: Welcome Home, Wife

Nene had barely stepped out of the car when Alexander's hand closed around hers.

Firm. Steady. Unshakable.

She stiffened. "What are you doing?"

Alexander didn't slow down. He led her through the massive, impossibly sleek front doors, past high ceilings and dark, modern architecture, moving like this was just another business deal.

Like he hadn't just legally tied her to him for life.

"This is my home," he said smoothly. "Which means it's yours now."

Nene exhaled sharply, trying not to get distracted by the sheer size of the place.

It wasn't just expensive.

It was Alpha territory.

Every inch of it was designed to be secure, impenetrable, controlled.

And now, she was trapped inside it.

Alexander led her past the main hall, through a set of double doors—

And straight into the master bedroom.

Nene yanked her hand back. "Oh, hell no."

Alexander raised an eyebrow. "Problem?"

She gawked at him. "This is your bedroom!"

"Yes," he said easily. "And?"

Her eye twitched. "And I need my own room."

Alexander was unbothered. "You have one."

Nene paused. "…What?"

He gestured toward a sleek side door on the far wall.

She hesitated, then pushed it open—

And blinked.

Because inside was another bedroom.

Smaller than his, but still massive—all clean lines, plush bedding, and a ridiculous amount of luxury.

She turned back to him, suspicious. "This is my room?"

"For now."

Her stomach flipped.

She hated how he kept saying that.

She folded her arms. "And what, I'm just supposed to pretend this setup isn't weird?"

Alexander smirked slightly, stepping closer. "You're my wife now."

Her pulse jumped.

"So?" she shot back.

"So," he murmured, voice smooth, "you sleep where I can keep an eye on you."

Her breath caught.

Not because of the words.

But because of the way he said them.

Not controlling. Not possessive.

Just a simple, undeniable fact.

Like he had already decided she was his to protect.

Nene swallowed.

She refused to acknowledge whatever weird heat crawled up her spine.

Instead, she squared her shoulders and pointed at him.

"Fine," she muttered. "But if you think this means I'm sleeping in your bed, you've lost your mind."

Alexander just smiled as he walked out.

The moment Alexander left her alone, Nene collapsed onto the ridiculously expensive bed in her new room, exhaling sharply.

Then she grabbed her phone and texted Jiho.

Nene [10:58 PM]

- HELP.- I am TRAPPED in an ALPHA FORTRESS.

- He showed me our bedroom first. OUR. Like I was just supposed to ACCEPT that.

- I have my own room, but I think he's EXPECTING me to magically end up in HIS eventually.

Jiho [10:59 PM]

- …I mean. Yeah.

- That's how Alpha marriage works, babe.

- You're in his territory now. You're his wife. Expect a LOT of casual claiming.

Nene [11:00 PM]

- Casual claiming?!

- He's treating this like a merger deal!

- And why does he keep saying 'for now' like it's some kind of warning??

Jiho [11:00 PM]

- Because it IS.

- Nene, listen to me. I'm not joking. You need to start accepting your new reality.

- Your husband is Zhao Alexander. HE is an Alpha. YOU are in HIS house.

- If you fight him on every single thing, you're just making your life harder.

Nene [11:01 PM]

- I refuse to be "claimed" like some kind of prize.

Jiho [11:01 PM]

- And he's probably thinking, "I refuse to let my mate run around unprotected like some clueless Beta."

- STAY AWAY FROM MALES, NENE.

- I'm serious. If you so much as get too friendly with another guy, you're going to see exactly what 'Alpha claiming' looks like."

Nene groaned.

She had a very bad feeling that Jiho wasn't exaggerating.

And even worse?

She wasn't sure she wanted to find out if he was right.

Nene exhaled sharply and tossed her phone onto the bed.

Jiho's words still lingered in her head, but she had bigger problems to deal with.

Like the fact that she was now living in an Alpha's fortress.

And the fact that her entire social media presence had gone silent for too long.

She rolled onto her stomach, unlocked her phone, and opened her social accounts.

50+ messages.

Her followers were blowing up her inbox.

"Nene?? Where did you go?" "Are you okay?? You never disappear like this." "Did your setup break? Blink twice if you need help."

Nene bit her lip.

She couldn't just vanish—not when she had spent years building her brand. **Her beats, her music, her online persona—that was hers.

And now?

Now, she had to figure out how to keep it going while living in a house that screamed "CEO of Everything."

She hesitated for a second. Then typed:

Nene [Post Update]

- hey, been busy, but I'm back. new setup incoming.

Then she locked her phone, exhaling.

Next step? Finding a workspace.

She scanned her new bedroom—sleek, modern, absolutely not designed for streaming.

Her eyes landed on a massive walk-in closet.

Hmm.

She got up, pushed open the doors, and—

Oh.

The closet was huge.

Bigger than some apartments she had lived in. The walls were lined with built-in shelving, warm recessed lighting, and way too much empty space.

Her brain immediately started planning.

She could set up her monitors here.

Mount some acoustic panels.

Install a privacy lock so no one (Alexander) could just barge in.

Perfect.

She grabbed her tablet, started sketching out the setup, and muttered to herself, "Welcome to the Nene Studio 2.0."

She had no control over this marriage.

But her music? That was still hers.

And she'd be damned if she let Zhao Alexander take that too.