back, guiding her through the glass doors while his eyes scanned every employee with a look that suggested he was ready to fire them for simply breathing the same air as his wife."Lucian, you promised you would sit in the back and let me handle the board members," Gwen whispered as they entered the elevator. "You are goi

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