*Maya's POV*
I dropped the wedding ring on the courthouse floor and watched it roll under a bench.
"Sorry!" I scrambled to pick it up, my hands shaking so badly I could barely grab the tiny gold band.
The judge looked annoyed. Alexander looked like he wanted to disappear. The two random strangers Alexander brought as witnesses looked embarrassed for me.
This was supposed to be the happiest day of my life. Instead, it felt like a funeral.
"Miss Rodriguez, are you ready to continue?" the judge asked in a bored voice.
I nodded, clutching the ring so tightly it cut into my palm. My heart was beating so fast I felt dizzy.
This morning, I woke up Maya Rodriguez, single woman trying to save her family. In ten minutes, I'd be Maya Kane, married to a stranger who treated me like a business problem.
Alexander stood next to me stiff as a statue. He hadn't said a single word to me since we walked into the courthouse. He just handed me a ring and told me where to stand.
No "good morning." No "how are you feeling?" No "are you sure about this?"
Nothing.
The judge cleared his throat. "Alexander Kane, do you take Maya Rodriguez to be your lawfully wedded wife?"
"I do." Alexander's voice was flat and emotionless, like he was ordering coffee.
He didn't look at me. He stared straight ahead at the wall behind the judge like I wasn't even there.
"Maya Rodriguez, do you take Alexander Kane to be your lawfully wedded husband?"
I opened my mouth but no sound came out. The words got stuck in my throat like a chicken bone.
This was it. The moment that would change everything.
If I said "I do," Carlos would live. Papa would keep the restaurant. My family would be saved.
If I said "I do," I'd belong to Alexander Kane for two years. Two years of living with a man who looked at me like I was furniture.
"Miss Rodriguez?" the judge prompted.
I looked at Alexander's profile. His jaw was clenched tight, and a muscle in his cheek was twitching. Was he nervous? Did Alexander Kane actually feel something?
"I do," I whispered.
Alexander's shoulders relaxed slightly. I hadn't realized he was holding his breath.
"The rings," the judge said.
Alexander took my left hand without looking at my face. His fingers were cold but gentle as he slid the wedding band onto my finger. The ring was simple and beautiful, but it felt heavy as a chain.
Then it was my turn. I picked up Alexander's ring with trembling fingers and reached for his hand.
The moment our skin touched, something electric shot up my arm. Alexander must have felt it too because his eyes finally met mine for the first time all morning.
For just a second, his mask slipped. I saw surprise in those ice-blue eyes, and something else I couldn't identify. Fear? Hope?
But then the mask came back down, and he was stone-faced Alexander again.
I slid the ring onto his finger. It fit perfectly, like it was made for him. Which it probably was. Everything in Alexander's world was planned and perfect.
"I now pronounce you husband and wife," the judge said. "You may kiss the bride."
My stomach dropped to my shoes. We hadn't talked about kissing. I hadn't even thought about it.
Alexander turned to face me fully for the first time. He was so tall I had to crane my neck to look at him. His eyes were unreadable, but I could see his jaw working like he was chewing on glass.
He leaned down slowly, giving me plenty of time to back away. But I didn't. I couldn't.
When his lips touched mine, it wasn't the cold, business-like kiss I expected. It was soft and brief, but there was something underneath it that made my toes curl in my shoes.
When he pulled away, his cheeks had the faintest pink tinge. Was Alexander Kane actually blushing?
"Congratulations," the judge said, handing us a marriage certificate. "Next couple, please."
Just like that, it was over. No music, no celebration, no rice throwing. Just a piece of paper that said Maya and Alexander Kane were legally married.
We walked out of the courthouse in complete silence. Alexander's driver was waiting by a black car that probably cost more than our restaurant made in five years.
"Mrs. Kane," the driver said, opening the door for me.
Mrs. Kane. I was Mrs. Kane now.
I slid into the backseat, and Alexander got in beside me. The leather seats were soft as butter, and the car was silent as a tomb.
"The hospital?" the driver asked.
"Yes," Alexander said. "Carlos should be prepped for surgery by now."
My heart jumped. In all the weirdness of the wedding, I'd almost forgotten why we were doing this. Carlos was counting on us.
"Is he scared?" I asked.
Alexander looked at me strangely. "Who?"
"Carlos. Is he scared about the surgery?"
"I wouldn't know. I haven't spoken to him."
"You haven't... but he's your brother-in-law now."
Alexander's face went blank. "He's your brother. This arrangement doesn't make him my family."
The words hit me like a slap. I'd been stupid to think Alexander might actually care about Carlos as a person. To him, my brother was just another part of the business deal.
"Right," I said quietly. "Just business."
Something flickered in Alexander's eyes, but he turned to look out the window without saying anything else.
We sat in uncomfortable silence as the car moved through morning traffic. I twisted my new wedding ring around my finger, still not believing this was real.
I was married. To a billionaire. Who treated me like a stranger.
The car pulled up to the hospital, and I started to get out, but Alexander grabbed my wrist.
"Wait," he said.
"What's wrong?"
"There are reporters outside. Word got out about our marriage."
I looked through the tinted windows and saw people with cameras clustered around the hospital entrance.
"Why would reporters care about us?"
Alexander gave me a look like I'd asked why water was wet. "I'm one of the richest men in America. My marriage is news."
"What do I say to them?"
"Nothing. Smile, hold my hand, and let me do the talking."
"Hold your hand?"
"We're supposed to be in love, remember? Happy newlyweds rushing to share our joy with your family."
The way he said it made it sound like a script from a bad movie.
Alexander got out first and came around to open my door. The second I stepped onto the sidewalk, cameras started flashing and reporters started shouting questions.
"Mr. Kane! Who is your new wife?"
"How long have you been dating?"
"Is this a business merger?"
Alexander put his arm around my waist and pulled me close to his side. His touch was warm and solid, and for a moment I felt safe despite the chaos around us.
"My wife and I are very happy," Alexander said in his public voice, which sounded completely different from his normal tone. "We're here to visit family, and we'd appreciate some privacy."
We started walking toward the hospital entrance, but the reporters followed us like hungry wolves.
"Miss Rodriguez! How did you meet Alexander Kane?"
"Are you pregnant?"
"What does your family think about this marriage?"
I kept my mouth shut and tried to smile like Alexander told me to, but inside I was panicking. These people were treating our marriage like some kind of scandal.
We were almost to the hospital doors when I heard the screech of car tires behind us.
A red sports car came racing into the hospital parking lot, driving way too fast. It skidded to a stop right in front of us, and the driver's door flew open.
A woman stepped out, and my jaw dropped.
She was the most beautiful person I'd ever seen in real life. Long blonde hair, perfect figure, designer clothes that probably cost more than I made in a year. She looked like a movie star who'd stepped off a magazine cover.
But her face was twisted with rage.
"ALEXANDER!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.
Every reporter turned toward her with their cameras. Alexander's arm tightened around my waist.
"Isabella," he said quietly. "What are you doing here?"
"What am I doing here?" The woman - Isabella - laughed like a crazy person. "What am I DOING here? You married some random nobody and didn't even tell me!"
The reporters were eating this up, taking pictures of everything.
Isabella pointed a perfectly manicured finger at me. "You!" she snarled. "Do you have any idea what you've done?"
I opened my mouth to answer, but Alexander stepped in front of me.
"Isabella, leave. Now."
"Leave?" Isabella's voice got higher and more hysterical. "Leave? I've been waiting for you to propose for two years! TWO YEARS, Alexander! And you marry HER?"
She looked at me like I was something disgusting she'd found on the bottom of her shoe.
"Look at her!" Isabella shrieked. "She's nothing! Nobody! She doesn't belong in your world!"
My face burned with embarrassment. Every word Isabella said was probably true. I didn't belong in Alexander's world. I was just a poor girl from Queens who got lucky.
But then Alexander did something that shocked everyone, including me.
He took off his suit jacket and put it around my shoulders. Then he pulled me even closer to his side.
"Maya is my wife," he said in a voice cold enough to freeze fire. "That makes her more important than you will ever be."
Isabella's face went bright red. "You'll regret this, Alexander! She'll never be good enough for you! When she breaks your heart and takes your money and runs away, don't come crying to me!"
With that, she jumped back into her car and peeled out of the parking lot, leaving black tire marks on the pavement.
The reporters were going crazy, shouting questions and taking pictures.
But all I could think about was what Alexander had just done.
He'd defended me. In front of everyone, he'd chosen me over her.
As we finally made it inside the hospital, I looked up at my new husband with completely different eyes.
Maybe there was more to Alexander Kane than I thought.