The leather chair creaked under Anna Croft as she tried to sit tall, though her palms were clammy and her throat bone-dry. Across the polished oak table, Adrian Hemsworth looked like a man carved from stone—calm, powerful, untouchable. His presence filled the lawyer's cabin more than the shelves of thick files or the silent clock ticking on the wall.
Between them lay a neat stack of papers.
The contract.
"Once you sign," Adrian's deep voice broke the silence, "there is no turning back."
Anna's fingers trembled around the pen. She told herself this was for Lila—for the child sleeping in a hospital bed, too young to understand words like neuroblastoma or chemotherapy. Too young to know how close Anna was to losing the only family she had left.
She lifted her chin. "As long as you keep your end of the deal, I won't back out."
Adrian's dark eyes narrowed, unreadable. "I always keep my word."
His lawyer, Richard Hale, cleared his throat softly. He adjusted his glasses, tapping the papers once to align the edges. "Very well. Before signatures are placed, the rules will be repeated clearly so there is no… misunderstanding."
Anna swallowed hard.
Richard's voice was steady, practiced, every word a gavel.
"Rule one. This contract will last until either Miss Anna Croft chooses to marry someone she loves, or until young Lady Lila is declared fully recovered from her illness. Only then will a formal divorce be processed."
Divorce. The word stabbed. Even if this marriage was a lie, it still burned.
So until then… to the whole world, I'll be Mrs. Hemsworth? Pretending to belong to him?
Her pulse thudded, bitter heat rising in her chest.
And Lila… she'll grow up thinking this man is her father?
Looking at him with trust in her eyes while I sit there knowing it's all fake?
Lila, he'll be her father. And when this contract ends, I'll just… walk away like none of it mattered?
What if she clings to him?
What if she sees him as more than a stand-in?
"Rule two. Until this contract ends, Miss Croft will be employed at the Nexora Group's main branch, working under Mr. Hemsworth's direct supervision. Your role will be adjusted to suit the public appearance of a devoted wife."
Anna's lips pressed tight. Working for him meant her days, nights, even her breath, would be under his control.
But maybe that was the point. Less interaction with his family, fewer chances to trip over lies. And at least this way… she wouldn't feel like nothing more than a financial burden shackled to his name.
"Rule three. Miss Croft and young Lady Lila will be presented to the public, the media, and Mr. Hemsworth's family as his wife and daughter. There will be no wavering in this portrayal. In their eyes, you are a family."
Her chest squeezed. Lila—sweet little Lila—would look up at Adrian as if he were her father. Would he even know how to hold her hand?
But what about his family? Would they accept her?
Would they accept Lila? And when they learned about her illness—about the endless hospital visits, the whispered word neuroblastoma—would they still look at her like a child, or like a problem?
"Rule four. This agreement is to remain absolutely confidential. Neither the press, nor family, nor friends, nor even the child are to know this is a contract marriage. Should this be breached, immediate termination follows."
Anna's breath hitched. Lila would never know. She would go on believing—believing a lie.
Richard paused, his tone sharpening for the final blow.
"And in exchange for your full cooperation… Mr. Hemsworth will assume all responsibility for young Lady Lila. He will secure her custody, provide her with the best possible treatment for her neuroblastoma, and ensure financial stability for you both."
Relief rushed through Anna, but it was bitter—because she knew what came next.
"In return, Miss Croft," Richard added, voice crisp, "you will sign over the deed of the land currently in young Lady Lila's possession. It will be transferred under Mr. Hemsworth's control until the girl comes of age."
Anna's chest burned. That land—the only piece of her sister and brother-in-law left in this world. Her fingers clenched around the pen like a weapon, fighting the urge to bolt.
Her gaze flicked up. Adrian's dark eyes were already locked on her. Silent. Demanding. Unshakable.
Richard's words blurred into the heavy air.
Anna's heart pounded. If she signed, her life was no longer hers. If she didn't… she might lose Lila forever.
Her hand hovered over the line. One stroke and the chains would lock. One stroke for Lila.
And then Adrian's voice cut through, calm but absolute.
"Before you put your name down, Anna Croft… there is one last thing you need to understand."
The pen stilled in her grip.
His eyes pierced hers, sharp and unwavering. "From the moment you and that girl walk into my house, you will follow the story I've written. And that story will be told everywhere—to the media, to my family, to the world. How we met. Why I kept you two hidden. Every detail has already been prepared."
Anna's breath faltered.
"The lie," Adrian continued, his tone like iron, "is now absolute. You will live it, breathe it, until no one dares question it. Don't worry—" his lips curved into something too sharp to be a smile, "I'll erase every past lead that might expose us."
The words sank in like ice. A story she didn't write. A cage she couldn't escape.
Still, she forced her hand to move. For Lila.
Her signature bled across the page.
Adrian took the pen, his signature swift and deliberate. To him, this wasn't marriage. It was execution of a plan.
Richard cleared his throat, voice slightly unsteady. "Then… the contract is sealed."
Anna sat frozen, her pulse thundering.
Adrian leaned back in his chair, eyes burning into hers. His voice was smooth, final.
"Welcome to the Hemsworth family, Mrs. Hemsworth."
Her lips parted. Instinct pushed out the word, "Mr. Adrian—"
"Adrian," he cut in sharply, eyes narrowing.
She blinked. "What?"
"Call me Adrian. Only Adrian." His tone brooked no argument. "Calling me Mr. Hemsworth will raise suspicion. My family knows me too well, and the media would never believe a wife who acts like a stranger."
Anna stiffened. "But the contract clearly says—"
"I know what it says." His gaze chilled. "No intimacy. No closeness. No expectations of affection. But rules on paper don't erase reality. We will be seen, even when we think we're alone. And if our performance falters for a second, it all comes crashing down."
His voice lowered, precise. "That means pretending in public. Pretending in private. Pretending always. Do you understand?"
Her throat tightened, but she held his gaze and forced the word out. "Yes… Adrian."
The name felt heavy, foreign, yet final.
He leaned back, satisfied, while Richard stacked the papers. The air between them thickened with unsaid truths.
Anna forced her eyes downward, pretending to study the contract once more. But her thoughts tangled like barbed wire.
I still don't understand…
Why him? Why her? Why this? Adrian Hemsworth was a man who could have married into any dynasty, chosen a bride from the wealthiest families in the country, and silenced his family's pressure with ease.
So why go through the trouble of marrying a penniless guardian with a sick child?
Why her land?
Her heart thudded as she glanced at him. His profile was cut like marble, unreadable, eyes as dark and unyielding as the ocean at night.
What is it about that land Lila holds… that makes him willing to go this far?
The question pressed on her lips, but she swallowed it down. The contract was clear: she would not meddle in his reasons. She would not question the story he had built.
Her only duty was Lila.
Her niece's fragile smile lit her mind, and Anna clenched her fists beneath the table.
No matter the cost, she would play this role.
For her.
For Lila.
Adrian stood, adjusting the cuff of his suit as if the contract they'd just signed were nothing more than routine. His gaze, however, never left Anna.
"Tomorrow night," he said smoothly, "I'll hold a family dinner at my place. That's when our act begins."
Anna's pulse jumped, but she stayed silent.
"My men will deliver the photos before then," he continued. "Couple shots, family portraits—edited to look like they span the last five or six years. Occasional holidays, vacations… enough to make the lie believable." His eyes flicked over her, unreadable. "Later, we'll introduce them to Lila."
Anna only nodded, her throat too tight for words.
Inside, her thoughts churned. It wasn't like this just one month ago. Back then, Adrian Hemsworth and I were at each other's throats cause of that land. And now… I'm nodding to whatever he says, signing away pieces of my life like it means nothing.
Her hands tightened in her lap, nails digging into her palms. All because of what happened that night.
Her breath caught, the memory rising like a shadow she couldn't shake.
Everything changed… after that night. The night neither of us will ever forget.