Chapter 1
Sarah Parker had grown up in a family where business, reputation, and family values held great importance.
The Parkers were a well-established business family, known for their wealth and influence. However, behind their luxurious lifestyle lay a rather traditional household. Sarah’s parents wanted her to marry a respectable, wealthy man from a similarly established business family, someone who could provide her with a comfortable and secure future.
Of course, there was another advantage to such a marriage. A connection between two influential business families could strengthen professional relationships and bring benefits to her family’s business.
Sarah, however, had never been someone who openly questioned her family’s decisions. She was quiet, well-mannered, and deeply attached to her family. She rarely spoke unnecessarily, but that never meant she lacked opinions. Mentally mature and strong-willed, she could be stubborn when something truly mattered to her. Beneath her composed nature was a caring heart, and making her parents happy had always been one of her priorities.
Then there was Jasper Whitmore.
At twenty-nine, Jasper had already taken over his father’s business and established himself as the new CEO of one of the most successful companies in the country. He was intelligent, disciplined, and exceptionally dedicated to his work.
Perhaps a little too dedicated.
Work consumed nearly every part of his life. Meetings, business deals, endless deadlines, and late-night calls left him with barely any time for himself. He hardly paid attention to his health, his meals, or even his personal life.
His parents had been concerned about this for quite some time.
Now that Jasper had taken over the company, they finally felt relieved of their professional responsibilities. They wanted to enjoy a peaceful life without constantly worrying about the business. But there was still one thing they couldn’t stop worrying about, their son.
Their repeated lectures about marriage had become a regular part of Jasper’s life.
“Jasper, you need to start thinking about yourself now,” his mother would often tell him. “You cannot spend your entire life buried in work. You need someone by your side.”
His father shared the same opinion.
“Your work isn’t going anywhere. You’ve already taken responsibility for the company. Now it’s time to take responsibility for your personal life as well.”
Jasper had heard these arguments far too many times. They had led to countless disagreements between him and his parents, but nothing seemed to change their minds.
Eventually, he reached his limit.
“Fine. If getting married is all you want, then go ahead and find someone yourselves,” he said during one particularly frustrating conversation. “I have absolutely no interest in this. Find a girl, arrange everything, and tell me when it’s done. I don’t care.”
His parents exchanged a look.
They knew he was speaking out of frustration, and they assumed he would eventually come around. Nevertheless, they decided to take him up on his offer.
And that was when Sarah Parker, four years younger than Jasper, came into the picture.
She was everything his parents hoped their future daughter-in-law would be, well-mannered, family-oriented, caring, and from a respectable business family.
But what made the match even more appealing was the fact that Sarah was the daughter of one of Jasper’s father’s closest friends.
His father was immediately pleased with the idea.
He knew the Parker family well and had always held them in high regard. What could be better than welcoming the daughter of a trusted friend into his own family?
Sarah’s father was equally delighted when the proposal reached him. He knew Jasper’s family, their reputation, and their business standing. Having his daughter marry the son of a close friend seemed like an ideal arrangement.
Both families agreed, and the wedding preparations began.
Before the wedding, Sarah and Jasper met only once, during a dinner arranged by their families.
Sarah had been nervous about meeting her future husband. She had hoped they might at least have a proper conversation, perhaps get to know each other a little before making such a significant decision.
But Jasper had other plans.
He arrived late, greeted everyone politely, and barely spoke to Sarah. Throughout the dinner, he remained distant and uninterested, occasionally checking his phone or responding to something related to work.
When his father eventually asked him about the proposal, Jasper simply nodded.
“It’s fine. You can go ahead with it.”
He said it as casually as though he were approving a business deal.
Not long after that, he excused himself, claiming he had an important matter to attend to at the office.
And just like that, he left.
That was all the time Sarah had spent with the man she was about to marry.
She couldn’t say she knew him. In fact, she barely knew anything about him beyond what her family had told her. But his cold and distant behaviour had certainly left an impression.
And now, the wedding day had finally arrived.
The wedding itself was nothing short of perfect.
Crystal chandeliers shimmered above hundreds of elite guests. Influential figures filled the hall. Cameras flashed endlessly, capturing what the public would call the union of the decade.
Everything was carefully arranged to perfection, the decorations, the flowers, the music, and the grand entrance. It was the kind of wedding people would remember for years.
Yet, behind all the grandeur, the bride was anything but relaxed.
Sarah was nervous.
She adjusted her wedding outfit, trying to steady her breathing as she prepared to walk down the aisle. Her thoughts kept returning to the man waiting at the altar.
Jasper Whitmore.
She had met him only once, and that brief encounter had done little to ease her worries. His cold, distant attitude had made her wonder what life with him would be like.
But there was no turning back now.
With a quiet breath, Sarah began walking towards the altar.
And there he stood.
Jasper waited at the altar, breathtaking in his tailored suit, his posture perfectly straight and his expression unreadable.
He looked every bit the powerful businessman he was, composed, confident, and completely in control.
When Sarah finally reached him, his gaze met hers only briefly.
Not soft. Not harsh.
Just cold, controlled, detached.
The ceremony proceeded, and Jasper recited his vows without hesitation. His voice was steady and low, almost mechanical in its perfection. When he slipped the ring onto her finger, his touch was careful, but distant.
Sarah followed the rituals quietly, doing her part without letting her nervousness show.
And then, the moment arrived.
They were pronounced husband and wife.
Applause filled the hall.
But Jasper didn’t smile at her. He didn’t look at her again, nor did he make any attempt to squeeze her hand or acknowledge the significance of what had just happened.
Instead, he simply turned towards the crowd.
He had a role to play, and he intended to get it over with as efficiently as possible. To everyone watching, he was a newly married man. But to him, it was simply another obligation he had agreed to fulfil.
The celebrations continued, photographs were taken, and guests congratulated the newlyweds.
Jasper maintained the expected appearance of a perfect groom, but his disinterest was difficult to miss if one looked closely enough.
By the time the reception ended and the final guest departed, exhaustion weighed heavily in the air.
The ride to the mansion was silent.
Neither of them attempted to start a conversation.
Sarah sat quietly, her hands resting in her lap, while Jasper remained occupied with his phone. The distance between them seemed almost absurd, considering they had just become husband and wife.
Eventually, the car pulled up in front of a magnificent mansion.
The doors of the newly built mansion closed behind the two.
It was a house designed specifically for its future power couple.
Marble floors stretched across the grand entrance. High ceilings added to the already imposing architecture, while enormous floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the glittering city skyline.
Everything about the mansion screamed luxury, wealth, and power.
And now, it was Sarah’s new home.
Her home as Mrs. Whitmore.
Jasper started walking towards the master bedroom upstairs. Sarah quietly followed him.
Just before entering the bedroom, Jasper turned around to face her.
“I think there’s another large room down the hallway,” he said in his usual cold voice. “You can sleep there.”
He paused for a moment before speaking again.
“This is an arranged marriage, Sarah. So don’t expect much from me.”
His voice was calm, but his words were clear.
Sarah looked at him for a moment but didn’t argue. She simply nodded and walked towards the other room.
She knew he was already annoyed with the whole marriage situation. She didn’t want to make things more difficult for him.
After entering the room, she carefully changed out of her heavy wedding dress and into a silk nightdress that reached her knees. She placed her wedding dress neatly aside and removed all her jewellery and accessories.
Outside, the weather had started getting worse. The sky was covered with dark clouds, and it looked like heavy rain was about to begin.
Sarah was too tired to think much about it. She wasn’t surprised that Jasper had asked her to sleep in a separate room on their very first night.
She sighed heavily. After such a long and tiring day, all she wanted was some sleep.
Slowly, exhaustion took over, and she fell asleep.
It was around 1:48 a.m. when a loud sound of thunder suddenly woke her up.
Sarah opened her eyes, startled.
It was raining heavily outside. Thunder and lightning continued every few seconds, making the entire mansion seem to shake.
The storm was terrible.
Her heart began to race. She tried to calm herself down and close her eyes again, but the noise was too loud.
The strong winds were making the curtains in her room move wildly. Every flash of lightning lit up the room for a moment before leaving it dark again.
She flinched at another loud crash of thunder.
She slowly got out of bed and walked towards the window.
Outside, everything was dark. The rain was so heavy that she could barely see anything. It didn’t look like the storm would stop anytime soon.
Sarah stood there for a few moments, her breath coming in short pants.
After hesitating for a while, she finally decided to go to Jasper’s room.
She walked slowly down the hallway and stopped outside his bedroom door.
Taking a small breath, she raised her hand and knocked softly.
Inside his room, the only light came from the dim glow of the city skyline filtering through the windows and the faint light from his phone screen as he scrolled through last week’s quarterly reports. He hadn’t slept. He never slept when his mind was still busy with work.
A loud crack of thunder shook the mansion, followed by a flash of lightning that lit up the room for a moment before plunging it back into darkness. He winced slightly at the noise, but his expression remained unchanged. He reached for the vape on his nightstand, took a slow drag, and leaned back against the headboard, letting out a thin cloud of vapour into the quiet room.
Then, he heard a sound. Soft. Hesitant.
A knock at his door.
He froze, his dark eyes narrowing. No one entered his room without his permission. Not the staff, not even his family. He placed the vape on the nightstand, tapping his fingers once against the wooden surface out of habit. Then he got out of bed and walked towards the door, his bare feet making no sound against the marble floor.
When he opened the door, he stood tall, with his messy black hair falling over his forehead. He was wearing only black silk pajama pants, leaving his broad chest and the detailed tattoos on his right arm visible in the dim light.
His eyes moved down to Sarah, sharp, cold and questioning. His jaw tightened slightly when he saw her standing there in the middle of the night.
“What is it?” His voice was rough, a little hoarse from lack of use and the smoke. He didn’t move aside to let Sarah in. Instead, he stood in the doorway, blocking her view of the room behind him, his expression guarded and unreadable.
“Did something happen?”
