The Room He Said Didn't Exist
"He told her the east wing was storage. The woman inside it told her something else entirely."
Nadia confronts Callum about the locked room. He doesn't deny it exists — he simply says it's none of her business and that her contract explicitly excludes his private affairs.
But Leo, who has been listening from the stairs, whispers to Nadia: 'That's where Mama stays when she's sick.' Callum sends Leo to his room immediately, his composure cracking for the first time.
Nadia learns from the household staff — carefully, indirectly — that Callum's former partner, Serena, suffered a breakdown eighteen months ago. She's been in private psychiatric care inside the penthouse ever since.
Callum finds Nadia in the library that night. He says: 'You now know more than anyone outside this house. If that information leaves, the contract is void and your father's firm collapses by Friday.'
Nadia meets his gaze. 'I'm not a threat to you, Callum. But I am going to need the truth — all of it — if you want me to be convincing as your wife.'
"Callum slides a folder across the desk. Inside: a legal document naming Nadia as Leo's emergency guardian — signed six months before he ever contacted her. He knew her name long before the contract. 'Why me?' she asks. He looks away. 'Because Serena asked for you specifically.'"