Chapter 1: Signed, Sealed... Married?!
I never imagined my Monday morning would begin with a contract.
Not a job offer.
Not a lease.
But a marriage contract.
"You'll marry me by the end of the day, or your father's company is finished."
His voice was cold. Calculated. As sharp as the Armani suit he wore and twice as merciless.
I stared at the papers spread out across his pristine glass desk. My name was already typed beneath the line that read Bride. The black ink looked final. Permanent.
"No," I whispered. "You're joking, right?"
Leonard Thorne the CEO of Thorne Corp, my arrogant, emotionally detached boss tilted his head slightly, those storm-grey eyes of his narrowing.
"Does this look like a joke, Miss Sinclair?"
My breath caught in my throat. No smile played on his lips. No hint of sarcasm. Just raw, ruthless intent.
He wasn't bluffing.
"But…why?" I stammered. "You hate me. You barely even speak to me unless you're giving orders."
"That's precisely why you're perfect," he said coolly, folding his arms. "You're disposable. Unattached. You need money. I need a wife. It's a business deal."
My pride screamed at me to say no. To rip the contract in half and storm out of his office, stilettos clicking in rage.
But then I thought of my father sick in bed, hospital bills piling up like the weight of the world. His company, built from scratch, now teetering on bankruptcy after one failed deal.
I had no way to save him.
Except this.
Leonard's gaze didn't waver. "One year. No emotions. No demands. Just appearances and a clean exit after twelve months."
I clenched my fists. "And after that?"
He leaned forward, the corner of his mouth twitching into something that almost resembled a smirk.
"Then we forget this ever happened."
My hand trembled as I picked up the pen.
In that moment, I knew I was signing away more than just my name.
I was signing away my freedom.
Signed, sealed... married.