The CEO's Accidental Bride
Jane stared at the marriage contract in her trembling hands.
The bold, printed letters seemed to mock her: Legal Agreement of Matrimonial Union.
And there, in perfect cursive at the bottom, was her name. Her actual signature.
But she hadn't signed it.
Her gaze shot up to the man still standing in her doorway — not Alexander Kane, but someone who looked like he'd stepped straight out of a corporate drama. Slick black suit, polished shoes, expressionless face.
"Mr. Kane asked me to deliver it personally," the man said, his tone polite but final. "He also instructed me to remind you the deadline is noon today. After that…" He paused, his gaze flicking meaningfully toward the phone still buzzing in her hand. "…the media will decide what to make of those photographs."
Her stomach dropped. "Is that a threat?"
"It's an option," he replied smoothly. "The other option is to accept the arrangement. Mr. Kane is… persuasive when it comes to getting what he wants."
Jane opened her mouth to argue, but he had already stepped back into the hall. "A car will be waiting outside if you decide to comply," he said before leaving.
The door clicked shut behind him, leaving her alone with a contract she never agreed to and a headache that pulsed with every passing second.
Thirty Minutes Later
The black sedan outside her apartment building was impossible to miss. It wasn't just the glossy paint job — it was the way it seemed to own the street it was parked on, the way two men in suits stood on either side like it was guarding something more valuable than gold.
Jane should have turned around. Should have walked away, called a lawyer, anything.
But curiosity — and the fact that her phone had lit up with three more gossip articles in the last ten minutes — pushed her forward.
The back door opened before she could touch the handle.
Alexander Kane sat inside, legs crossed, hands resting lightly on the armrest like a king holding court.
"Miss Miller," he said, his deep voice filling the small space. "Get in."
Jane slid into the seat, slamming the door a little harder than necessary. "You forged my signature."
"I did," he said without hesitation.
Her eyes widened. "You're not even going to deny it?"
He met her glare with an unbothered calm that made her want to throw something. "Why would I? We both know you're not here because you want justice. You're here because you want answers."
"And you're going to give them to me," she snapped.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "You're in a position to demand now?"
Jane's pulse spiked, but she forced herself not to look away. "You dragged me into whatever this is. I deserve to know why."
Alexander leaned forward, his gaze locking on hers like he could see straight through her. "My company's board has been pressuring me to marry for months. Investors like stability — a wife makes me look… stable. They also believe it will curb my 'reckless' image."
"Reckless?" Jane muttered. "That's one word for a man who lies to the press about having a fiancée."
He ignored that. "I needed someone who wasn't part of my world, someone the board couldn't accuse of scheming for my position. And last night…" He studied her for a moment. "…you walked right into my life."
Jane laughed, short and humorless. "So you just decided I'd make a great prop?"
"Not a prop," he said, his tone softening in a way that made her uneasy. "An asset. I take care of you, you take care of me. For one year. Then we end things quietly."
"One year?" she repeated. "You expect me to marry you for a year?"
"Yes." He leaned back, every inch the unshakable businessman. "You'll be compensated. Generously."
Her jaw clenched. "You think I can be bought?"
His eyes darkened, his voice lowering to something that curled through her like smoke. "No, Miss Miller. I think you can be cornered."
The car slowed to a stop in front of the Kane International headquarters — fifty stories of glass and steel. The kind of place people whispered about.
Alexander opened the door on his side, glancing back at her. "You have until we reach my office to decide. Say no, and I let the media run their version of events."
Jane stared at the towering building, her pulse pounding in her ears.
The elevator doors to his private floor slide open… and Jane steps out — wearing the diamond engagement ring he just slid onto her finger.