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📖 His Favorite Mistake
Chapter One: The Contract
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Zara's hands trembled as she signed the last page.
Her signature looked nothing like her real one — rushed, crooked, scared.
She knew it was a mistake. But it was too late now.
The man sitting across from her didn't flinch. Didn't smile. Didn't blink.
Xander Voss watched her like she was a puzzle he had already solved.
"It's done," he said coldly, closing the file. "You belong to me now."
Zara swallowed hard. "It's just business, right?"
He leaned forward slowly, his eyes locked on hers.
"No," he said. "It's revenge."
---
Just three days ago, Zara had never heard the name Xander Voss.
Now, she was his wife.
But this wasn't a wedding. It was a transaction. A quiet, secret ceremony in a lawyer's office. No flowers. No dress. No family.
Just a ring she hadn't picked… and a man she was told not to trust.
Her father owed the Voss family thirty million naira. Money gone. Stolen, some said.
Xander Voss gave her two choices:
Pay up. Or marry me.
She chose the only option that saved her family.
But she didn't know what she was walking into.
---
"You'll live in my house," he said, standing up. "You'll follow my rules."
"What rules?"
"No touching. No questions. No lies."
His tone was sharp. Almost dangerous.
Zara blinked. "No touching?"
Xander smirked, but there was no warmth in it.
"I'm not interested in love, Zara. You're not here to be my wife. You're here to pay for what your father did."
She opened her mouth to defend herself — but nothing came out.
He was already walking away.
---
Later that night, Zara stood at the entrance of a glass mansion that didn't feel like a home.
The guards opened the door for her, but no one said a word.
Xander didn't even wait for her.
He disappeared upstairs like she didn't exist.
A maid quietly handed her a key.
"Third room on the left," she said. "You're not allowed in the master bedroom."
Zara nodded, trying not to let the tears fall.
She wanted to scream.
She wanted to run.
But she remembered her little brother's face. Her mother's medicine.
She had no choice.
---
The next morning, she woke up to silence.
No breakfast. No note. Nothing.
She walked into the kitchen, confused — and found him already there.
Xander Voss. Shirtless. Drinking coffee like he wasn't ruining her life.
He didn't look up. "Don't make noise."
Zara crossed her arms. "I'm your wife. Not your prisoner."
He finally looked at her.
"You're not my wife. You're my punishment for trusting the wrong people."
She stepped back, his words cutting deep.
"I didn't do anything—"
"But your father did," he snapped. "And someone has to pay."
---
He left her standing there.
Again.
And that's how every day went.
Cold mornings.
Silent dinners.
A husband who treated her like she was invisible.
Except when he was angry.
Then he looked at her like fire lived inside him.
---
One week later, she found herself standing in front of a locked door on the third floor.
Xander's study.
The only room she wasn't allowed to enter.
She wasn't trying to break the rules… just clean up.
But curiosity whispered in her ear.
She reached for the handle.
It turned.
Unlocked.
She stepped inside.
Books. Papers. A painting of a woman with long dark hair.
It wasn't his mother.
It wasn't anyone she recognized.
She moved closer — and froze.
On the desk was a file.
Her father's name was printed on it.
And behind it… her name.
Zara Elijah.
She opened it slowly — hands shaking again.
Her photo. Her school records. Her social media posts. Even texts she thought were deleted.
Why did he have this?
Why was he watching her before she even knew him?
---
The door slammed shut behind her.
She spun around.
Xander stood there.
His eyes dark. His jaw clenched.
"You're not allowed in here."
Zara stepped back. "You were spying on me."
He didn't deny it.
"Did you really think I chose you because you're beautiful?"
Zara's chest rose and fell rapidly. "Then why me?"
He walked closer, slow and cold like a storm was following him.
"Because your father ruined everything. And you—"
He stopped just inches from her.
"—you are the only weakness he has."
Zara stared at him, her heart racing.
"You married me to hurt him."
Xander nodded. "And I haven't even started."