Chapter 4: Twenty-Four Hours
Ella walked home in a fog.
The city lights blurred into long streaks, buses honked, people rushed past her — but she felt disconnected from all of it.
A contract marriage.
Ten million dollars.
Move into a billionaire's penthouse.
Marry a man she barely knew.
Her mind couldn't hold all the thoughts at once.
When she reached her small apartment, she unlocked the door and stepped inside.
The familiar sight hit her like a punch: the peeling wallpaper, the flickering bulb, the stack of unpaid bills on the table.
Reality rushed back.
She dropped her bag and sat on the couch, staring at the bills.
Rent overdue.
Electricity bill.
Medical invoice for her mother's treatment — the thick, terrifying one.
Her phone buzzed.
A message from the hospital.
Your mother's health has declined. Please come as soon as possible.
Ella pressed a hand to her chest.
She felt her world tilt.
Not now… not today.
She grabbed her coat and ran out again.
---
At the Hospital
Ella entered her mother's room, breathless.
Her mother lay pale against the pillows, oxygen tubes fitted around her nose.
But she smiled weakly when she saw Ella.
"Sweetheart… why are you running?" her mother whispered.
Ella forced a smile.
"No reason. I'm okay."
Her mother's eyes, soft and knowing, studied her face.
"You're troubled."
Ella swallowed hard.
"I… I just had a long day."
Her mother reached out and squeezed her hand with fragile fingers.
"You've been carrying too much, Ella."
Her voice was faint but sincere.
"You deserve happiness too."
Ella felt her throat tighten.
If only her mother knew the decision she was being asked to make.
A life-changing deal.
A man who didn't believe in love.
A marriage with an expiration date.
"Mom," Ella whispered, "if you… if you had to choose between something safe and something risky but life-changing… what would you do?"
Her mother smiled gently.
"I would choose the thing that gives you hope."
She squeezed Ella's hand.
"Always choose the path that leads you forward."
Ella lowered her head.
Tears pricked her eyes.
Forward, huh?
---
Returning Home
It was past midnight when Ella got back to her apartment.
She sat on the bed, staring at the black card Alexander gave her.
His name glinted under the dim light.
ALEXANDER FROST
Private Line
Her heart pounded.
She didn't owe him anything.
She didn't even know him.
But she needed the money — needed it more than she wanted to admit.
She thought of her mother's pale face.
Thought of her debts.
Thought of how she had been drowning for so long.
Then she remembered Alexander's words:
"No one touches what belongs to me. Contract or not."
She exhaled shakily.
This could ruin her life.
Or save it.
Hands trembling, she picked up her phone.
Her thumb hovered over the keypad.
She typed the number.
Her pulse raced.
She pressed Call.
The phone rang once.
Twice.
Then:
"Miss Harper."
His voice — low, smooth, unreadable — filled her ear.
Ella swallowed hard.
"I… I've made my decision," she whispered.
Silence.
The kind of silence that feels like it changes the air around you.
"And?" Alexander asked softly.
Ella closed her eyes.
Took a shaky breath.
And said—
"I accept the contract."
She heard Alexander inhale — a slow, deliberate breath — and when he spoke again, his voice was deeper.
"Good."
A pause.
"I'll send a car for you in the morning. Pack your things. You're moving in."
Ella's heart stopped.
"Moving in… tomorrow?"
"Yes."
His tone left no room for doubt.
"We're getting married in three days."
Her breath hitched.
Three. Days.
"Sleep well, Mrs. Frost-to-be," he murmured.
The call
ended.
Ella stared at the phone, chest tight, breath shaky.
Her life was no longer the same.
She was really doing this.
She was really—
becoming Alexander Frost's wife.