Chapter 5 – The Toy That Cried

Tamara’s POV

“You left a zero off the figure,” Adrian’s voice sliced the air, cool and sharp. “Are you stupid or just careless?”

The whole office went still.

My fingers tightened around the file in my hand. “I… I’m sorry—”

“Fix it,” he said without looking up. “And don’t let it happen again.”

His words stung more than I expected. He didn’t yell, didn’t slam his desk—he didn’t need to. It was the way he said it. Like I didn’t matter. Like I wasn’t even human.

By the end of the workday, I couldn’t meet anyone’s eyes. I knew they were watching me—whispers behind every corner, snickers I couldn’t prove. But I felt them.

By the time I got back to the mansion, I didn’t have the strength to face anyone. I skipped dinner and went straight to the bedroom.

I curled up in bed and let it all out—tears I didn’t know I’d been holding back.

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Adrian’s POV

She didn’t show up for dinner.

The maid returned alone. “Miss Tamara said she’s not hungry, sir.”

I nodded, dismissing her, but something about the empty chair across the table unsettled me.

The dining room was too quiet.

Too clean.

Too… hollow.

Why did I care?

She was just a contract. A means to an end. A signature on paper.

But then I heard it—the faint sound of crying coming from upstairs.

That soft, shaky sound tugged at something in me I didn’t recognize. Or maybe something I’d buried long ago.

Without thinking, I stood up and went to her room.

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Tamara’s POV

The door creaked open. I didn’t turn.

“I don’t remember giving you permission to sulk in bed,” Adrian said dryly.

I wiped my eyes quickly and sat up.

“If you want to keep working for me, act like it,” he added.

“Why do you care?” I muttered. “To you, I’m just a toy, remember?”

His expression didn’t change. Not even a twitch.

He walked to the bed and leaned in. His eyes locked with mine. I expected another insult, another order.

But instead, he kissed me.

At first, it was soft. Then it deepened—his hands slipping to my waist, pulling me closer.

But I didn’t move.

I let him kiss me. Let him touch me.

But I didn’t kiss him back.

Eventually, he pulled away, frustrated. “Dinner’s ready. Come down.”

Still, I said nothing.

At the door, he paused.

“If I wanted silence, I’d buy a doll. Don’t test me.”

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Tamara’s POV

Dinner was quiet.

I sat at the table, forcing myself to chew, pretending the food didn’t taste like ash.

Adrian sat across from me, saying nothing. Every so often, I caught him watching me. Not glaring. Just… watching.

I hated how handsome he looked in the low light.

I hated how my body still remembered every inch of his touch.

But most of all, I hated that a small, stupid part of me still wanted him to care.

Even when I knew he never would.

“The contract said nothing about heartbreak. But every look, every touch, is cutting deeper than I expected.”